A war, the threat of war, and the danger and carnage of war impact everyone in many ways, both large and surprising from the cities bombed to small towns in Maine oceans away. Newly married, Avis is not a book lover and prefers to read women’s magazines to find a way to keep her new husband, Anthony, by her side. Yet, those magazines offer little solace when her own brother Russell and Anthony, the best of buddies, are eager to fight overseas, now, that America is at war.

Russ is not afraid to fight, but worries about what will happen to their small library in Derby, Maine.  If there is no one to care for it, the owner, Miss Cavendish, has agreed to close it at the mayor’s request to use it for another purpose. After much pleading, Russ whoops with joy as he finally gets Avis, the non-book lover, to agree to be the Librarian while Russ is off to war. With the support of her fun-loving friend, Ginny, Avis grimly strives to follow her mantra, “Focus on what you can control”, and what can she do to show Miss Cavendish that the library is really needed.

THE BLACKOUT BOOK CLUB is a delightful and poignant novel written by author Amy Lynn Green. With its diverse cast of small-town New England characters, it is an amazing tale of resiliency, reading, and the support of friends who care about each other.

WWII has always been a favourite time period of mine to read about, so I am quite impressed with Green’s skill in weaving interesting and unusual factual situations into THE BLACKOUT BOOK CLUB.  For example, as a key scene to set the stage for the story and at various times in the novel, Green references the begrudging and laxness of some people to keep the blackout curtains in place. In reality, this was the major cause of many naval disasters and deaths in 1942.

THE BLACKOUT BOOK CLUB is the first novel by Amy Lynn Green I have read, but now I look forward to reading her previous award-winning debut novel, THINGS WE DIDN’T SAY.  I recommend that if you are a fan of historical fiction or WWII stories, you are sure to find much to savour in this heartwarming story of love and the love of books. So, as they say in the library, “Do check it out!” or order your own copy. It is yours to enjoy!

Book Summary