Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I have not read any other books by this author and wondered where this one would be different to another series I had read about libraries in wartime London. But different it was.

I understand this is the start of a new series - and for me, I can't wait for the follow up.

The prose did make for an easy read and it is not an overlong book.
It does tackle the very difficult times experienced in Silvertown during the Blitz.
It was obviously well researched and I didn't find it particularly repetitive - the storyline kept me interested both from the historical aspect and the personal relationships between the 3 main female characters. Not sure why the mothers of two of them had to be such harridans but I suppose it showed that difficult maternal dynamics existed regardless of class.

An enjoyable read for lovers of historical fiction

This story follows a library in the East End. Cordelia, who has been employed to convince the staff there to introduce her new ideas to get more members., is the first female manager and she is uncertain of how she will be received. As the story evolves, we find out about the two staff Mavis and Jane, and how their lives are so different to Cordelaia’s Meanwhile, the war rages on around them…….
I read this story really really quickly and loved it from the beginning!. It looks like it could be the start of a series,…..
Many thanks to Boldwood Books for the chance to read this arc copy via Netgalley.
#Netgalley,#theboldbookclub,#tricia.mcbride.writer.

A beautiful read. War times stories are always of real interest to me but given the current war in the Middle East it was quite upsetting to read the details of sheltering in bunkers and the descriptions of the devastation all around. More than eighty years after the start of the Second World War it's hard to imagine people in similar conditions. Nevertheless a truly cracking read!

The first book in a new series and a good read. There are a mix of characters from all walks of life but it is set in a part of London where poverty is endemic and which was badly hit during the war. Cordelia, Mavis and Jane are the three main characters and completely different from each other. Mavis is my favourite of the three, a tough woman who has her secrets but lets no one walk on her. She stands up for her friends and is a stalwart in the library and to Cordelia who manages the place.
There is a lot going on during the story, not all of it pretty and it doesn't shy away from any of life's unsavoury happenings. At times parts of it seemed rushed and some of the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out.
However, I'm looking forward to seeing how the girls get on going forward.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Overall, this was a quick read. A tighter edit could've helped eliminate some repetition or unnecessary information that pulls the reader out of the story on occasion. I enjoyed the library angle, as well as the fact it shed a light on the importance of libraries during the war. I appreciated the romance angle being minimal, with the focus being on the friendship.

The Library Girls of the East End - Patricia McBride

I absolutely love everything that Patricia McBride writes.
This book is set during WW2 and shows how everyone was willing to do their bit for the war effort and how important the library is. I loved the characters and how well the three girls got on together, each being able to bond and help each other with the things happening in their lives.
I really excited to continue reading this series and definitely recommend if you enjoy historical fiction

The Library Girls Of The East End by Patricia McBride is the start of a fabulous new historical series set during World War II.
Everyone does their bit for the war effort. The library has a new female boss to join the other two female workers. It is a new era with fresh ideas. The library becomes the heart of the community. No longer a dusty space, it is light and bright, serving the locals with books, health and a safe space during air raids.
All three women have lives that can be challenging. We see a wayward brother, a victim of a vicious attack and rape from years ago and a poison-tongued grandmother. Each women tries to leave their troubles at home until they feel comfortable sharing about their lives.
We see how the tongue can wound. “Her mother’s harsh voice was always whispering in her ear that she was useless, ugly, unlovable.” The tongue-lashing came to a mother when she was young, and is now being directed towards her daughter until enough is enough.
There are the black shirts in the area. We witness a verbal lashing directed towards a young Jewish girl. People stand idly by, saying nothing. Only one takes a stand to help the innocent.
Diphtheria is a killer. There is a new vaccine but ignorance threatens its effectiveness.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Library Girls Of The East End. The library is more than just a building. It is the heart of the community offering care and support to all.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Highly enjoyable book that appears to be the first in a series! Cordelia manages a library in London's East End in 1940; she inherits two library employees who ultimately become friends. Cordelia comes from money and her family is appalled that she is choosing to a) work and b) work in the poorest part of the city. The book nicely integrates Cordelia's story with that of her supporting characters - Jane & Mavis.

Nightly air raids are treated with humble honesty and things don't always work out with a storybook ending; this lends authenticity to the characters' lives and experiences. There was an appropriate amount of "love interest" that added to the storyline without being tacky or distracting. I very much look forward to future books in this series.

The book was not overly long (approx 250 pages) and proved to be an engaging read.

It was a pleasure to read this NetGalley ARC.

I'm rather fond of a WWII novel, and a new series is just too hard to resist!

Cordelia is a young woman who knows her own mind and is determined to have a career, despite the horrors that thought is visiting on her mother. Working as Head Librarian in a poor area of London is not what she has in mind for her only daughter, but Cordelia is a very headstrong and determined young woman. Living in the family flat in London along with her brother makes it acceptable to society at least . . .

This is a very different take on a domestic war tale to those I've previously read and I lapped it up. There were one or two bits I though could have been better but on the whole it was an easy, enjoyable read. New friendships and fresh challenges abound, and I look forward to continuing with this series. For me, 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Ever since falling in love with the TV Series, Call the Midwife, I’ve wanted to learn more about what happened to the East End of London during WWII. After all, when Buckingham Palace was bombed, Queen Elizabeth made a comment to the effect that they could now look the residents of the East End in the face because the royal family’s residence had been bombed, too.

The book follows three women who work at a library in the East End during the early days of The Blitz. As nightly air raids and buildings get demolished all around them, Cordelia, the head librarian, is tasked with building up the numbers of the library or it will be turned into a school. Mavis and Jane work for Cordelia, and as the story progresses, you learn a little bit about each of the three’s backstory. Since this is the start of a series, all questions about their previous lives aren’t answered, but you get a good foundation into how each of these women’s lives brought them to the library.

World War II fiction never gets old for me because there are so many different aspects of the war that can be mined for stories. The Library in the East End is an appealing setting to read about the abject fear and courage the east Londoners had during the early days of the war, and I look forward to future volumes in this series. And at a reasonable price point for an e-book, it’s another Bargain Sleuth-approved series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the digital eARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

When Cordelia accepts the post of head librarian in Silver Town Library, her mother is more than a little disapproving. The East End has high levels of poverty and Illiteracy, and her mother says it's no place for a woman of her status. But Cordelia is determined to make a difference in these times of strife, and along with her colleagues, Jane and Mavis, she begins to help the local community, making sure everyone knows what the library can offer them. And maybe a romance will blossom, giving Cordelia the strength to make it through the chaos and destruction that constantly threatens their livelihood. Against a background of war, air raids, and rationing, it becomes clear the library is more than a building gilled with books - it's the beating heart of a community refusing to be torn apart.

Bombs are dropping all over London. Cordelia, Jane, and Mavis are brought together due to the war. There are serious issues in this story that are still relevant today. The three women all have their own drama. There's romance and new friendships. I like the three main characters. Cordelia came from a different background to Jane and Mavis, they all work in Silver Town Library. There's a mixed bunch of likeable and unlikeable characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #PatriciaMcBride for my ARC of #TheLibraryGirlsOfTheEastEnd in exchange for an honest review.

Love love love. It makes such a difference to read about different jobs in the war like library workers and such.
This is one of them books you can not put down. It's amazing. Cordelia sounds an absolute treasure and I want more of her, she is so strong when dealing with her family and colleagues.
Jane is a sweetheart... I can relate to her with her horrible mum.
Mavis oh I want a mummy like her she says it how it is.
All 3 of them make this story and it wouldn't be as good with out them.

Wow, i fell in love with this book! The 3 main characters were relatable, likeable and you just wanted the best for them. A lovely easy read which had me hooked. Hoping there will be more to come ?

TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic violence, bad language, hardship

I was really intrigued about the Library Girls of the East End.

I thought a historical fiction book involving people working at a library and helping to change people’s lives in an area of London historically known for poverty and difficult times would be a book that was going to be enjoyable.

And it really was.

I loved the level of detail and felt immersed in the atmosphere immediately. The sense of community that the library brings is amazing to witness. It’s because of this and the library that this is a feelgood book despite all the hardship in society at the time.

The pacing swept me along and I felt I was experiencing what the characters did. I felt concern, happiness and more as the story mved on, and above all hope that the library would make a difference to people’s lives.

Books are always my first method of relaxation and escapism, and I just love books with a book theme in them somewhere. Books are a huge theme in this story, as is the power of friendship and resilience.

This is my first book by Patricia McBride and I am eager to review more in the future.
Thanks to Patricia McBride, Rachels random resources and Boldwood books in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

5 stars

I really enjoyed this book , lovely mix of interesting characters, i hope there is more on the series.

This was a good, light historical fiction read, set in London during the early part of WWII.

While I felt that the editing could be tightened up a bit in places (several paragraphs started out with the same thought as in the previous paragraph, which momentarily took me out of the story) and it felt like some bits were just tossed in for drama that didn't work at all - mainly because it went nowhere. Perhaps there are plans for a second book that'll draw it together more, but as of now, it seemed just seemed slightly overdone, perhaps in an attempt to draw more parallels between the time period then and current readers, yet ended up falling flat for me.

Despite the issues, if you're looking for a light read set in a historical setting, you'll likely enjoy this one.

This was a great read about the East End of London during the war. Lady Cordelia Carmichael takes the job of head librarian at Silver Town Library. Not sure how the more established members of staff, Mavis and Jane, are going to take to her or how she will adjust to life in the East End she starts as she means to go on. The three of them soon become firm friends, learning about each other and supporting one another. This had a bit of romance, drama and of course covered what life was like during WW2 for the poorer people in London, the conditions and the devastation they had to endure. Each character has their own stories and secrets but I thought that how the author threaded those stories through was really well written. This is the first book by Patricia McBride that I’ve read and I am certainly looking forward to the rest of this new series.

This is a good read. The characters are interesting and made me want to keep reading. I enjoyed read this book and look forward to more.

I just reviewed The Library Girls of the East End by Patricia McBride. #TheLibraryGirlsoftheEastEnd #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series. Set in London's East end during the war we follow three women working in a library.
It's a good setting as a library attracts all kinds of people from every part of society.
Lady Cordelia starts her first job as a librarian but wants to keep her title secret and just be like everyone else.
Jane is keeping a secret that she is married with a child, as married women were not employed in libraries at that time.
Mavis has a grown up son who is in the army. She tells people she is a widow because its too heartbreaking to tell the truth.
I read this in a day or so as it drew me in from the first few pages. Great characters and still a few storyline that I'm sure will be followed up in the next book. I can't wait.

A fabulous historical drama set in the East End of London. Well written characters with a really believable story. This was much more than i expected.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.