Read That? Read This! World War II Portugal

There is a quote I fell in love with over the years, and it is Nonfiction tells us the truth with information; Fiction tells us the truth with imagination. Historical fiction tells us the truth with what is written and what’s filled in the blanks, with what we imagine they felt & thought. In this edition of Read This? Read That! I’m going to discuss historical fiction books that have Portugal during World War II as a setting, something that isn’t talked about enough but hopefully will be.

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

The Librarian Spy takes place in both World War II Portugal & France & there are two main female characters. Ava is an American Librarian at the Library of Congress in Washington DC and her job takes her to Portugal. Helene/Elaine is a French woman working for the printing press for the French Resistance. Many historical fiction books don’t cover Portugal during World War II, but I’m glad this one did. You learn that Portugal is neutral but, there were Portuguese people who chose sides and whose loyalties could be bought. With history, & action there is of course romance for Ava. I enjoyed reading Ava’s story a little more than Helene/Elaine since Elaine was so impulsive and blamed a fellow resistance fighter Etienne for why her husband was killed. At first, I didn’t know how Ava and Elaine’s story intertwined but then toward the end it all comes together and you’re like Oh!  The epilogue is one of my favorite scenes. I won’t spoil that for you. The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin is available now wherever books are sold!

Read The Librarian Spy? Read The Librarians Of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson

The Librarians Of Lisbon tells the story of best friends Selene & Bea who are librarians recruited from Boston by the U.S. Intelligence Office to go to Portugal’s capital Lisbon a city that harbors exiled royalty, hunted refuges & spies. By day Selene & Bea save books banned by Nazis and by night they engage in more dangerous adventures. Selene works with disgraced baron Luca Caldeira as they both charm their way into ballrooms to find out secrets. Bea joins Gable’s shadowy world of informants. As their missions intertwine and an unexpected betrayal happens, can the two women’s friendships as well as their hearts survive the war? Suzanne Nelson did an excellent job of research for the novel and many of the characters are based on real people. I was so lucky to read an early copy of The Librarians Of Lisbon & do a Q&A with Suzanne. For more information about the book and Portugal’s World War II past, here is the Q&A I did with Suzanne. https://booknotions.com/qa-with-suzanne-nelson/ . If you enjoyed The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin or want to know about Portugal’s World War II past I recommend The Librarians Of Lisbon which is available now wherever books are sold!