Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, so I jumped at the chance to read Helen Parusel’s latest book. Jana owns a bookshop and is also secretly involved with the resistance whilst working as a part-time cleaner at one of the German headquarters in Prague.
Helen’s writing provides intrigue, whilst showing empathy for the characters she writes about. Many books set during WWII are based on true events, and this is no exception. I love learning about events that took place during the war, how people dealt with horrific situations and how resilient they had to become.
Resistance, bookshop, wartime, secret codes - I just knew this was going to be a book I’d love!
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel.
About the Book
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?
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About Helen, by Helen
I come from London but now live in Hamburg, Germany with my husband, daughter and rescue dog. Over the last twenty years I have taught English to students ranging in age from three to ninety- years-old! Many of the war time stories I heard further inspired my love of Historical Fiction. I’m particularly drawn to the lesser known stories. My debut novel, A Mother’s War, highlights the Lebensborn programme in occupied Norway, and was chosen as a finalist for The Romantic Novelist Association Debut award, 2024.
I have ancestors from Austria and spent my summer holidays there as a child which inspired my second novel, The Austrian Bride. The story is set in 1938 as Europe teeters on the brink of WW2. My third novel, The Last Bookshop in Prague, is set against the backdrop of true events that had dramatic repercussions in the course of the war.
I have always loved reading and writing, and now finally have the time to devote to my writing.
