By The Book

I really loved the WWII home front setting of The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green. The small town feel with the community coming together to do their part was a great backdrop for the stories of the four main characters. If you like WWII-era novels, give this one a look.

In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn’t be more different–a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.

At first, the struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores. As the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger, they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.

Amy Lynn Green is a lifelong lover of books, history, and library cards. She worked in publishing for six years before writing her first historical fiction novel. She and her husband live in Minnesota, where she teaches virtual classes on marketing at writer’s conferences, engages with book clubs, and regularly encourages established and aspiring authors in their publication journeys. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram (@amygreenbooks), or sign up for her newsletter at amygreenbooks.com to get quarterly emails filled with bookish fun.

My Impressions:

I really enjoyed The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green. How could I resist a book with a library setting and a book club element?! This WWII-era novel focuses on the home front as America enters the war. The historical details bolstered the fictional narrative bringing the time and place of small town Maine to life. The community is busy sending their men to war, while ramping up needed manufacturing, and installing military operations. It’s a time of uncertainty. The POVs of the four main characters explore the era and provide a unique perspective. But this book is more than a look at what was happening in the US during its early involvement in WWII; the four women could have lived in any era. Their struggles are universal and resonated with this reader. Bringing the four very different personalities together through a book club pleased my book-loving heart. And the fact that the books they read helped the characters to grow was a huge bonus! The book club minutes are a hoot too! (For those of you fellow book nerds, the book provides a reading list at the end 🙂 .) The characters face past regrets and present fears. I loved how the main characters, and the community as a whole, come together to lift up, encourage, and support each other — truly heartwarming and a good lesson for modern-day readers.

The Blackout Book Club is the perfect choice for your book club as well — lots of great discussion starters. I highly recommend this one!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: Amy Lynn Green, historical fiction, WWII