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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Last Bookshop in London, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Power of Books
Knowledge vs. Fear
Found Family
Bravery and Leadership
Summary
Analysis
In August 1939, Grace Bennett and her best friend Viv arrive in London from their homes in Drayton, a village in the English countryside. Determined to escape Uncle Horace and her aunt, who pushed her out of her own home following her mother’s death, Grace looks forward to a new adventure in London with Viv, who wants to escape her overbearing parents. As the girls deboard their train at Farringdon Station, they make their way to the home of Mrs. Weatherford, Grace’s late mother’s best friend, who has offered them a place to stay. Despite their excitement, however, they can’t ignore the reminders of war all around them, with advertisements encouraging men to enlist in military service.
As Grace and Viv arrive in London, the public’s understanding of the looming threat of war is still limited. As such, Grace and Viv experience a conflicting combination of excitement and apprehension: while they’re naturally excited about the new lives they’re about to build in the city, they’ve never fully experienced the harsh realities of war and aren’t sure what to make of the mentions of war in local advertisements, which deepens the sense that an impending threat lurks in the background of their excitement.
Themes
Grace and Viv arrive at Mrs. Weatherford’s home on Britton Street, where Mrs. Weatherford and her son Colin are there to greet them. Over tea, Mrs. Weatherford asks the girls if they’ve brought letters of recommendation, which they’ll need to find jobs in the city. While Viv has forged herself a letter, Grace has none: Uncle Horace refused to write her one despite working her to the bone in their family shop. Grace grows nervous, knowing that Mrs. Weatherford expects her to start paying rent in two months. Luckily, Mrs. Weatherford mentions that she knows someone who can temporarily employ Grace for six months and provide her with a letter: Mr. Evans, who runs a bookshop. Grace can’t help but feel disappointed, as she knows little about books.
Grace and Viv’s differing approaches to letters of recommendation demonstrate that, although they are best friends, they go about things in different ways. Knowing that her wellbeing in the city is dependent on being financially independent, Viv isn’t afraid to lie in order to get a job, whereas Grace is more hesitant. Both girls are brave in their own ways: Viv is daring in her fearlessness about lying, and Grace’s refusal to lie suggests that she is steadfast in her determination to make a living in an honest manner.
Themes
