Book Review: The Book Lover's Guide to London

Sarah Milne, The Book Lover's Guide to London. Yorkshire (UK): White Owl Books, 2021.  ISBN: 9781399001144.

Genre: travel guides

Subgenre: London, anglophile, literary

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus

 

This is a great book for readers who enjoy literary trivia as well as for armchair travelers. It is also a good selection if you are traveling to London wanting to see the literary sites. The book explores the city areas and their many literary stories from medieval times to today. 

The book is arranged as follows: 

• Foreword.
• Central London.
• North West London.
• East London.
• South London.
• South West London.
• West London.
• Novels, poems, and writing included. This is a list of works mentioned throughout the book. 
• Bibliography, for further reading and to learn more. 

This book is a guide to the many writers who made London their home and working space. We get stories from living through the Black Death and the Blitz, of romances and heartbreaks, of poverty and success, and many more. The book does not aim to be comprehensive. As the author writes in the foreword, "not every writer, not every address they have ever lived in can be included. . . " (7). The author states she chose the most interesting and intriguing stories. After reading the book I say she chose well. 

The text is very easy to read. It is concise and interesting. It is very easy to start reading and then to get lost in the many stories and anecdotes. For each section, stories are mostly in chronological order. You learn a lot about writers, their works, and their lives. Very often their real lives were as interesting as the works they created. We learn how they lived and often how they interacted with the city. You can almost visualize them as you read this book. 

To help readers visualize further, the book includes beautiful photographs in full color. Between the photos and text, you'll feel like you are there. 

Overall, this is a great selection for libraries to add to their travel collection. The book is also a good selection for readers interested in literary topics and authors. This is one I would acquire for our library, and if I make it to London, I want this book in my backpack. Until that day, I am glad I was able to travel there through reading. The book can also make a good gift for an English major. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

 This book qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: