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A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls by Elaine Roberts
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1
Read: 23rd February 2024
Published: 21st February 2024
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
London, 1918: the world is being torn apart by war, but for the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop, where there is friendship, there is hope… Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke and Elaine Everest.
Ellen Beckford and her sister Mary are living under their father’s shadow. Before their beloved mother died, they had dreamed of bright futures, but torn apart by grief, Harold Beckford barely lets his daughters out of his sight. Then Harold is injured during a break-in at his office at London’s docklands, and can no longer work. And with prices rising and food scarce, Ellen has no choice but to defy her father’s rules and seek employment. She finds a position at London’s renowned Foyles bookshop, and the other shop girls quickly take her under their wing.
But there are dark times ahead. Ellen’s father is accused of gathering intelligence from the docklands for the enemy, and the police seem determined to see him shot for spying. With the help of her new friends, can Ellen clear her father’s name and save her family from destitution?
MY THOUGHTS:
I have been familiar with the author's Foyles Bookshop series though I have never read it. I have read the first in her West End Girls series which I enjoyed but I'm not sure how I missed the following ones after that.
I am confused by where this book actually stands as Amazon have it advertised as the first in a series though there are already three books previously published in this series. Despite never having read the first three, I can see that this one is a standalone story all of its own and yet it complements the already existing characters in Foyles bookshop.
It's 1918 and war has been raging in Europe for four years. Many are beginning to wonder when will it ever end? So many lives senselessly lost...and for what? But everyone on the home front does their bit to raise the spirits of their boys, supporting them or offering them a free brew as they step off the train at Victoria station. It's not much, but it's something.
Ellen and Mary Beckford have grown these past four years since the sudden death of their beloved mother. Their father Harold continues to work at the docks until the day he is attacked and left with a broken leg. With such an injury and his leg in plaster for the next two months, Harold is unable to work.
Ellen realises the time has come for her to go out and find work to support her family but her father is a traditionalist. He believes it is his sole responsibility to provide for his family and yet he is unable to do so. He is firmly against Ellen going out and seeking work to support the family as he believes that is his role...regardless of the fact that he can't do so.
So it is with apprehension she approaches Foyles Bookshop on Charing Cross Road in the hope of gaining some work there as it would be a dream come true for her to work amongst all those books. But as luck would have it, one of their full time girls has recently given birth to her second child and while she is toying with the idea of returning on a part time basis, there is a vacancy available for Ellen. She starts off small - dusting and cleaning and getting to know the bookshop even better than she already does. But she also knows that the part time hours are not enough to pay the rent and put food on the table. And so she manages to garner a second job as an office girl for a newspaper. Things are beginning to look up. If only her father would speak to her, since he has given her the silent treatment ever since she defied him and went out to work.
But if Ellen thought things were looking up, she was sadly mistaken as one night police came knocking on their door and asking her father all sorts of questions about his attack and why she was always seen down at the docks so regularly. It seems they found some damning evidence which places her father in the frame for being a spy...and she as his suspected accomplice.
Ellen is horrified and sets out to piece together as much information as she can about her father's attack, his memories of the night and the man he chased down, as well as photos the police inadvertently left behind. Can she find enough proof to uncover the truth and prove her father innocent? Or will he be shot as a spy?
An interesting and absorbing tale that I devoured in a day, this was indeed a quick read that I soon lost myself in. Though I have never read the previous Foyles Bookshop books, I felt the warmth and family atmosphere that was held within the doors of that fine establishment and I must say I look forward to going back and starting from the beginning.
A delightful read that was heartwarming and entertaining.
I would like to thank #ElaineRoberts, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AWartimeWelcomeFromTheFoylesBookshopGirls in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
As a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Elaine attends many conferences, workshops, seminars and wonderful parties. Meeting other writers gives her encouragement, finding most face similar problems.
Elaine and her patient husband, Dave, have five children who have flown the nest. Home is in Dartford, Kent and is always busy with their children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting. Without her wonderful family and supportive friends, she knows the dream would never have been realised.
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