I don’t read historical fiction. There, I said it. 97% of the time, I find the historical fiction genre to be quite boring. Luckily, The Mayfair Bookshop wasn’t anything like what I’ve come to expect from the genre. I loved it very much, and look forward to reading other books by Eliza Knight.
Thank you to Netgalley, for a copy of The Mayfair Bookshop, in return for an honest review. If you enjoyed this review, I’d love for you to subscribe!
Every once in a while, a book falls into my lap that I don’t expect to like as much as I do. The funny thing is, I had to actually request The Mayfair Bookshop from Netgalley, so there was something in the description that called to me. I just can’t remember what that was. I’m so happy that I got a chance to read this book.
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In 1938, right at the time that Hitler starts moving across Europe, Nancy Mitford and her sisters are members of the Bright Young Things, a group of friends known for their singing groups, stylish dress, and wonderful parties. When the reader meets her, Nancy is seeing a young man named Hamish, but through the beginning of the story she breaks it off with him, and marries Peter Rodd, who she calls Prod. He is unfaithful pretty much from the get-go, but refuses to ever grant Nancy a divorce, so she is stuck in an unhappy marriage, as she tries to mitigate perpetual scandal. When WW2 hits, Nancy volunteers in various activities, finally settling into a job at the Heywood Hill bookshop, turning it into a premier location for the literati of London to meet.
Lucy, in present-day London, has been offered a small position at Heywood Hill bookshop, as a curator of personal libraries. She has two ulterior motives for taking the position: one, she wants to learn more about her literary heroine, Nancy Mitford, and two, she wants to find an old friend of Nancy’s, even though she only has a first name from a book inscription: Iris.
The Mayfair Bookshop is told from two points of view: Nancy Mitford, an author during WWII, and Lucy, a young woman trying to find an old friend of Nancy’s in present time. Nancy’s timeline tells like an autobiography, in first person, while Lucy’s point of view tells in third person. Despite the fact that I’m not a fan of historical fiction, I found myself almost skimming over Lucy’s part of the story, because I needed more of Nancy’s.
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Nancy’s life is told through her own point of view, but the author interspersed various letters into the story that Nancy sent to friends. It adds such a personal touch to the story, and made it feel more real than a fictional story. I’m excited to see if Eliza wrote any more stories about Nancy, because I would love to read them!
I can’t tell you that the story was predictable or not, because I didn’t want to try to figure anything out. I was absolutely enthralled with the story, and wanted it to last as long as possible, while also being unable to keep from putting the book down.
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I’ve been really interested in Destiny, Fate, and Luck, ever since I read Destiny and Other Dilemmas for the Golden Girls Book Club episode on my podcast. This book had me really thinking about those three things, as well, because Nancy’s life felt like one fateful thing after another, but I also could see snippets of Luck in her life, especially when she made decisions for her own happiness, rather than depending on others. Destiny showed up later in the story, but that would be spoilers, and I won’t give you any.
Lucy’s and Nancy’s stories were told in such a delightful way, and made for a very sweet story. I can almost guarantee you’ll have a hard time putting it down. I read this book whenever I could, even when I was busy with other things. I very much recommend that you read The Mayfair Bookshop.
My Favorite Quotes
Two lines from the story that really stuck with me were times that Nancy and Lucy both decided to hunt after their own happiness. They wanted to live for themselves, rather than hand over control of their lives to others.
“I wore a princess-cut topaz I’d purchased. It represented a commitment I’d made to live this life for me. To devote my days to a continued pursuit of love, ambition, joie de vivre. To forgive. To heal.”
“Lucy smiled. Gavin was right. When the time came, Lucy had been the one to find the courage to pursue her own happiness-her own future-much like Nancy Mitford herself.”
Do you think you’ll read The Mayfair Bookshop? Let me know below! This book releases April 12, but you can preorder here. If you’re interested in my other book reviews, I encourage you to check out my other posts. I have tons of bookish content, and love sharing my love of books with all of you!
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Until next time, Friends!
