The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II

In lieu of flowers, George gifts Grace a new book for their date, Vanity Fair. He takes her out for a special dinner at the Ritz, where the food and the flowers don’t reflect the war raging outside. She and George talk about literature, but very little of his time as a pilot. He takes her home and says goodbye with a deep and meaningful kiss.

Viv, Grace, and Mrs. Weatherford enjoy a restricted but merry Christmas dinner. Mrs. Weatherford is visibly disappointed that Jimmy and his sister haven’t joined them. She’s even prepared some of Colin’s clothes to give to Jimmy. Viv returns to service shortly after, making the house feel lonelier. When they see Jimmy at Grace’s next reading, he explains that he and his sister ate at a center because they didn’t want to take Mrs. Weatherford’s rations. Mrs. Weatherford gifts Jimmy the clothes she put aside for him, as well as clothes for his sister that Viv made. Mrs. Weatherford decides to return to the WVS and focuses on helping children in orphanages.

An air raid begins early in the evening, and Grace helps

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