Strangers in Time

I just finished Strangers in Time by David Baldacci, and it surprised me in the best way. It's set in London during WWII, and instead of focusing on battles or generals, it tells the story of ordinary people-a widowed bookseller, a girl returning after being evacuated, and a teenage boy trying to survive on his own. Their lives collide in the middle of the Blitz, and I loved how their unlikely friendship gave the book so much heart.

It's a story about survival, yes, but also about found family and holding on to hope when everything around you is falling apart. It's moving without being overly heavy, and I think that's what made it such a good read for me. If you like historical fiction that feels human and personal, this one is definitely worth picking up.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci's newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved bookshop owner and two teenagers scarred by the Second World War, and the healing and hope they find in one another.

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he's old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there's no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she'd hoped for as she's confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there.

Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his bookshop, The Book Keep. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.

But Charlie's escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone's been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.

As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.

From the publisher

Hachette Book Group/Grand Central Publishing | Apr 15, 2025 | 448 Pages | ISBN:9781538742051 | Historical Fiction

1. World War II is such a pivotal moment in history for the world, and it's one that everyone learns about. But was there something you discovered that you were unaware of while reading Strangers in Time? If yes, what was it and how did it change your perspective of the war?

2. In times of crisis, it's not about your circumstances prior that determine how you'll survive, it's the choices you make and the people around you. How do you think Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius would have fared if they hadn't met each other?

3. Molly was sent to the countryside at the start of the war, but when she returns, she finds both of her parents gone and a city that no longer looks as she remembers it. Was there ever a time in your life where everything you knew changed? How did you get through that period in your life?

4. Charlie has found himself alone in this dangerous world and he has a hard time trusting others. Why do you think he finally opened up to Molly and Ignatius? Was there ever a moment where you had to take the leap and put your trust in someone new? How did you let go and let that person in?

5. Ignatius sat every day wanting to finish his late wife's novel, but couldn't find the right words to type. How did his grief hold him back, not just in writing the novel, but in living his life, especially during such a harrowing time when one needs to embrace every moment they have?

6. By the end of the book, Charlie and Molly have a bond that has stayed strong, even as the years have gone by and they've created their own families away from each other. Who in your life holds a similar place in your heart and is someone you can return to, time and time again, no matter where your separate lives take you?

7. How did you feel when you learned the truth about Ignatius' wife and her activities? Did it make you think differently about Ignatius himself?

8. Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius all feel an intense need to contribute to the war efforts, whether it's Charlie wanting to enlist to fight the Nazis, Molly putting her nursing skills to use, or Ignatius being a warden who helps guide Londoners to bomb shelters and assists those injured. But there doesn't have to be war for someone to want to contribute to something important. What's something that you're passionate about and you strive to make better in the world?

9 . Molly and Charlie come from very different socioeconomic worlds; he's an East End lad with very little, while the West End Molly grew up in luxury. The novel shows that war can render what one materially possesses meaningless. What lessons can readers draw from this on a personal level?

10. The title Strangers in Time alludes to people who didn't know one another, surreptitiously coming together just in the nick of time, to allow them to be supportive of one another in getting through the war. Have you met someone during a difficult time in your life whom you felt made a positive difference? And if you had not met that person how different would your life have been?

11. Charlie and Molly are still children in the novel, but they have to grow up very quickly and act more like adults. Have you ever had life situations that forced you to do something similar? What do you think the pros and cons of having to do that are?

12. Molly and Charlie have remained lifelong friends, but friendships of that nature change over time. Do you have friendships of a long-term nature and how have they evolved as the years have gone by?

13. The novel speaks to the ability of people to adapt to almost any situation, in this case years of bombing, death and destruction. How do you think going through such an ordeal may change people? Will it make them less trusting, more independent, more, or less, cynical, or more confident in their abilities to weather any storm?

Book Club Talking Points:
Strangers in Time makes a great book club choice because it's more than just a war story-it's about people trying to hold on to hope and create family in the middle of chaos. The characters in the story come from diverse backgrounds, and their intertwined experiences spark discussions about loss, resilience, and emotional survival. It's a book that makes you empathize with their situations, which often leads to meaningful conversations.

"A riveting story of secrets, betrayals, and unlikely friendships during World War II. An emotional web that keeps spinning-and keeps you guessing-right until the startling finish." -Mitch Albom, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Little Liar

"Oliver Twist meets the Blitz when powerhouse author David Baldacci turns his pen from thrillers to historical fiction. Two brave and capable teenagers find themselves thrown together in the rubble and chaos of WWI-era London: fifteen-year-old Molly, sent away from her Mayfair home to escape the German bombings and returned to find both her parents inexplicably missing; and fourteen-year-old Charlie, an East End orphan barely surviving as a petty thief. Charlie and Molly find shelter with mysterious bookshop owner Mr. Oliver, but he has secrets of his own that will come home to roost with deadly consequences. Baldacci beautifully explores the dark side lurking under the London Blitz's romanticized image-Strangers in Time is a beautiful read that will linger long in the memory." -Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

"David Baldacci's foray into historical fiction is a meticulously precise account of what it was like to live through the Blitz in London-a visceral reminder that war not only levels social classes, but creates the most unlikely and indefatigable bonds between unlikely souls."-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci takes on World War II with the touching Strangers in Time, a character-driven tale of three disparate souls whose paths unexpectedly intertwine during the last year of the Second World War. Baldacci's meticulous research is evident in his deep sense of place and time, and bomb-shattered London comes richly alive on the page under his capable pen. Through his own Wish You Well Foundation, which supports literacy, Baldacci has long celebrated the way books can change lives, and in Strangers in Time, it is indeed a bookshop--the lovingly chaotic The Book Keep--that brings together 13-year-old Charlie, 15-year-old Molly, and recently widowed bookstore owner Ignatius Oliver, all of whom are alone and adrift. As German V-1 and V-2 rockets wreak havoc on the city, the three forge a new family, the existence of which is soon threatened by deadly secrets that simmer beneath the surface. Absorbing and deeply researched, Strangers in Time is a celebration of the books that change us, the families we choose, and the capacity we all have to rise from the ashes and find our way home."-Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

"David Baldacci is one of the best authors alive, and every page of Strangers in Time shows why. This riveting novel plunges us into wartime London through three unforgettable main characters – a young boy, a teenage girl, and a bookshop owner - who come together to endure the terrifying bombing of a city they love, and at the same time, help each other to unravel the heart-wrenching mysteries of their own families. In Baldacci's virtuosic hands, Strangers in Time is not only a masterpiece of a historical thriller but also a profound and even poetic exploration of the eternal power of friendship, grace, and love to overcome the harshest cruelty of war, hatred, and evil."-Lisa Scottoline, #1 bestselling author

"David Baldacci has the audacity to cross boundaries and genres with Strangers in Time, and he does so with aplomb. A rare and terrific exploration of human resilience and courage in the most dire of times, Baldacci drops the reader straight into the shattered remains of London near the end of World War II. Three wildly different but completely wonderful heroes gradually end up forging a friendship that survives on grit, hope, and sacrifice. The plot twists, the details haunt, and the characters feel as real as your heartbeat. I stayed up all night to finish it. A phenomenal read!"-Shana Abé, New York Times bestselling author

"Strangers in Time's main character, Charlie Matters, is aptly named-this is a beautiful book about the things that really matter in life. David Baldacci deftly shows the reader that when you think you have no one left and the world is quite literally falling down around you, strangers can emerge from the gloom, everlasting bonds can be formed, and you can start to piece your world back together. With an ensemble of endearing and inventive characters, a quirky bookshop and a vivid rendering of wartime London, Strangers In Time is both atmospheric and warm-hearted. Ultimately it shows us that, with hope and friendship, humans can survive anything."-Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphan

"A totally engrossing novel about war, friendship and the resilience of youth. A book that will stay with you."-Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author

"If Dickens had written a novel set in the WW2 London Blitz, he could not have bettered this. Captivating, tender, brutal and brilliant."-Peter James, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author

"The author does a terrific job of transporting the reader back in time to a tumultuous period of living in London, and readers will practically smell the smoke and feel surrounded by rubble from the shattered buildings. Another great tale from a grandmaster storyteller."-firstCLUE

"Hope, excitement, and tragedy will keep rapt readers reaching for their tissues."-Kirkus

"Baldacci's strong character work highlights the trio's courage and tenacity, as do the wrenching depictions of London's wartime devastation. It's a touching tale of a found family."-Publishers Weekly