Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Every page is shared in secret… and a single book could cost a life.
France, 1941. Margot locks her bookshop door and slips into the cellar, where a circle of brave women gather by candlelight to read the books the Germans are burning. They are risking everything to share forbidden stories and fight back. But one seat is empty… Esther is missing, and as a Jewish woman, she is in terrible danger. Whatever happens, Margot has promised to take care of Esther’s baby, darling Isabelle…
Present day. Lucy gasps as she descends into the cellar beneath the bookshop she has inherited from her grandmother. Wooden chairs are arranged in a circle, as if the resistance book club members have just vanished. A candle sits on a saucer; a book lies open.
Still grieving her grandmother, Lucy was left a letter about the wartime book club hinting at a devastating secret. And one book is wrapped in yellowed newspaper, addressed in faded ink to a woman named Esther. Does it contain a clue about the fate of the tiny baby hidden by the book club? What really happened on that dark night when one of its members was taken by the Nazis?
And as she uncovers the bookshop’s past, will the truth force Lucy to rethink everything she thought she knew about her own family?
The Resistance Book Club is a totally unputdownable and utterly heartbreaking story of incredible bravery in the darkest of times, and devastating family secrets that echo across generations. Fans of Evie Woods, Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and The Alice Network will be utterly gripped.
With the Nazis determined to burn books in France, shop owner Margot pledges to keep the stories alive.
That is how The Resistance Book Club by Ellie Curzon begins. It delivers a dual timeline, with the bookshop in 1941 and in 2025, when Lucy inherits it.
Through a letter, Lucy is asked to piece together fragments of the past in order to document Margot’s story. As with any story tied to World War II, there’s an emotional element that unfolds during Lucy’s research.
With the book club members reading banned books and discussing them to preserve their literary works, there’s an emotional twist in the personal relationships on display.
The Resistance Book Club highlights bravery and resilience by ordinary women during World War II.
Ellie Curzon is the pen name of Catherine Curzon and Helen Barrell. Catherine and Helen began writing together in the spring of 2017 and swiftly discovered a shared love of the past and a uniquely British sort of story. They drink gallons of tea, spend hours discussing the importance of good tailoring and are never at a loss for a bit of derring-do.
Catherine Curzon is an author and historian of old Hollywood and even older royalty. In addition to a series of eighteenth century biographies and a sell-out play, she has written extensively for a number of international publications, and has spoken at venues and events across the United Kingdom. Catherine lives in a haze of Dean Martin atop a steep Yorkshire hill, with a rakish gentleman and a very woolly dog.
Helen Barrell has written two books on Victorian crime, and has appeared on BBC1 and Radio 4. She loves researching family history and rummaging in libraries and archives. Originally from the south-east of England, Helen now lives somewhere in the Midlands with a large ginger cat, who resembles a Viking, and a well-stocked 1960’s cocktail bar.
