Member Reviews
Book two at the London Foyles book shop Charing Cross.
It's 1918 and as the war rages, Rosie Burrows see's her man Alfie Bennet leave for France.This war will only be on going for a few months then he will come home for them to marry.
All her letters become unanswered its now been three and half year's when his mother gets the dreaded telegram missing persumed dead. She needs to know, she needs a letter from him, is she really in love with Alfie. And why is her best friend Fran been avoiding her all this time?
Such a welcoming story to pull at your heartstrings in the second book. As we are taking on Rosie's struggles working during the war effects in the hospital as well as the bookshop and finding her emotions drawn into another love. You just flick over all the pages and chapters and forget the time. And Rosie finds life is to short to hold onto grudges between family and friends. Go with your heart, this read is exceptional in every way. I loved it.
What a welcome return to Foyles, they sound like a real friendly team to work alongside.
It’s going to work there that helps raise Rosie Burrows spirits while she inwardly fights with her thoughts. Fact is Rosie is missing the friendship of lifelong friend Fran Wilson who appears to be avoiding her for no known reason. Rosie is still worrying about sweetheart Alfie who is posted missing. It is the not knowing and lack of correspondence that have Rosie imagining all sorts. To keep busy she volunteers at the local hospital with the library and then the local school to help the wee ones with their reading. The fact that she gets on well with their teacher helps!
I love the camaraderie of the girls in the shop, all the different characters with their dramas sound like a normal workplace. My favourite was Albert, least favourite character was Alfie. Look forward to the next instalment.
Loved this - I've enjoyed all of the Foyles Bookshop Girls books, but this one was probably the best so far! I hope there are more books to come from Elaine - I think she writes wonderful books :)
I feel this book would appeal to young readers. The characters were well written and the ending satisfying. Although the main character Alice, works in the Foyles Bookshop in England, this book is more about a promise that was made to her boyfriend that she would wait for him until he gets back from the war and not really about a bookshop. It has been years and she and his family has never has heard from him. His mother believes he is still alive and Alice is still faithful. I found the Alices actions to be unbelievable. I thought the best character was her grandmother who gave her excellent advice. If you are looking for a light romantic read this book maybe for you. It wasn't what I was expecting. Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a historical novel set during wartime.
Rosie Burrows worked at Foyles bookshop, a haven amid the chaos of World War I.
She was torn internally about her promise to her fiancé, Alfie, who is fighting in France.
As the years passed without hearing from him, she found herself torn between waiting for a man who might never return and developing feelings for Sam, a gentle teacher she met while volunteering.
The novel deftly explored the anguish of women on the home front, who are left in limbo while their loved ones are fighting.
This novel provided a heartfelt exploration of how war reshaped lives and relationships, resulting in a moving story.
Great catching up with all the girls from Foyles, great storyline with a fab sense of community spirit which gives you an insight as to how it used to be, wonderfully written and hoping there is a follow on
Read this if your a fan of historical fiction .it's the second book based around Foyles bookshop but can be read as a standalone novel
The likeable characters are lovely to read about and I enjoyed it .
Rosie loves working at Foyles bookshop and also volunteering at the hospital it’s her way of helping in the war. When her boyfriend Alfie enlisted she made a promise to wait for,him but she was a naive 16 and nearly 4 years later she’s not the same girl she once was.
She starts volunteering in the school reading t9 the children and is getting close to Sam the teacher but he’s Alfie’s brother and she made a promise even though she hasn’t heard from Alfie in years.
When he unexpectedly turns up it creates more problems and what is he hiding.
Great to have another visit to the bookshop girls and catch up in their lives. Loving this story and can’t wait for the next visit.
This was a likable, character-driven WWII story. This is the second in a series; I did not read the previous book, but the characters were all introduced, and their backstories summarized, in this story. The story was predictable, though some characters proved more complex than they originally appeared. While I would have liked to see more of a focus on the bookshop itself, Sam and Rosie were strong characters who drove the story.
Both Sam and Rosie were caring, determined, and hard-working, and I appreciated their friendship. However, some of the actions Sam took were problematic. His and Rosie's teamwork teaching children to read was one of the highlights of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.
For fans of bookshops and historical fiction. Pick up this novel and you will find it hard to put it down again, and when you have read it, you will find it easy to believe that you have actually been there experiencing the story yourself.
Another enjoyable book in the Foyles Bookshop series. I could see where the storyline was heading after reading the Prologue which was a bit disappointing as I like the suspense some of the other titles in the series have given. The book was easy to read and the characters all very easy to relate too. It was an enjoyable book to read on a night before bed without too much drama or stress.
I highly recommend the series and look forward to the next one!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read an Arc copy.