A Bookshop of One’s Own

Author: Jane Cholmeley

Publisher: Mudlark

Available: 29^th February 2024 in Hardback, eBook & Audiobook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Mudlark for my beautiful, gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

What was it like to start a feminist bookshop, in an industry dominated by men? How could a lesbian thrive in Thatcher’s Britain, with the government legislating to restrict her rights? How do you run a business when your real aim is to change the world? The captivating true story of an underdog business and a woman at the very heart of the women‘s liberation movement.

Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop and hosting a constellation of literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial and relatively unsung part in one the biggest social movements of our time.

A Bookshop of One’s Own is a fascinating slice of social history from a true feminist and lesbian icon.

Written with heart and humour, it reveals the struggle and joy that comes with starting an underdog business, while being a celebration of the power women have to change the narrative when they are the ones holding the pen.

My Thoughts:

As a woman, I found this is one of the most important books I have ever read, is that dramatic statement? Possibly, but it doesn’t make it any less true! As women we have always been accused by the patriarchy of being emotional as if being so, is a limiting flaw within  our universal female characteristics. As far as I’m concerned, there is no part of being female or identifying as such that makes us in anyway less than, our male counterparts! It is this belief, that I have come to, because of the endless resilience, resistance, and rebellion of inspiring women like Jane Cholmeley, whose book A Bookshop of One’s Own, I have the honour of sharing my thoughts on, and my only hope, is that, I do it justice!

From the moment, I liberated this book from its cardboard packaging and held it in my hands, I sighed and fell in love, as visually it is a thing of beauty, with a blue cover accented in silver, etching out the front of Jane’s bookshop Silver Moon formally at 68 Charing Cross Road (and for those that don’t know the significance of that address, it is where some of the most iconic bookshops in the UK found their home and their feet). But as elegant and beautiful as it looks on the outside, its true magnificence is to be found amongst its pages. It is an intimate, personal memoir of Jane’s journey and that of her wife/partner Sue, who is sadly no longer with us, but her essence is very much a part of this book!

I found myself, wondering down my own memory lane, while reading, I remember Silver Moon, as I only discovered its location by accident on an enforced walk to the train station, due to one of my endless experiences of public transport failure during the 1990s, when I lived, worked, and commuted in London. Sadly, my own neurodiversity, stopped me from perusing its shelves and by the time, I had a better sense of self and put my brave pants on, the shop was gone…an opportunity missed and I will always regret it!

 At the heart of this wonderful book, is the power of sisterhood and importance of championing women, our rights and our needs and Jane and Sue’s shop with its feminist ethos has a become a pathway for us all, manifested physically by the influence and impact that their bookshop Silver Moon, had for female authors, their staff, and the myriad of visitors over the years to their well-stocked shelves. All, who heard and responded to their clarion call for the empowerment of women. Silver Moon became a haven for all who needed it, including the proprietors themselves, it became a, place to be seen, heard, and accepted as you are/were, no judgment ever! It was truly a place of communion and community, quite a rarity even now!

I could not help but be fascinated by the wealth of social and political context this book contained, as Jane elucidates the literary and literal political landscape of the decades past, most notably, the 1980s, including the infamous Local Government Act, Section 28 policy, ‘prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities’, and the endless arduous parlays with the GLC (Great London Council). While also navigating Silver Moon’s place amongst other female centric bookshops, which occasionally resulted in some unpleasantness but mostly fostered, the spirit of sisterhood and without a shadow of doubt changed the narrative as far as the women’s movement is concerned, but I’m sure this is still a debatable issue!

For me, one of the standout features of this book, are the marvellous multitude of Jane’s pithy, pertinent recollections; starting with her childhood (a tree climbing, vicar’s daughter – snap, me too but a few years later), where Jane wrote off for some free books, to help out at her father’s youth club and in response, received multiple copies of Chairman Mao’s little red book…recalling this, still has me shaking with mirth, especially given, her father’s less than enthusiastic response to her assistance! Or the stories of Biff ‘the ugly pixie’ who was a hopeless guard dog but was a Houdini when it came to escaping her collar/lead…just ask Iris, who returned one day from taking bookshop parcels to the post and walking Biff, empty post bag – check, collar & lead – check….dog, oops no dog!!! Or to the wonderful stories of authors signing events, the image of Jennette Winterton, signing books and then donning a motorbike helmet and being whisked away or a then unpublished Malorie Blackman asking Alice Walker to sign her book with ‘Don’t Give Up’ to inspire her, in the face of many rejections of her work…and these tip bits, that I am briefly sharing here, are the mere hint of the anecdotal iceberg contained within Jane’s book. I cannot wait for you to explore it for yourselves, and I hope I’ve not given any spoilers away here!

As far as I’m concerned, this incredible book belongs on every bookshelf in the land, no woman be they gay, straight, transgender or purple with white spots should be without it, so buy it! Buy it today and buy copies for all the women in your life…it is, undoubtedly a seminal literary work, fun and funny in many parts,  fierce with feminism and feminist reflection, all wrapped in the mystique of bookselling and Jane’s lifelong love of literature. It is a truly an inspiring, illuminating, and imaginative read, and a reading experience, that I will never forget! I cannot recommend this book more highly nor sing its praises loudly enough, so I hope this will encourage you to read it too.

And finally, thank you, Jane, for all you have done and all you continue to do, to make this chaotic world a fairer place for all of us ,women!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Jane Cholmeley is a key figure in the history of British feminism. Sandi Toksvig nominated Jane as a Gay Icon in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition of that name in 2009 and Jacqueline Wilson named Jane her feminist icon in Stylist, 2018.

Please do read some of the other excellent reviews on this blog tour.