Quick easy read. Little repetitive, but shines a nice light.
The story starts in 1938 and we follow Gertie as she plans to retire as a widow having run a bookshop and successful book clubs for many years.
That's put on hold when she agrees to take in a child from the Kindertransport - which I'd know about but hadn't read a great deal of detail.
As a parent myself, this is the first part that breaks my brain a little, and indeed this part is entirely based in history. An amazing effort and so terrible too.
The story then follows Gertie as she takes care of Hedy, a 15 year old German Jew who also longs to be reunited with her family.
The story takes us through The Blitz, the air raid shelters, rolling blackouts and rationing that took place over the years as Hitler and the Nazis spread through Europe.
I've not read any wartime books, so this was an experience. Obviously: harrowing. The story does also do a good job of making me believe the life that tries to march on.