Brook Cottage Books: The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel : Review

The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel

Release Date: 25th September 2024

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Genres: Historical Fiction

Was she incredibly brave or incredibly stupid? Neither. Just a bookshop girl doing what she could against her country’s oppressors.

The banned books club was only the beginning; a place for the women of Prague to come together and share the tales the Germans wanted to silence.

For bookshop owner, Jana, doing the right thing was never a question. So when opportunity comes to help the resistance, she offers herself – and her bookshop. Using her window displays as covert signals and hiding secret codes in book marks, she’ll do all in her power to help.

But the arrival of two people in her bookshop will change everything: a young Jewish boy with nowhere else to turn, and a fascist police captain Jana can’t read at all. In a time where secrets are currency and stories can be fatal, will she know who to trust?

A heart-wrenching and powerful story of courage, tenacity and love. Fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Debbie Rix will devour this unforgettable novel.

Jana runs her mother's beloved bookshop in the heart of Prague. The bookshop and the very special locket she wears around her neck bring her closer to her mother and she misses her dreadfully since her death. But things in Prague are not easy with the German occupation. Jana is finding it increasingly difficult to be able to stock the books she really wants, being forced by the Nazi's to ban certain books from her shop and stock those approved by the Nazi regime. Jana is heartbroken that the city she loves so much and its people are being terrorised and downtrodden and she wants to do something about it. The Resistance offers her some hope of defeating the Germans and saving the innocents the Nazis want to destroy. But she must be careful not to reveal too much of what she is doing, not even to those closest to her. A policeman enters her life and Jana doesn't trust him initially. She can trust nobody. Her work and the secrets she keeps come at great cost to her. But who can she open her heart to?

I read this book in less than 3 days. It's a super read. I adore anything to do with the War so jumped at the chance to take part in this tour. The Last Bookshop In Prague immediately draws the reader in. The emotional connection to the characters that is felt from the first page is strong and I quickly became invested in their lives. The story was at times a difficult read but sadly a reflection of the hardships and terror that the people of Prague felt during the Nazi occupation. The historical accuracy clearly demonstrated a well researched novel and had me reaching for Google a number of times just to read more about certain characters and places. It piqued my interest and brought me closer to the terror that people must have felt at the time.

The story has a love thread running through it. I think I would have liked Jana and Andrej to have had a little more interaction but I think that actually this was probably quite representative of the fleeting moments that couples had together during that time and the very strong bonds that were quickly formed as well as long periods of time apart. All a recipe for falling in love very quickly and very passionately.

The resilience and bravery of all the characters took my breath away at times and Jana was such a strong woman. I'm not sure I would have been quite so brave. The friendships and bonds formed throughout the story really tugged at my heartstrings. A recommended read for those who enjoy stories about WW2 and want to read about real heroism in the face of adversity.