The Library Girls of the East End Audiobook By Patricia McBride cover art

The Library Girls of the East End

Library Girls, Book 1

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Library Girls of the East End

By: Patricia McBride
Narrated by: Julie Maisey
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.54

Buy for $18.54

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
The first instalment in a BRAND NEW series from bestselling author Patricia McBride

With war looming, it's a dark chapter for the Library Girls

1940, London

When Cordelia accepts the post of head librarian in Silver Town Library, her mother is more than a little disapproving. The East End has high levels of poverty and illiteracy, and her mother says it’s no place for a woman of her status.

But Cordelia is determined to make a difference in these times of strife, and along with her colleagues, Jane and Mavis, she begins to help the local community.

And maybe even a romance will blossom, giving Cordelia the strength to make it through the chaos and destruction that constantly threatens their livelihood.

Against a background of war, air raids and rationing, it becomes clear the library is more than a building filled with books - it is the beating heart of a community refusing to be torn apart.

'a compelling story of friendships and the hardships of war, with excellent sketches of the East End. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.' Rosie Clarke

'If you like Dee Williams' books about Silvertown and Rotherhithe, you'll love Patricia's Library Girls series.' Lizzie Lane

'I was hooked from page one. Rich in historical detail and with characters you feel you know... Highly recommended!' Lynette Rees

'A brilliant read - the sort of book you can immerse yourself in completely ... You couldn’t read the story without it reaching your heart, or without wanting to know what will become of these women' Fran Smith

©2023 Patricia McBride (P)2023 Boldwood Books
20th Century Family Life Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sagas War

Listeners also enjoyed...

A New Start for the Wrens Audiobook By Vicki Beeby cover art
A New Start for the Wrens By: Vicki Beeby
The Wartime Bookshop Audiobook By Lesley Eames cover art
The Wartime Bookshop By: Lesley Eames
The War Girls of Goodwill House Audiobook By Fenella J Miller cover art
The War Girls of Goodwill House By: Fenella J Miller
The Highland Girls at War Audiobook By Helen Yendall cover art
The Highland Girls at War By: Helen Yendall
Nineteen Steps Audiobook By Millie Bobby Brown cover art
Nineteen Steps By: Millie Bobby Brown
The Secret Midwife Audiobook By Soraya M. Lane cover art
The Secret Midwife By: Soraya M. Lane
A View Across the Rooftops Audiobook By Suzanne Kelman cover art
A View Across the Rooftops By: Suzanne Kelman
A Sister's Struggle Audiobook By Mary Gibson cover art
A Sister's Struggle By: Mary Gibson
The Dover Café at War Audiobook By Ginny Bell cover art
The Dover Café at War By: Ginny Bell
All the Lonely People Audiobook By Mike Gayle cover art
All the Lonely People By: Mike Gayle
The Linen Queen Audiobook By Patricia Falvey cover art
The Linen Queen By: Patricia Falvey
The Little Wartime Library Audiobook By Kate Thompson cover art
The Little Wartime Library By: Kate Thompson
The Spies of Shilling Lane Audiobook By Jennifer Ryan cover art
The Spies of Shilling Lane By: Jennifer Ryan
An Ordinary Life Audiobook By Amanda Prowse cover art
An Ordinary Life By: Amanda Prowse
The Orphan Thief Audiobook By Glynis Peters cover art
The Orphan Thief By: Glynis Peters
Under a Sky on Fire Audiobook By Suzanne Kelman cover art
Under a Sky on Fire By: Suzanne Kelman
The Bermondsey Bookshop Audiobook By Mary Gibson cover art
The Bermondsey Bookshop By: Mary Gibson
The Tobacco Girls Audiobook By Lizzie Lane cover art
The Tobacco Girls By: Lizzie Lane
The Shipyard Girls Audiobook By Nancy Revell cover art
The Shipyard Girls By: Nancy Revell
Beyond This Broken Sky Audiobook By Siobhan Curham cover art
Beyond This Broken Sky By: Siobhan Curham

People who viewed this also viewed...

Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House Audiobook By Fenella J Miller cover art
Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House By: Fenella J Miller
The Pianist's Wife Audiobook By Soraya M. Lane cover art
The Pianist's Wife By: Soraya M. Lane
War Clouds Over Blackberry Farm Audiobook By Rosie Clarke cover art
War Clouds Over Blackberry Farm By: Rosie Clarke
Most relevant  
As a child, libraries were my sanctuary, so I was excited to read The Library Girls of the East End, the first book in a new series by Patricia McBride. Set in the war-torn London of the 1940's this novel is about three young women, Cordelia, Mavis, and Jane who all discover their best selves while working in the library.

Filled with romance, family drama, and the resilience of humanity this book is a lovely glimpse of a time that is getting further and further away from us with every breath. I loved that each of the three main characters had a distinct story and personality, and I applaud the author's deftness at braiding them into a coherent whole. I appreciated that class differences were addressed, but never used as an excuse, and I was impressed that in addition to wonderful traits, every character also had a flaw they had to overcome.

Of course the library regulars - the Readers - were integral parts of the story. Whether it was the grumpy man who grumbled over the daily newspaper, or the children learning that books could take them beyond any walls, the community members provided the reason for Cordelia, Mavis, and Jane's being employed at all, but also provided the tapestry against which the rest of the scenes were played. Without readers, after all, what good is a library?

In addition to reading the text of this novel, I also listened to the audiobook of this novel, which really made me pay attention to McBride's flair for dialogue. Every character had a distinct way of speaking, which was reflected in print, but really sang in audio. Kudos to the narrator, Julie Maisey, whose pronunciation of the word "eat," specifically really made me feel immersed in the period of this book.

Overall, this is a satisfying read with three strong female characters at its heart.

Goes well with: mushroom risotto and a nice merlot.

Fantastic Narration of a Period Novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The characters were real and personable. The story was enthralling and novel well narrated. I’ll read more books by this author. Thank you

An engaging story about London in WW2

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I enjoyed the characters very much. The end of the book came with about nothing resolved, so it’s obvious that sequels were planned - if you want to know how these situations work out for our Library Girls. The only bit that’s bothering me is where Mavis left off. Her son has made it clear he will hit his own mother and call her horrible names. Why would you consider bringing a foster child into harm’s way like that? I’m wary of where that is going, but perhaps she will surprise us all and find her feet, to stand up to him. I guess we’ll see!

Made to have a sequel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.