Spotlight: The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight

Synopsis

REAL WOMEN IN HISTORY: This novel focuses on Nancy Mitford, one of London’s Bright Young Things, a group of artists and socialites that had the city talking. But she was more than a socialite: she was a celebrated novelist, biographist, journalist, and a bookseller. And during World War II, she was an active
supporter of the Allies and worked as an aid worker in France and at home.
WORLD WAR II: In Nancy’s perspective, the novel starts right before World War II and she’s at the height of her socialite days and then continues as the London Blitz begins and she becomes an aid worker and, later, hits her stride in the Heywood HIll bookstore.

Bestselling author Eliza Knight brings together a brilliant dual-narrative story about Nancy Mitford—
one of 1930s London’s hottest socialites, authors, and a member of the scandalous Mitford Sisters—
and a modern American desperate for change, connected through time by a little London bookshop.
“An absolute must-read!”—Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author The Last Bookshop in
London
1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and
bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a
perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood
dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop
in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life.
Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on
the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a
dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition
of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers
her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that
changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.

About The Author

Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA
Today bestselling author. Her love of history
began as a young girl when she traipsed the
halls of Versailles. She is a member of the
Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc.,
and the creator of the popular historical blog,
History Undressed. Knight lives in Maryland
with her husband, three daughters, two dogs
and a turtle

What Critics Say

“The Mayfair Bookshop is a moving, touching tale of a Bright Young Thing turned bookseller/author
and her quest to find fulfilment, inspiration, and love in the chaos of the WWII home front. Eliza Knight
brings Nancy Mitford to life as an appealing and uncertain young heroine in the days before she is
burnished by fame and success—you cannot help but cheer her toward her destiny!”
— Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code
“Eliza Knight’s wonderfully descriptive novel is a window into the riveting life of Nancy Mitford, not as
an untouchable socialite, but as a woman who has her share of struggles on a very real, very
relatable level—an absolute must read!”
— Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London