The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green is a historical novel set during the Second World War. The story chronicles the experience of four women and their interactions through the blackout book club.
At first glance (or listen to), the Blackout Book Club appears to be a story about how people occupy themselves during wartime. It answered the question of how people would respond when they’re not able to follow their usual routines. It also shows us that in a challenging situation, people sometimes respond in unexpected ways.
But as you dig deeper, you’ll see a commentary on how a community is formed when people are forced to innovate. That at the core of us, we all make mistakes and have a choice in how we will respond to those mistakes. Will we dig deep within ourselves and come out stronger? Or will we wobble under the weight of change and disintegrate?
Readers will be reminded that we are the result of our choices. If we continue to make poor choices, we’ll eventually reap the fruit of what we sow. On the other hand, if we learn from our mistakes, we’ll come out stronger on the other side.
I listened to The Blackout Book Club as an audiobook and enjoyed it very much. The narrator, Leah Horowitz, gave each woman a distinct voice which made them come alive as I listened.
Interspersed throughout the story were discussions of some of the books they read, the characters’ responses to them, and the lessons they learned. The Blackout Book Club was an apt reminder of the power of stories and the impact they can have on people’s lives.
I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher through NetGalley and RB Media; a positive review was not required.
About The Blackout Book Club
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.
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About Amy Lynn Green
Amy Lynn Green is a lifelong lover of books, history, and library cards. She worked in publishing for six years before writing her first historical fiction novel. She and her husband live in Minnesota, where she teaches virtual classes on marketing at writer’s conferences, engages with book clubs, and regularly encourages established and aspiring authors in their publication journeys. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram (@amygreenbooks), or sign up for her newsletter at amygreenbooks.com to get quarterly emails filled with bookish fun.
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