A Book Recommendation

I just finished reading The Keeper of the Hidden Books by Madeline Martin. It falls under the category of "World War 2 historical fiction about librarians/bookstores" which is a particular favourite of mine.

The book takes place in Warsaw, spanning the years of the war (with an epilogue that takes place after the fall of communism when Poland is finally free). It's about a young lady who works at a library, gets involved in the underground, and hides banned books from the Nazis. It's also about so much more: life in Warsaw during the war; the attempts of the Nazis to destroy Poland's culture and keep them poorly educated; and the challenge of knowing how and when to fight back and when to keep silent; the importance of literature in people's lives even (especially) when they have nothing else.

This is the third Madeline Martin book that I've read. The other two were The Librarian Spy and The Last Bookshop in London (both World War 2 historical fiction about librarians/bookstores). I have enjoyed all three books: her characters read like real people; there are no easy answers to the problems they face; not everything turns out perfectly (but enough turns out well to make the reader happy). She doesn't downplay the war and a lot of bad and ugly stuff happens, but the books are about the people who are living their lives in the middle of the turmoil. And while there is some romance, it's not the point to the story and it's kept clean. Overall, they're really enjoyable books.