The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gable
From New York Times bestselling author Michelle Gable comes a dual-narrative set at the famed Heywood Hill Bookshop in London about a struggling American writer on the hunt for a rumored lost manuscript written by the iconic Nancy Mitford—bookseller, spy, author, and aristocrat—during World War II.
In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.
Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.
Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present...
About the author
MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended The College of William & Mary, where she majored in accounting, and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, with her husband and two daughters. Find her at michellegable.com or on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @MGableWriter.
Review
’The Bookseller’s Secret’ is a compelling look into the life of Nancy Mitford during the Second World War whilst she was working in a London bookshop. I found this to be a fascinating look into a period of Nancy’s life that history doesn't know too much about. Hence, being a historical fiction writer’s dream as you can manipulate and fictionalise as much as you desire. However, I found it to have been meticulously researched and peppered full of quotes from her actual correspondence which gave it a sense of authenticity that is crucial for this type of book.
First, of all I am going to be completely biased about this book as I ADORE the Mitford family from the viewpoint of a historian. To have such a varied family during this period fascinates me - fascists, nazis and communists. How one family has that many competing political viewpoint is outstanding as a sociology experiment alone. Plus, when the PM is also your cousin… Then there is Nancy - novelist, friends with a ragtime bunch, possible spy, and now bookseller. She is probably the most sedate of the bunch, well apart from a few members like her youngest sister, the Duchess in waiting. But even so, I find her life exciting and her literary work progressive, entertaining and intellectual. So basically any book that picks up this topic would be fascinating to me!
This is the type of historical fiction that I adore. It makes you ask questions as it's based on the truth. It involves real people, famous characters that you can still touch and see the things that they saw. If I didn't know so much about the Mitford’s it would have lead to a late night Google rabbit hole. It makes you ask questions - like how a lot of society, especially in the upper classes actually admired Hitler and Nazism. Even Churchill praises him at times!
I loved the dual-narrative of the story and the thought of there being a missing manuscript intrigued me. Alas, if only it was true. I found Nancy was made into a loveable and likeable character despite her piercing wit and inability not to say what she thinks! I also adored Clive - I would love to read more about him. As much as I came to this book for Nancy I was also hooked on the modern side of the story and the parallels to ‘In The Pursuit of Love’. I now want to go on a pilgrimage to Heywood Hill bookshop and I am currently browsing all their book subscriptions. Not that I need more books!
Anyway, let me know if you read this one! I'm away to watch Lily James in the BBC adaptation.
