This book was exactly what I needed during this quarantine time. It transported me and gave me an opportunity to learn about a part of history that I didn't know much about. As a lover of all things books and libraries, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris. My only downside to this book was that I felt like the plot plateaued and it was difficult to keep track of its many characters. I would. still recommend this book to people who love WW2 history because I appreciate this new perspective.

The Paris Library intrigued me because it sought to answer a question I had never thought to ask while reading many World War II era historical fiction books-what was life like for librarians in World War II? As a librarian myself, this definitely interested me. This is a dual time period story-one that follows young Odile Souchet who works as at the American Library in Paris. We see the effect the Nazi invasion has on her friends and colleagues as the war goes from being a distant occurrence that is sure to never reach them to the very real threat of the Nazis and the Gestapo as they take over the city. The other period of time centers around teenager Lily in early 80's Montana and her growing friendship with her elderly neighbor. Eventually the two stories do converge. This book is very character driven and does an excellent job of capturing the thoughts and feelings of Odile, her family and especially the staff of the American Library. The pacing was bit on the slower side but I felt very invested in what happened to Odile and all of these characters. This was a very satisfying read. Even if you think you've reached your limit on WW2 era historicals, pick this one up anyway. Really enjoyed!

I loved this book so much. This story is set in duel timelines, one in Paris starting in 1939 and the other in 1983 Montana. Odile is a dedicated Librarian who does everything she can to protect the library from the Nazis during the war. This story is based on historical events. The librarians, and volunteers work to save the books and get books to people who are now banned entrance into the library due to their heritage. In 1983 Odile becomes friends with a neighborhood girl and is a great mentor for her. This story is epic and boy to it melt my heart at the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading and knows the importance of libraries.

This book. I’ve been waiting to post about it for what feels like forever.⁣
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I’ve been so excited to sing the praises of #theparislibrary but after its release was delayed I had to wait almost a year to chat about it.⁣
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WWII fiction felt a little been-there, done-that to me recently but between #Lanaswar and this book, I’m back to loving the sub-genre. What makes this story different is the setting - The American Library in Paris.⁣
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I loved hearing about the librarians and how they tried to help their Jewish subscribers. ⁣
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The story sucked me in so much that I ended up listening via @librofm to it to refresh my memory since I had read it months ago. ⁣
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If you love #TheNightingale and #thelostvintage , you’ll need to add this to your list!

3.5 / 5 Stars

The Paris Library was an interesting book and I definitely appreciated the amount of research that went into telling this story. As a huge bibliophile myself, I loved that this World War II story focused on the librarians in Paris during this war and the efforts they took to ensure that people had something to read during this time period. However, I am not sure if the author really went far enough in her telling as the book seemed to fall back on what so many of these books tend to do today, get wrapped up in the silly romance that really should have played a secondary role in this story. I am getting so tired of these tropes; why can't the story just stand on its own?

First of all, the story. I really enjoyed the story set in 1939 and thought it was definitely the better of the two. There seems to be a thing for dual / multiple story lines lately, and while I am not usually opposed to them, I am getting really tired of those that really have nothing to do with the story, and I think that this story could have stood on its own if it had just been set during WWII. There was so much richness to the story of these brave librarians working at the American Library in Paris and so much to tell about the risks they took that I was much more absorbed in their story than the one in 1983 which I thought added absolutely nothing to do the story other than to give us a glimpse as to how Odile fared later on in life, which could have been done in an epilogue.

What happened instead, for me, was a disruption that I didn't really appreciate, one which I felt took away from the original story including the emotional impact. It also left me feeling much more sympathy for the characters around Odile rather than for Odile whom I thought was spoiled, selfish, and incredibly naive considering the time period in which she lived and the fact that she had a police commander for a father. There were periods in the story in which I actively disliked her; the way she treated her friends, such as Margaret and her brother's fiance, were abominable, and one of these instances of betrayal created a very dangerous situation for her friend, one that I thought was unforgivable, even though the book goes on about how everyone should be forgiven for things they did. No, there are some things that should never be forgiven. Sorry!!! And every time something happens, she reacts like a child and runs away. Irritating as hell. This girl is in the middle of the war, people are disappearing all around her, and she thinks her words won't have serious consequences? Ones that won't last for the rest of her life?

What I truly loved about this book was the meticulous research that went into it. I loved the descriptions of the food, the desperation, the hunger, the grief, and the hope that went into everything these characters did. The author was brilliant in her writing as she evoked a time period that was incredibly stressful, dangerous, and so awful for the French people, but also instilled this feeling of hope and resilience. So much of the stories of others were hinted at and you had to read between the lines to understand what was happening and I loved how the author wrote about it rather than go and on through descriptive prose. It was definitely much more interesting to read about the war than about the doings in 1983 as I wasn't particularly interested in that story line.

The Paris Library is a good story about betrayal, loss, friendship, family, and books, but it is also about growing up and realizing that the people around you were not quite the people you thought they were, and you were also not quite the person you wanted to be, which resulted in pain, loss, and betrayal. I loved learning about the library and the lengths the librarians went to in order to save the books and preserve literature for the future; I just wish more focus had been on the lives of these people and less on the 'romance' and I definitely feel the dual timeline was not successful. I am in the minority on this one though, so I encourage you to read this book for yourself to see what you think and I do recommend it for its great descriptions of Parisian life during the war.

The Paris Library takes us behind the scenes of the American Library in Paris, during a tumultuous and terrifying time. We are introduced to characters, both real and fictional, whose lives collide as they try to save themselves, their families, their countries and the Library's collection, all of which are under threat by the Nazi regime.

Like no other book about this era that I've read, Charles's writing exposes and explores the impact of war and occupation on a wide-selection of people whose lives were impacted by WWII, and the personal and moral battles they fought, just to survive.

This is a must-read for anyone who is looking to learn more about this time, and the physical and spiritual struggles we battle in times of turmoil.

Historical fiction in the WW2 time period at its finest. Following the employees of the American Library in Paris undergoing the Occupation of France such an adventure. I also loved the tie in of Odile in her present life. It’s also so amazing how extensive the research was that the author did to include actual people and events the happened at the library. Loved this book!

Set in two different time periods; Paris of 1939 and beyond, and Montana in 1983, The Paris Library is a wonderful historical novel. Much of the story centers around Odile, a young woman who is a librarian working at the American Library in Paris and Lily, a lonely American teenager living next door to a much older Odile in the American Midwest.

Odile's story dwells on her own love life as well as the many characters among the staff of the Library and their efforts to keep the library open for patrons during the occupation and deter the Nazi's from confiscating their collection.

in Montana, Lily's mother dies and her father remarries, leaving her to deal with a new stepmother and school friends who are leaving her behind. Odile -- and her home -- become her refuge from her misery and she begins to learn French and slowly, also about Odile's past life.

The Paris Library is very well written and brings both Odile and Lily to life as they deal with very different problems in coming of age during the periods in which they live.

There is so much more to say about the book but if I keep going I could be here all night. I was fascinated The Paris Library and recommend it both for book clubs and individual reading enjoyment..

As a librarian, this book was perfect for me. This title tells the tale of librarians (and others) that keep the American Library in Paris (ALP) open during WWII. There is a specific emphasis on Odile and her journey. There is a parallel story to Odelie's like in the 1980's in the United States. Odile has a friendship of sorts with a teenage neighbor, Lily, who is working on a report about France. This is a book about books and book lovers. Odilie's struggle with her family to have a career and be independent is interesting and her determination is admirable. This will be a well-loved book. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this title. The afterword tells the true story about the history of the ALP Library during WWII. A truly fascinating story.

3.5 stars. All book lovers will have a soft spot for this story.

This novel revolves around an entertaining and quirky cast of library loving characters. During WWII, several dedicated employees of the American Library in Paris worked diligently, and often secretly, to deliver books to those who could not make it in to the library. Soldiers stationed at various camps, elderly patrons, forbidden Jewish patrons. The employees made sure these passionate readers didn’t go without their beloved books to escape into. Books often brought comfort and a way of escaping the horrific and uncertain times they were facing.

I enjoyed learning about this piece of history. These heroic librarians took their jobs to a whole new level. I have much admiration for them as they risked their lives to provide a small piece of comfort to those who needed it.

The characters were charming and likeable. There were many touching, heartfelt moments. The setting was exquisite! I loved the library atmosphere - I felt like I was right there, roaming the stacks with the library staff. This is a lighter WWII story that lacked the heaviness and grit of the WWII historical fiction that I usually like to read. I was entertained from start to finish, however, it failed to fully pull me in with a true connection to the characters. There was a distance that kept me from feeling true emotional investment.

It was a “feel good” theme of bringing books to those who didn’t have access to them which I loved. Romance is a part of this storyline, but it wasn’t a main focus and didn’t overshadow the larger, more important themes which I appreciated.

Overall, this was an easy, entertaining, inspiring and “feel good” WWII story that I recommend to those who enjoy lighter historical fiction novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy!

I do enjoy historical fiction, especially stories based on real people and/or actual events, this had both. I had not heard of The American Library in Paris before. I enjoyed learning about it and how the patrons were ex-pats, professors, students and everyday persons who wanted to read books in English for enjoyment and research. I also knew that the Nazis had pillaged libraries in the countries that they had occupied, but to read how these women had worked so hard to keep this library functioning and the books safe was uplifting and inspiring.

This is a dual timeline book, one in Paris during the years of WWII, the second in Montana in 1983. I normally prefer one timeline or story more than the other and that is definitely the case here. I enjoyed Odile's story of her life and struggles during the war. It was fascinating as well as very sad to read about the plight of the women who ran and worked in the library. There is subterfuge, secrets, some romance and some horror as there is in most stories of this time. The second story has a much older Odile being befriended by a lonely teenager, Lily. Odile is a recluse and keeps to herself, but Lily wants to interview her for a school project and they develop a relationship. It is through these meetings that we are learn about Odile's story. Lily's mother has died and her father is getting remarried. Once they have children together, will Lily be forgotten? Odile and Lily form a very unlikely friendship and through books, they open up to one another and Odile reconciles her past.

This is more of a character driven story than a war story. The resistance was not about blowing things up and killing the enemy, but bringing books, thus knowledge and light to the Jewish patrons of the library, under the guise of a soldier reading program. It was wonderful to read about these courageous librarians, fighting the good fight through books, knowingly resisting the Nazis, aware they faced death and prison if discovered. This might not seem like much compared to the other resistance efforts, but any hope given to the people, especially those in hiding, was a light for them. The author did a great deal of research for the book, which she talks about in the author's note at the end, make sure you read it to complete the story. I did a bit of research on my own after reading this book (I love when a book motivates me to do that) and it was quite interesting. In the novel, Dorothy Reeder, the director of the Library, was the actual director of the ALP from 1936-1941. This was a WWII story, but the themes of loss, betrayal, hope, friendship, and the power of books shine through. Overall, an enjoyable and enlightening story.

This wonderful book consisted of two different timelines. The first was during the heart of WWII in Paris. This tale told the story of Odile Souchet and her career, coworkers, and the subscribers at the American Library in Paris as it remained open through WWII. The second timeline followed Lily through her teenage years in a small town in Montana. At first I questioned the use of dual timelines, but as the book progressed, they complimented each other nicely.

I felt this book was an enjoyable read although the bulk of its setting took place during a very difficult time in history. I was expecting the ending to wrap up all the loose ends into a nice, little bow, but there was a relationship that never gets its tidy bow. This book is a must read for all librarians and those readers that enjoy historical fiction.

#TheParisLibrary
#Atria Books
#NetGalley

Odile Souchet's in alt—it’s 1939 and the recent grad just scored her dream job at Paris's prestigious American Library. When the Nazis invade, Odile and her colleagues keep the doors open, smuggling books to their Jewish readers. But someone’s informing, and the betrayal destroys lives. In 1983 Froid, Montana, twelve-year-old Lily knocks on her neighbor's door to interview the now-widowed war bride about life in France. What will Odile reveal? Fresh and captivating.

Amazing story and a compulsive read. I don't believe I've actually read a WWII book set in France before. I just had to keep reading to find out how Odile got from Paris during the war to Montana in the 1980's.With the recent political occupation that we've been through I was very intrigued with how the regular French person dealt with the Nazi Occupation. I highly recommend this book.

Facinating story blended with fact. Not the intense cruelty of many war history stories, more of a coming of age story built around historical fact. Intense and thoughtful.

Captivating, heart wrenching and overall beautiful work of literature. The Paris Library is the best novel that I’ve read in 2021. Now that doesn’t seem like a big win since it is still the start of the new year, but this book has set the standards for all the rest of the books that I will read this year.
I knew from the very first page of this book that I was in for an amazing journey. Since time travel is not a thing as of yet, my books are the portals, this book time travels. I was immediately transported to the year 1939 in Paris. Each page showed me a part of the city that I never got to see when I was there. I got to see the American Library in Paris because of this book and even felt like I was standing in the middle of the events that the characters were experiencing. I watched the fear that came with the political unrest in Europe in the year leading up to World War II. I watched the lives of the Parisians change when occupation began and even the way that people changed due to the years of war. I became friends with the workers and Odile.
That journey isn't the only journey that readers take through the pages of the book. You travel to Montana in 1983. You meet a young girl and a now mature Odile and the unique bond that is developed through mutual admiration. You too begin to care about what seems mundane but to that young child, they are the most important moments in her young life. We all had those moments when we were young.
This novel is different from most time period novels. The hops in time and between characters is clear and distinct. The story is filled with details that make it become even more real throughout the pages. Overall, you should read this novel and fall in love. There really isn’t much for me to say other than this book is AMAZING!!

The first paragraph features a young Parisian would-be librarian running through the #deweydecimal system in her head at night as she contemplates her interview at #theparislibrary. Oh, the days! I remember the smell of the oak card catalogs and repeating the numbers to myself as I sought a tome. Odile is complicated, but she’s easy to love. War May bring out the worst in so many, and She makes regrettable choices at times, but her better impulses take her all the way to1980s Montana-when she’s a solitary elderly lady. The narrative goes back and forth beautifully. Sometimes I couldn’t wait to return to Paris; other times I longed to stay in Montana with Lily, Odile’s young neighbor. Both narratives converge into one compelling story I couldn’t put down. I could see every single character on my mind’s eye, and I wanted to have tea with all of them. Buy this one now! Or, get on the waitlist at your favorite #library !

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book takes place in Paris while world war 2 is approaching from a distance. Lately I have loved reading books such as this one because it does an amazing job of showing how little many knew about what was actually going on when they weren’t the ones directly effected. However, this book shows how the citizens of Paris were still brave, and hurt, during the war. This book is so charming but yet so deep as it follows the bravery and betrayals of a young librarian trying to make it through the hardships of the war. If you love historical fiction, charming French settings, or books about books then I highly recommend this one. It comes out on Tuesday the 8th!

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

Ms. Charles, a former librarian at the American Library of Paris, has written this work of historical fiction. The main story takes place in Paris during World War II. The other story takes place in Montana during very recent times.

Highly recommended for public libraries and book clubs.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of The Paris Library, which is based on a true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris. The book alternates between 1983 Montana, where Lily struggles to find her place at school and her changing family dynamic; to 1939 Paris where a young Odile has started her first job at the American Library in Paris.

I loved reading the Paris plotline as Odile and her fellow librarians fought to keep the library doors open and get books to its readers during the German occupation of World War II. Then back to 1983 where Lily begins a friendship with her neighbor, a now older Odile. Aside from my fascination for the 1939 library plotline, there was plenty of suspense in both timelines to keep me turning the page. This is a must-read especially for historical fiction fans.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.