Book Review: The Blackout Book Club

After my last fiction read, I needed another.

I jumped on Hoopla, and looked at Historical Fiction books for something that might interest me. I’m not sure if I saw this book on a Bookstagram I follow, but it sounded familiar so I picked it, and I am glad I did!

The Blackout Book Club, by Amy Lynn Green is a great book filled with great book recommendations! Set during World War II, in a small town in Maine, the characters are all brought together through a small book club–a book club that was only ever in place in a last ditch effort to keep a small, private library open.

The story follows four main characters; Avis, Louisa, Ginny, and Martina. Each from different walks of life and unlikely to become such close friends. Each navigates their lives the best that they can, considering the various added disruptions that came with WWII.

Avis is a young, married woman, who is struggling with her husband’s depression about being rejected from enlisting due to a medical condition. Her brother Anthony is her husband’s best friend. He shipped out and asked her to take charge of his beloved library–owned by Louisa. Her husband suddenly is faced with the opportunity to leave his cushy bank job and join in a citizen’s effort to look for German submarines off the coast of Boston. Avis struggles with this.

Louisa inherited the library, and isn’t very interested in keeping it. In an effort to help with the war, she plans to turn the library into a daycare for the women working at the foundry. A nurse and philanthropist, she is not interested in her late father’s pet project library, and would just as soon see it gone, but joins the book club to see if her librarian, Avis, really can pull this off.

Ginny grew up the daughter of a fisherman off the coast of Long Island, but finds herself in this small Maine town, because the government bought her parent’s land to turn it into part of the base. She works at the foundry, attends as many free luncheons as possible, and is saving to buy back her family’s land after the war is over. She joins the book club as a favor to Avis, and brings in some unlikely spice to the conversation.

Martina is probably my favorite character. Running from her ex-husband, but allowing everyone, including her children, to believe that he is fighting in the war, she works at the foundry, and takes care of her kids the best that she can. A lover of books, she was drawn to the book club for the chance to read and discuss books with other book lovers.

Each of these character’s bring along more characters to join the book club, and discuss various books, but the majority of the plot line follows them. It culminates with each of them helping Martina through a difficult situation with her children, and Avis and Louisa through a disaster at the library. The bond they share is evident, and admirable.

It’s not a complex novel, and you can figure out certain plot points as you read, but it was still enjoyable, and clean, which is always a plus. If you need a good read, check this one out!

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