Blog tour: The Last Bookshop in Prague

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel!

More about the book…

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 bookmarks, 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?

More about the author…

Helen Parusel is a historical novelist, having been a teacher and a clothes buyer for M&S. She currently lives in Hamburg.

My impressions…

From the same author of The Austrian Bride, which I heartily recommend, comes another brilliant novel about the courage shown by ordinary citizens during WWII. And, of course, ordinary here takes the meaning of extraordinary.

Jana, a bookshop owner, suddenly finds herself involved in the activities of the Czechoslovak resistance during the Nazi occupation of the country. With the boundaries between friends and potential informants blurred, she doesn’t know who she can or can’t trust, but what she does know is that inaction is not an option.

Heartbreaking and inspiring, this novel is extremely evocative and the author made Prague come to life right in front of my eyes, just like she did with Linz in her previous novel.

I look forward to reading what comes next!

Three words to describe it. Inspiring. Addictive. Powerful.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s eye-catching.

Have I read any other books by the same author? Yes, I loved The Austrian Bride.

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