The Paris Library

by Janet Skeslien Charles

Published February 9, 2021
by Atria Books

Rating: Louise 3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐ Olivia 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Historical Fiction

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, 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 powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

Louise’s Thoughts:

The premise of The Paris Library seemed right up my alley. Historical fiction – check. Paris – check. Books and/or libraries – check. Yet somehow the book didn’t work for me. The main characters of the two timelines, Odile and Lily, were not particularly appealing, and the story, despite its main setting of Paris before and during World War Two, didn’t live up to its billing. Odile was naive and self-centered and I could never warm up to her, although her character in the 1980s in Montana was a bit better. I did enjoy learning about the American Library in Paris and that it still exists, although in a new location. Among the real people in this novel are Library Director Dorothy Reeder, the Countess de Chambrun, and staff member Boris Netchaeff.

The author successfully illustrates the privations of the French during the German occupation, the dangers of being a foreigner in Paris during the occupation and being Jewish during that time. However, she glosses over, with a single sentence, the horrific roundup of Jews at the Paris Velodrome, so graphically described in “Sarah’s Key”, which took place at the same time as the story.

It took over half the book for me to finally get invested in the story. If I hadn’t been reading this for NetGalley, I probably would not have persevered and finished it. The publisher’s blurb states that Odile joined the Resistance, but that’s not really the case. She did some things that most definitely would have gotten her in trouble with the Nazis occupying Paris, but she did not “join the Resistance.” Also, the blurb states that Lily and Odile have a “dark secret from the past [that] connects them.” Nope. Odile has a dark secret, sure, but it has nothing to do with Lily. I didn’t feel that the 1980s timeline added much to the story and took away the narrative flow of the main story arc.

Overall, I think there are much better books written about this time period. Three stars is being generous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Olivia’s Thoughts:

I almost passed this up. I was tired of WWII books and I am so glad I didn’t. I adored this book and have been glued to it all day. Trying to read while drying my hair? Check. While eating breakfast? Check. While brushing my teeth? Yup. In the carpool lane waiting to pick up my kids? Yes to that too. I ended up being late to work because I couldn’t put the book down. My heart was alternately racing while I read as fast as I could or breaking a bit for what I was reading. I never knew about the American Library in Paris or crow letters during the war.

I couldn’t decide whose story I loved more or who I was more emotionally attached to. Lily’s or Odile’s.

Thank you to #netgalley and #jskesliencharles and #atriabooks  for allowing me to read this book. I received an advance copy and I share this review voluntarily.