A Book to be Treasured

This week I am delighted to share my pre-publication review of The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn.

Eva combines her interest in relation-driven stories with her love of travel. In particular she loves Croatia, where her novels The Olive Grove, An Island of Secrets, The Collaborator's Daughter and now The Dubrovnik Book Club are all set. Eva also writes as Jane Cable.

Review of The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn

My dad always listened to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, but personally I prefer Desert Island Books. The principle is the same. It’s just that… well, you don’t need me to explain, do you? I know readers who take Desert Island Books very seriously. If they find a new contender for their list, which one is going to be struck off to make room? Only eight titles are allowed!

That’s the position I’m in now, because I have a new entry for my Desert Island Books list and it’s The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn, who writes stories that are driven by emotion and relationships, set in Croatia, a place that is dear to her heart.

Unlike other Eva Glyn books, this one is not a dual-time, but is fixed firmly in the post-pandemic world, with a heroine, Claire, who is recovering from Long Covid and has lost the confidence to live her life to the full. She isn’t alone in not living the life she longs for. Luna, who is an assistant in the bookshop where Claire is the new manager, is gay and longs to come out – but how can she when she feels surrounded by prejudice? The friendship between these two characters and the way they support one another is one of the joys of the book.

The various characters, especially the four viewpoint characters, are beautifully drawn and I cared about all of them. Eva Glyn usually touches on the effects of war on the individual throughout their life. In The Dubrovnik Book Club, the war plays an important part in the story, but it is the effects of other issues that impact on these characters the most. The many-layered plot and multi-viewpoint telling is all held together by the bookshop itself and the mystery that Claire and Luna set out to solve. No spoilers here but when Karmela finds out what she finds out, you’ll want to run a victory lap.

This is Eva Glyn’s best book yet. It’s just plain wonderful – captivating, thought-provoking and atmospheric. Written with a light touch, it will make you feel that you’re sitting at a table on the pavement outside the local cafe, watching events unfold. A book to be treasured.

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The Dubrovnik Book Club will be published on Kindle on March 8th.... and in paperback on March 14th.