'Touching and heartwarming . . . get those tissues ready' JILL MANSELL
'A warm and tender tale about the power of books' RUTH HOGAN'
As the bombs began to fall, the book club kept their hopes alive...
London, 1938. Bookseller Gertie Bingham is facing difficult times, having just lost her beloved husband, Harry, and with a lingering sadness at never having been able to have a child of her own. Struggling to face running the bookshop she and Harry opened together, Gertie is preparing to sell up and move away when she is asked if she would be willing to take in a young Jewish refugee from Germany. Gertie is unsure and when sullen teenager Hedy Fischer arrives, Gertie fears she has nothing left to give the troubled girl.
But when the German bombers come and the lights go out over London, Gertie and Hedy realise that joining forces will make them stronger, and that books have the power to bring young and old together and unite a community in need in its darkest hour...
'A charming, uplifting story of resourceful women and the healing power of books' CLARE CHAMBERS
'A heartwarming and tender ode to the power of storytelling and friendship' EMILIA HART
'I loved this. A sweet and nourishing ode to books that historical fiction fans will love' KATE THOMPSON
'Tender, touching and utterly heartwarming' SARAH STEELE
'A wonderful story of strong female friendship and found family . . . I absolutely adored it' - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review
'Beautiful and moving in a way that we need right now' - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review
'A beautiful depiction of a community striving to survive together' - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review
'A gentle, heartwarming read' - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
ISBN: 9781035401062
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 28 mm
A warm and tender tale about the power and healing of friendship and community and the magic of books . . . Annie writes her characters with humanity, humour and respect and their stories will stay with me for a very long time. A wonderful, heart-warming read - Ruth Hogan
Full of heart . . . Annie Lyons has cleverly woven the horror and heartbreak of war with the resilience of human nature, the strength of love, and the importance of friends . . . satisfying, funny, uplifting . . . A fabulous story, perfect for fans of Lissa Evans and AJ Pearce. I adored it. - Kerry Barrett
Annie Lyons has the rare gift of bringing an unfamiliar world alive in such a way that the reader drops right into the heart of the action . . . This is a book to be read and re-read - each time there will be something new to discover . . . a triumph - Celia Anderson
If you're looking for a warm and nostalgic read, The Air Raid Book Club will definitely be your cup of tea. This story of love, bravery and found family is heart-wrenching and utterly charming. I sobbed my way through the final chapters. - Fiona Lucas
This story of grief, community, friendship and the restorative power of books, is charming, witty and thoroughly absorbing from first page to last. Gertie is the very best of heroines: feisty and compassionate. I adored following her and Lyons' cast of colourfully drawn characters through the desperate landscape of the Second World War to the swooping joy of an ending which left tears rolling down my face. This book is exactly what we need right now to remind us that, with kindness, love and compassion for our fellow man, there is always light beyond the darkness - Lisa Timoney
I devoured it . . . and was caught up in the world of Gertie and Hedy and the Book Club in WW2, turning the pages to find out more . . . a beautifully written story and a book full of heart. - Beezy Marsh
A tender, touching and utterly heart-warming tale, set against the horrors of the Blitz. Readers will adore Gertie and Hedy - Sarah Steele
A charming, uplifting story of resourceful women and the healing power of books - Clare Chambers, bestselling author of Small Pleasures
Immersive and thought-provoking . . . Through the agony of grief and the darkness of war, Annie weaves persistent hope . . . a triumphant success! - Laura Carlin
I loved this . . . a sweet and nourishing ode to books that historical fiction fans will love - Kate Thompson
The Air Raid Book Club is a total gem of a book - it completely swept me away - Miranda Dickinson
I loved The Air Raid Book Club . . . Gertie and Hedy are wonderful characters and their intertwined stories are just so touching and heartwarming. What a beautiful novel this is. And as for that ending . . . get those tissues ready - Jill Mansell
Gertie Bingham and her husband Harry opened Bingham Books in the Beechwood High Street as newlyweds in 1911 and since he passed away she misses him terribly. Gertie and Harry weren’t blessed with children, Gertie has... More
The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons is all it says on the tin and very much more.
I was lucky to be given an audio version read by Jilly Bond and she really nails the voices and nuances of the period.
Gertie sounds...
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What a wonderful writer Annie Lyons is. This is a warm and touching book about trust in humans and a love of books. Annie Lyons has no difficulty in transporting you to the world of her characters and even though... More
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