The Blackout Book Club
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"The Blackout Book Club is a fabulous novel that will warm the hearts of readers everywhere. Amy Lynn Green gives us a poignant look at life on the home front during WWII and how comfort and camaraderie can be found in the shared love of books. This will be a wonderful book club read!"--MADELINE MARTIN, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London
In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn't be more different--a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.
At first, the struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores. As the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger, they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.
Includes a book club discussion guide and The Blackout Book Club book list
"A salute to the power of books and of friendship!"--SARAH SUNDIN, bestselling and award-winning author of Until Leaves Fall in Paris
"The Blackout Book Club is an engaging story that illustrates the power of books to unite and encourage us in trying times. . . . A wonderful read."--LYNN AUSTIN, author of Long Way Home
Endorsements
"A heartwarming tribute to the power of reading and the friendships it forges during the darkest of times. Green weaves together the struggle of war, the resilience of the home front, and the love that can bind a community together in her novel The Blackout Book Club, reminding readers that hope can often be found where least expected."
J'nell Ciesielski, bestselling author of The Socialite
"A salute to the power of books and of friendship! Not only does the writing sparkle with Green's trademark wit, but the characters become your dear friends, slowly exposing the hurts and secrets that have shaped them. Come to The Blackout Book Club for the fun--stay for the depth."
Sarah Sundin, bestselling and award-winning author of Until Leaves Fall in Paris
"The Blackout Book Club is an ode to books and libraries, but it's also an ode to human connection. Amy Lynn Green's entire cast of characters comes vividly to life, each woman with a distinct voice that makes the reader feel as much like her friend as her fellow book club members are. I couldn't put this book down!"
Addison Armstrong, author of The Light of Luna Park and The War Librarian
"Fans of Madeline Martin and Katherine Reay will relish this tender, intimate look at the resilience of words and the power they wield in forging the strongest of bonds in the darkest of times. The Blackout Book Club is a delicious peek behind the curtain of nostalgia and a stunning portrait of the men and women whose lives are threaded through the poignant tapestry of storytelling: in letters and documents and in books. A book lover's dream, The Blackout Book Club solidifies Green as an inimitable chronicler of the American home-front experience."
Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration and The Mozart Code
"The Blackout Book Club is an engaging story that illustrates the power of books to unite and encourage us in trying times. The wonderfully diverse cast of quirky characters brings to life the shared worries and hopes of people on the WWII home front. A wonderful read."
Lynn Austin, author of Long Way Home
"The Blackout Book Club is a fabulous novel that will warm the hearts of readers everywhere. Amy Lynn Green gives us a poignant look at life on the home front during WWII and how comfort and camaraderie can be found in the shared love of books. This will be a wonderful book club read!"
Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London
The Author
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© Roger Smith Photography Amy Lynn Green
Amy Lynn Green has always loved history and reading, and she enjoys speaking with book clubs, writing groups, and libraries all around the country. Her debut novel, Things We Didn't Say, was nominated for a 2021 Minnesota Book Award and won two Carol...
Continue reading about Amy Lynn Green
Reviews
"Green nails all four voices of her alternating narrators: women knocked down by disappointment who find hope and unlikely camaraderie through the pages of a book. This is an uplifting read for dark times, featuring strong and unique characters uniting toward a common goal. It also has crossover appeal for fans of historical fiction from Jennifer Ryan and Kate Quinn."
Library Journal starred review
"The characters' trajectories from strangers to close friends will warm readers' hearts. Bookworms will take to this."
Publishers Weekly
"A story about history, books, and libraries? It is a YES from this book lover! A worthy addition to her other two books. Highly recommended."
Interviews and Reviews