Mary Gibson: The Bermondsey Bookshop

by Gibson, Mary

ISBN: 9781788542647

Published: 2020-02-06

Bermondsey, 1920s. After her mother's death Kate is taken in by her father's sister, the quick-tempered Aunt Sylvie. Already struggling to feed children of her own, Aunt Sylvie treats Kate like an unwanted burden. Although Kate's father disappeared when she was a child, she still harbours hope that he will one day reappear and release her from this miserable existence. If only she knew why he left and what really happened to her mother... One day, after a terrible argument, eighteen-year-old Kate is thrown out. Desperate to land on her own two feet she answers an advert for a cleaner at The Bermondsey Bookshop and Reading Room. Little does she know that her life is about to be changed forever... In this cosy shop in Bermondsey Street, owned by a wealthy, idealistic young woman, Kate's eyes are opened to a whole new world. The bookshop is a vibrant meeting place for the local factory workers and dockers and the free reading room a place where they can read in peace and attend...