The Bermondsey Bookshop
By Mary Gibson
I enjoy reading clean historical romance but they often get stuck in a romanticized version of historical life. At a point, it becomes unbelievable or boring. Life is not that simple, or clean cut. The rawness of this saga was what was so enticing and made me love this book. The grit of living in poverty was so well written. I felt as if I were there. I was so sad to see the book end. It was a clean romance but more than a romance it was a story of life overcoming and transforming. I truly look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

What a sad and emotional book.but also heartwarming. Love books and I think this is something that a lot of people could do with in this day. All walks of life come together just lovely

This tells the story of a bookshop that opened in the 1920’s that allowed the ordinary people of Bermondsey to buy books paying them off sixpence a time. It was a great meeting place as it opened in the evening so people could pop in after work to read or take part in the other activities they had going on. Kate had a tough life living with her unloving Aunt and her children and after leaving to fend for herself Kate ends up finding a part time job as a cleaner for the bookshop. Little did Kate realise that as well as helping her to survive this lifeline was also going to change her life forever. I really enjoyed reading about Kate’s rollercoaster life and felt drawn into the story willing Kate on as she copes with everything that’s thrown in her path.

This unusual story reads more like an accounting of daily life than a novel. I appreciated the way that the author delved deeply into difficult topics like class and spousal abuse, weaving them seamlessly into the narrative to highlight lived experiences. The main character, Kate, was charming and wise. She worked her way through challenges into a happy ending that seemed very believable.

That said, I found the pace to be extremely slow. I think that this book could've benefitted from additional editing. Ultimately the book was about twice as long as it needed to be, and the tension in the narrative could've been heightened for a more engrossing read.

Firstly, to start this review it is important for you to know that the bookshop was a very real place, set down in a very unlikely neighborhood where people struggle to simply make the rent and put food on the table. The changes wrought in the early 1900’s in Britain not only returned (or didn’t) several men from World War I, a shakeup of the ‘grand houses’, women finding work other than street corners, and a general overlay of grime and soot because of the heavy use of coal for heat and power. Into this mix comes Ethel Gutman, backed by her husband, with her determination and belief that the class divide is a useless concept, and that true art and literature should (and could) be available to all. Setting up a series of “subscription plans” to purchase books, as well as lectures, clubs and classes, and allowing anyone to come in and read ‘at will’: the shop defied thought and convention of the day in providing an outlet (and a space) where thought and words were celebrated.

Enter Kate, our heroine, who we first meet at fourteen and learn that her mother died in a fall, her father left her with an aunt as he went off to ‘find his fortune”. But Kate was always misused at her aunt’s home: from the beatings and cruel words to being banished to the garret, to removed from school to become a ‘tin basher’ at the local factory. Underfed, under loved and hoping for her father’s return, Kate soon finds herself unable to ‘stay’ with her wages being taken and now at 17 far more unwilling to take the abuse from her family. Struggle and hard work are nothing new, but a sign on a bookshop of all things opens new doors and opportunities for her.

Three jobs, two suitors: the struggles don’t end and the secrets continue to unfold as Kate’s journey continues. Her talent and ability to work metal into decorative items will be a saving grace for her- giving her options to ‘make her own way’ without the physical effects of the factory. From Bermondsey to Belgravia, Kate is quietly finding a new definition for herself, and answers about her past and family dynamics as she seeks to build her own life that both conforms to and contradicts society’s expectation. Engaging, readable and engrossing, each moment of revelation and remembrance brings Kate more fully to life, and allows readers to better relate to and understand the conditions and constraints of 1920’s London.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aC7/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Written in the style of a historical fiction, Mary Gibson gives her readers a view of real life in the 1920’s in Bermondsey.

I enjoyed the strength, determination and grit of Kate Goss, the heroine of the story, as she fights to survive in an impoverished home with violence as a daily peril. Ms. Gibson gives her readers a real sense of the harsh realities of life with little too eat, rooms that are cold, drafty and vermin infested, and work in factories where health and safety was an after-thought.

The story is a little bit mystery, a little love interest, and little bit of the fight for survival. The real Bermondsey Bookshop was a sanctuary for the common people in the town from 1921 - 1930 when Ethel Gutman founded it ‘to bring books and the love of books into Bermondsey’.

The Bermondsey Bookshop, a chapter in the rich, engrossing, dramatic, hopeful lives of the simple yet strong characters in the story.

It is a rich, meaty story to loose yourself in.

Loved this book.
The knowledge that the bookshop existed made this such a great book to read
Thoroughly recommended
Mary Gibson writes such lovely nostalgic books.

I chose to read this book because of the title as well as the description of the story - but the title immediately made me open to it. I like books about bookstores - I've spent so many happy hours in them myself I just can't resist.

The story is set in 1920s London and is focused around the spirited Kate Goss. Kate's mother died, her father has been away for years, and Kate is living with a mean and resentful aunt and her children. Kate is treated terribly and is definitely not wanted. She holds onto her dream that her father will come back and rescue her from this situation. Kate has to work very hard for food and rent at a factory. During layoff periods at the factory she picks up some cleaning jobs to make ends meet. She picked up a job at The Bermondsey Bookshop doing part-time cleaning. The Bermondsey Bookshop is an unusual place where people from all classes can come to read, learn to read, visit and share. The book is based on the very real Bermondsey Bookshop which I found fascinating.

There was something about the charming prose that I really enjoyed. I loved the character Kate; she is so strong and self-reliant that I admired each of her triumphs. The book has its villians though that I loved to hate! This is the first book I've read by Mary Gibson, but I enjoyed the writing so much I will be looking for more.

Thanks to Mary Gibson and Head of Zeus through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one and discovered a new author I like.

Based around a real bookshop that was founded by Ethel Gutman in 1921 London, it was established with the idea of providing a place for the working-class to learn to read, buy books on an installment plan, stage classical plays, learn other languages, etc.

This is the fictional story of Kate Goss, a young woman who struggled against poverty, hunger and a cruel family and its secrets. While depressing at times, it is ultimately a story of overcoming obstacles and becoming one’s own person rather than a reflection of one’s family or circumstances.

Good character development and plot. My only con? Wish it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly...I felt the ending needed an epilogue.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HeadofZeus for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Out 2/6

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction. The main character is strong and resilient. I absolutely loved reading the scenes in the bookshop and all the characters that were found there. This is a wonderful book and I can't wait to read more by this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I really liked it.
It's an engrossing and moving story, quite realistic and well researched.
I loved Kate, the MC, but I think that all the characters are realistic and well thought.
The descriptions of the bookshop were lovely and I liked the well crafted plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Firstly thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. I love this author and have enjoyed all her books. This particular one is based
in 1920s London. It was very cleverly written about Kate Goss and her personal struggles against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets. It was most enjoyable and I found it quite absorbing how the different characters were woven into Kate’s life and the Bermondsey Bookshop. I felt so sorry for Kate at times and could not believe the hardships she suffered and yet she carried on regardless. Loved it and would recommend for a great read

What a wonderfully written book with unforgettable characters. Find yourself a warm cozy spot, a comfortable chair because once you pick up this book, you won’t want to put it down. You will be drawn into the homey bookshop, be friends with all characters who venture in. It is a wonderfully written book with many plots, love interests, some sadness, some joy, and pure entertainment for the reader. Great reading!!
#The Bermondsey Bookshop
#NetGalley

This was the perfect formula. Great plot + characters you love + atmosphere = unexpected binge read! I rarely binge historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

Kate Goss is brought up in Bermondsey. When she is very young her mother died in a tragic accident, and her father leaves her with his horrible sister and vile cousins while he disappears on business, but promises to come back. Years later he hasn't come back. Her Aunt removes her from school and sets her to work in the local tin factory - keeping nearly all the money. Kate spends much of her precious spare time daydreaming of when her father would return and take her away.

Meanwhile the situation at her Aunt's is so horrible she gets into a fight, and has to make her own way. She takes on an extra cleaning job at the Bermondsey Bookshop to help make ends meet. This soon becomes a refuge where she makes friends and sees another side to life. When the tin factory lays off girls for a while, she gets into debt with the local money lender, but help comes from an unexpected source. She continues dreaming, in her cold and lonely Garrett, of when her father will return and rescue her.

Unfortunately things don't always work out in the way you think or dream they will.

A brilliantly written, insightful, story of the times, and the differences between the poorer areas of Bermondsey and the richer area of Belgravia. I didn't want to put it down.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I had a hard time getting into it at first. Not sure why because it is very well written. But once I got into the story, I was totally drawn in. I loved the main character Kate. She was treated so bad by her entire family. Yet she was strong and tenacious and never gave up. I loved the idea of the Bermondsey Bookshop, and what Ethel Gutman was trying to do. I found this story intriguing but also very sad. I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Though this is a novel, the Bermondsey Bookshop is a real place. It was founded by Ethel Gutman in February, 1921, and closed in 1930. We would call the setting "the slums", inhabited by families and others who lived on the "sharp edge of poverty".

As I read, I wondered when the bookshop, as a character, would appear. When it did, I was curious to see that this story was not necessarily about books. It was more about the people who worked at the bookshop. The Sunday night lectures [free], Monday French classes, Tuesday elocution lessons, Wednesdays play and poetry readings [all free]. When Kate wanders in to the bookshop and inquires about a job, she finds that it is open 4:30-10:00 [hours catering to the working man] and pays one shilling sixpence an hour [better wages than Boutle's - a nearby sweatshop in the manner of Charles Dickens]. Can she work a second job which would give her money for rent, now that her aunt has kicked her out?

Filled with a Dickensian money-lender, runaway father, deceased mother, Kate the orphan, a mean aunt and meaner [Cinderella-type] cousins, cold smog, coal smoke and obnoxious odors, but also including a sympathetic boss, an endearing boyfriend, an aunt who tries to help, and wonderful bookshop employees and customers, this book is an absolute delight.

I read this EARC courtesy of Atria Books. pub date 02/06/20

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibson.

Set in the earlier 1900's, Kate Noss is practically an orphan, living with her abusive aunt and so down on her luck. Things go from bad to worse after fleeing her abusers and no where to go. But because of her grit and willingness to work hard, she lands odd jobs, including cleaning a local bookshop. Through the bookshop she discovers that her long lost father, may not be far away, or lost. Could this be the end of her desperate poverty?

This was a slow weaving tale of family drama and a fighter's spirit. Considering it's pace and length, I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and intrigue, and I especially really loved Kate. There is nothing better than a story that makes you almost feel like a part of it.