The Mayfair bookshop A novel of Nancy Mitford and the pursuit of happiness

Knight brings to life the fascinating story of Nancy Mitford, one of the famed Mitford sisters and one of England's "bright young things" of the interwar years, as she begins her career as a novelist, and following through the years of WWII. Interspersed with stories from Nancy's point of view is a charming, contemporary, literary mystery, as a young book curator, Lucy, arrives in London to visit the famed Heywood Hill bookshop on assignment and with hopes of finding the intended recipient of a letter from Mitford, found in an old edition of The Pursuit of Love, one of Nancy's novels. While the modern mystery is intriguing, it feels almost like an afterthought to the Mitford sections, which really sing. Readers will love the appearance of literary notables like Evelyn Waugh and enjoy the glimpse into the life of one of England's most fascinating (and scandal-ridden) families. Recommended for fans of Paula McLain's The Paris Wife (2011) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008) by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

A young woman investigates an enigmatic book inscription written by British author and socialite Nancy Mitford in this uneven dual-narrative outing from Knight (Taming the Scot). Nancy lives the high life until she marries Peter Rodd, an unmoneyed minor aristocrat with a drinking problem, in 1933. As he begins seeing other women and WWII nears, two of Nancy's sisters embrace fascism, upending Nancy's life. But she finds comfort at Heywood Hill, a bookshop that has long championed her work and hires her when Peter's reckless spending forces her to find a job. In the present day, Lucy St. Clair arrives at Heywood Hill on an assignment to curate rare books for a collector. A fan of Nancy's, Lucy takes the opportunity to look into Iris, a woman to whom Nancy inscribed a copy of one of her books that was eventually bought by Lucy's mother. Knight captures Nancy's quick wit and shines a light on the darker corners of her life, but Lucy's story fails to match up and comes across as a distraction. Readers will enjoy the rich retelling of a complex period in British history, but the rest is pretty forgettable. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marshal Lyon Literary Agency. (Apr.)