A story of three, very different, remarkable young women.
When Sofie Baumann leaves Berlin in 1939 and flees to England she hopes that her sister and father will soon follow. Working for Mr Wainwright is far from easy, he is miserable, vicious and cruel but as a Jew, Sofie has been granted a visa for as long as she is working for him.
Unexpectedly finding a little joy in the Bethnal Green library, Sofie meets deputy head librarian Juliet and her assistant Katie.
Juliet has moved from the countryside to take up the senior position and the chance to get away from her strict parents was one she couldn’t pass up.
Katie is working there while she waits to take up her university place in September.
As the three women become friends, they each share their hopes and dreams for the future, but fate has other ideas. When the Library takes a direct hit from a German bomb, they determine that far from losing the comfort that books bring, they will take the library underground and reach even more people.
This wonderful heart-warming story of friendship, love and triumph against the odds will leave you with a warm glow. It has moments of sadness that can move you to tears, but is also full of humour, joy and characters that you will love.

Jennifer Ryan is a very talented author who succeeds in bringing historical facts and events into a fully cohesive and captivting story. The story covers the war with all its sadness, treatment of women as second or even third class citizens portrayed in such a positive manner. The characters were all so realistic and the decriptions of the way people lived made me realise how lucky we are today.
The facts about Bethnal Green Station tied in with the underground libray were so unique, real events wound beautifully together. I could almost feel the bombing and the terror that abounded, especially when the water flooded the station and caused a mass panic to get out.
This has a lovely plot with a superb ending.The main characters were all so different but oh so likeable. It was wonderful reading at the end the notes to follow the story giving so much detail of what happeneded during that time.
Keep on writing Jennifer as I love your books.

The underground library, a great read set in the days of the blitz, a great historical story of people pulling together to help each other during the war.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Ryan's previous book, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle I was thrilled to get my hand on The Underground Library - from sewing to books, two of my favourite things!

In this story we follow three strong women, all finding purpose and solace in the library.

When the library in Bethnal Green in London is hit by the bombs during the second world war, they are threatened with closure, but the deputy librarian Juliet and the other staff have other plans. They are determined to keep the library going, to provide a safe and welcoming place for the locals, helping them escape from the horrors of the nightly bombings.

With more and more people taking shelter in the underground station, Juliet and her team move as many books as they can there and the underground library is born providing a social place for everyone to meet.

Based on various true event, with the freedom of a fiction writer, Jennifer Ryan has created another amazing story which drags you in and makes you want to know that everyone will be OK in the end - be it an unexpected pregnancy, the death of a loved one, a malicious boss or stolen jewellery.

A touching and imformative tale of life during WWII, and how in Britain people fought for what was important to them.

Juliet Lansdown is thrilled to have secured the position of deputy manager at Bethnal Green Library; however she expects it to be a bustling hub and is a bit disappointed to find out that it's not quite that. The manager seems to have little interest in developing the library into anything more, but Juliet won't give up on her dreams. The staff also includes Katie, who is looking forward to heading off to university. They have their regulars, including Sofia - a young Jewish refugee who is in the library every chance she gets. When the library is bombed, Juliet is determined to reach readers by whichever method she can, and so she relocates the library to the underground station where most residents are spending their evenings and nights . . .

This is a very realistic wartime tale and I enjoyed all of it. You can always tell when an author has carried out research and I learned all about the life that Jewish refugees faced in Britain - something I hadn't come across before. With a creative story and beautifully created characters, I enjoyed everything about this novel and am happy to give it 5*, and would definitely recommend it to all lovers of domestic wartime fiction..

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

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The story is about a real event that took place, that is what happened when during the Blitz Bethnal Green Library was destroyed after it was bombed.

Juliet, who worked as the deputy librarian took the books to the underground and the books continued to be mended out, providing in the community.

The other characters we meet are Katie, who is soon to attend university and Sofia, she is a refugee, working in someone’s house.

I highly recommended this book.

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

I had read a book by another author based on the events in true life of the Bethnal Green library. This one gave a similar story of the coming together of the community and how everyone helped one another - despite social status and the mores of the time.

This was a delight - well written and well researched. I found myself with my husband in an Emergency Department for over 11 hrs. I had read another book and needed something else to while a way some time. So started a new book.
And suddenly I found myself 2/3 of the way through it but not in a rushed way. I was really enjoying the book and was quite sorry I needed to put it down.

A heartwarming tale of community cohesion in a time of great hardship and destruction. It must have been horrendous to be subjected to such terrible bombing raids.
But the book conveyed this fear so well

Thank you

I first heard about The Underground Library through my online book club – it sounded right up my street so I was thrilled to receive an advance review copy. I have very much enjoyed several of Jennifer Ryan's previous novels.

I have read a lot of books set in London in WWII and you begin to wonder whether anyone can approach this time period from a new angle. However, I was delighted to see that this book achieved that, with a unique story based on the real-life tale of a library, showing the whole gamut of human nature. The book follows the perspectives of three different women who come together in Bethnal Green. Ryan paints an evocative picture of the times they lived through and the prejudices they faced, contrasting the burning of the books in Hitler's Nazi Germany with the opening of the library at the Tube station giving out books to everyone and hosting readings. This was the perfect subject matter for book lovers!

I also appreciated a plot line that took us to the Isle of Man since this was an aspect of the war that I hadn't heard about before.

A well-written and highly enjoyable book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of The Underground Library in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a welcome surprise this book was. It
When Juliet Lansdown starts work as deputy librarian at Bethnal Green library little did she know what she was letting herself in for.
When faced with head librarian Mr Pruitt he makes it clear that he won’t be allowing her to start up any new clubs to attract readers. He thinks it’s only a matter of time till is closed permanently.
Younger librarian Katie is so used to living her life according to the rules of her father, it’s all about keeping up appearances. When life events throw this into disarray how will Katie react when she has to think for herself?
Sophie Baumann is a Jewish refugee who works as a general skivvy . One day out shopping she is thrilled when she finds the library and can continue her love of reading.
What brings all these women together is when the blitz begins and they start the underground library at Bethnal Green station. Not only does it bring them together it brings the community too .
I loved the colourful characters, not least Marigold. All the strong women and how they overcome trials, find themselves and how to live your own life.
My least favourite character was Victor and favourite, the Ridley sisters.
My first by this author, but not my last.

Based on real events, this is the story of what happened to Bethnal Green Library – after it was bombed during the Blitz, the books were simply moved to the Underground, and the library carried on lending books, fostering a sense of community in difficult times. The story focusses on Juliet, the deputy librarian, Katie, who is waiting to go to university, and Sofie, a Jewish refugee, but other characters add depth to the story.
I loved this, sometimes you just want to read fluff, and this is very entertaining fluff. There’s a slight enemies to lovers subplot, which I thought worked very well, and I enjoyed reading how the various characters’ story arcs played out. Highly recommended.

A capitivating, beautifully written story set in war time. Juliet goes to work in Bethel library, but the ravages of war mean it cannot continue to operate where it is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book- really atmospheric and so well written I could visualise all that was going on and how the community were able to pull together in times of hardship.

The Underground Library, this one's a tribute to community, friendships and standing tall amid every obstacle life throws your way. I was especially amazed at the hope in their hearts and kindness that the characters showed towards each other and in general.

Once again, Jennifer Ryan immerses the reader in WW2, set in London, in her latest atmospheric historical fiction that pays homage to the power of books and their transformative possibilities. In a well researched novel, she blends fact (although she does take some liberties) and fiction to highlight the friendship between 3 distinctly different women, the supportive networks, and community living under the stresses and challenges of the Blitz and the specific personal issues each faces. You get a real feel of everyday ordinary life and hardships in the Bethnal Green neighbourhood that is being bombed by the Germans, being ravaged in the horrors of these stressful times that had me gripped and immersed in the story from start to finish.

When the library is damaged, Deputy Librarian Juliet Lansdown finds it hard to give up the safety and security of her beloved world of books and makes the decision to have the books moved to the underground station that the community seek shelter in. Katie finds joy in the library too, and when her personal circumstances are deemed by her parents to bring shame and disgrace to the family, she is under pressure to submit to their plans, but these plans bring their own dangers. Sofie Baumann, a Jewish refugee, has escaped Nazi Germany, but she finds herself vulnerable, subject to the unbearable whims and demands of her employer, she seeks solace in the library. Furthermore, she has worries about her sister, Rachel, who had been left behind.

The support the women provide for each other is heartwarming to see, as is the reading of books and what this means at a time of war, where hope, information and inspiration are desperately needed. There is a wonderful supporting cast in this engaging historical fiction from Ryan, shining a light on the spirit, compassion and humanity of communities, and where women took on duties and responsibilities that had been regarded as the preserve of men. I think will appeal to a wide range of readers, not just readers of historical fiction. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

An enjoyable read.

May 1939. Sofie Baumann is persuaded by her family to leave Berlin and go to England on a working visa to escape the Nazi persecution. She ends up as a housemaid in Bethnal Green.
August 1940, Juliet Lansdown arrives in Bethnal Green to take up her new role as deputy librarian.
The Blitz begins, and the underground station is where they all go to try and escape the bombing.

When the library is bombed, Juliet decides to move the surviving books underground.

This is a well-researched novel, full of information about how people in the east end of London adapted to get through the Blitz, with some compelling personal stories woven into it.

A lovely book set in a library during the Blitz. The characters were so lovely and really helped others. They worked so hard to keep everything going during very difficult times. Highly recommend this book . My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was an excellent read. Set at the start of the blitz in WW2 in Bethnal Green, it gives a window on what it was like for a close knit working class community to cope with the effects of war. I was surprised that the events did not cover the Bethnal Green Tube disaster, but beyond that the story was based on fact and was engrossing. The book centred on three women, one a Jewish refugee, another who had recently left school and who was hoping to go to university and the third, main character a librarian. Having each faced huge personal challenges, they together set up a library that became a community focus in the underground station. It was their triumph in adversity that made this such a good read as well as being a nod in the direction of female empowerment as they had to take on roles seemed fit only for men or that saw them face up to humiliation and carry on thriving despite it. This made the book a well worth read.

A fascinating read. The characters Sofie, Juliet and Katie were wonderful and very supportive during such difficult times. This was a real page turner showing the difficulties during the war. The friendship and support of strangers to people in difficulty was very impressive and showed what communities can do when working together to provide help and support.

I loved this book! I enjoyed the interlinked stories of Juliet, Sofie and Katie - all revolving around the underground library in Bethnal Green underground station. All are escaping something - oppressive parents, society’s expectations or Nazi persecution.

All learn the value of community, friendship and the value of a helping hand in the midst of war.

A heartwarming lovely tale underlining the value of hope in the midst of despair and suffering.

One to be recommended.

This isn’t my first Jennifer Ryan book and it won’t be my last. I so enjoyed this book and was delighted to be able to read and review it before publication.

This book needs a couple of warnings …. Firstly it’s totally absorbing - I read over 3 sessions, nearly making myself late for events. Secondly it needs a few mascara warnings.

I had heard bits about the Underground library so was already keen to find out more. The book tells the story through the lives of 3 key women, starting in the days before the Blitz started and ending in Christmas 1940 - the first Christmas celebrated in Blitz torn London. As a reader you find yourself investing in not only the main 3 characters but also the supporting roles.
I would love to see this made into a film or series - it’s such an interesting story that weaves in the key themes of the time.

Another fantastic ww2 saga from Jennifer Ryan. This book is about an underground library which operated during the London blitz. Writing with such a knowledge you feel like you were there and belong to the library family pushing them on all the way.
Loving the sage fiction this author writes and looking forward to further publications.