4.0
The Paris Library
ByPublisher Description
An instant New York Times, Washington Post, and USA TODAY bestseller—based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II—The Paris Library is a moving and unforgettable “ode to the importance of libraries, books, and the human connections we find within both” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have the perfect life with her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
“A love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship” (Booklist), The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest places.
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have the perfect life with her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
“A love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship” (Booklist), The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest places.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities4871 Reviews
4.0
“Ostensibly about The American Library in Paris during WW2, but also a parallel lives story:
Odile and Lily come from two different continents, but their worlds meet up in Freud, Montana. Their daily trials and tribulations have more in common than at first glance. What do a young adult working at the American library during WW2 and a pre-teen/teen girl growing up during the cold war have in common? Well, what all young people have (earnestness, curiosity...) and do (make friends, fall in love, break hearts - their own or some one else's). I leave it up to you to find out the rest...
Rating this higher than perhaps it deserves, because not only am I a member but I'm also a volunteer at the ALP and it truly is a wonderful place! Plus, it's my review so I can do what I want ;)
PS, Odile and Paul's first time is utter garbage/clumsiest most thoughtless writing in the book IMHO.”
Megan Smith
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Change and growLikeableMinor characters stand outStrong relationshipsNonlinear narrativeSlow start, strong finishWell-structuredHistoricalImmersive world-buildingSetting fits the storyVivid descriptionsBeautifully-writtenDescriptiveTakes getting used toEngagingMovingAccurateLacks focusRepetitiveWell-organizedMisogynyReligious intoleranceWar violence
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About Janet Skeslien Charles
Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir. To connect, visit her website JSkeslienCharles.com, @JSkeslienCharles on Instagram, or @SkeslienCharles on Twitter.
Other books by Janet Skeslien Charles
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