Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early copy. I’ve had this one awhile!

This was a unique story about the American library during WW II. The story alternates between WWII and the 1980s when Odile lives in Montana. We get to know her neighbor, a young girl writing about odile for a school assignment.

This was a good story but I’m kind of burned out with World War II stories and parts of this really dragged.

Lately, I've been reading fewer books that are centered on WWII (there are simply so many of them and it's becoming an oversaturated subgenre) but I jumped at the chance to read this one that focused on the American Library in Paris. The book is a slower-paced read, but enjoyable, and Odile is an excellent character. I was thrilled to find that many of the people and events in the book were real, and it's clear that the author spent significant time researching. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will likely enjoy The Paris Library.

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Paris Library.

After having on my shelf for way too long with delayed publishing, I was excited to read this book. I loved the dual perspective of Odile in Paris in 1939 and Odile and Lily in in Montana in the 1980s and the similarities between these two. And that this is based on the librarians at the American Library in Paris during WWII.

I loved that Odile referenced everything to the Dewey Decimal system and the 1940s library made me nostalgic for the library of my childhood with paper checkout tickets, the card catalog and book check out stamps.

While this is WWII Historical Fiction, it's not as heavy as other books I've read. It's more focused on the everyday life of the librarians and how they keep their library open. They do sneak books to their Jewish patrons, but you see even the risks they took doing that.

I liked the more modern story of Odile in Montana in 1980 and her relationship with her neighbor Lily. The way she helps Lily and shares her advice that befriending each other was what they both needed in their life.

This book is rich with themes of friendship, love, family and perseverance.

I'm really disappointed by this one. Unfortunately it's not even a case where the book was just different than I anticipated. The story seems to be exactly what I thought it would be, it's just not well-written. It's simple, plain, and boring. Characters have no personality. It tells us, not shows us, and that's exhausting. There's too much information we don't need to enjoy the story, and not enough that we do. It's weird and odd and doesn't make sense. I question nearly every action of every character, with just an overarching sigh and "why?"

Our main character Odile is obsessed with the Dewey Decimal System, which I suppose is the author's way of telling us that she's "nerdy" and "quirky". You know, ~different than other girls~. But's it's emphasised in such a weird way. Odile goes around categorising everything. She looks at a dog. That's this number. She looks at a lamppost. That's this number. She has a conversation, and has to tell the other person exactly where that thing would be filed away. Frankly, it's weird, and boring, and so exhausting having to read about it all the time. Every few paragraphs we get another tidbit as to what number corresponds to what subject - even things that have nothing to do with the story. Constantly. I get why the author put it in. It's a way to have this underlying thread throughout your story that doesn't really have anything to do with the plot but connects you from beginning to end. However, the author should have done a bit of research on it before deciding to make it such a big part of her story. The problem about the DDS is that it has racist undertones, is heavily biased to Christianity and the Western World, as well as has an extremely demeaning, outdated, and frankly disorganised treatment of LGBTQ+ issues, black history, religion, etc. etc. All of this is hardly unexpected, given the era in which it was created. My complaint is not that they're using it or even that it's mentioned. I am not about to hold history to modern standards. I am, however, going to hold the author to modern standards, and if she had done a little research on the DDS at all, she would have discovered how problematic it is, and perhaps would have written her main character to be less obsessed with it. Yes, they would have used it (a lot of libraries even today use it). BUT, as a 21st century woman with the internet at your fingertips, it didn't need to be part of your character's personality. We are better than that.

The misogyny is also a big problem for me. Again, I understand that this is the 30s/40s, it was not as common for women to hold and/or want jobs, but I wanted to hurl my e-reader across the room every time Odile's father opened his mouth. It was so tiring hearing about how deeply no one wanted her to have a job. It was insulting, frankly, rather than just being opposed. Her treatment by her own family in this regard was just awful, I didn't want to read any more of it. There's one particular line between two characters:

"Ma fille, women have a short shelf life."
I giggled, He always knew how to cheer me up.

Honestly, this is something I would expect from a male writer, not a female one. I can't read a book that has this underlying theme throughout the whole thing. Again, I understand that things were different for women then. I'm not saying every character needs to be a raging feminist. But, the author doesn't need to write it so blatantly. It's another example of something being told rather than shown, and it made reading it wholly unenjoyable.

I don't know why the author chose 1980s Montana as her present-day time and location. Maybe she explains it somewhere, who knows. But I can't think of anything less interesting. In these kind of books where a historical period is juxtaposed with a "modern" one, the modern one is always the less developed one, and it also diminishes the experience of reading. I did not like Lily at all. She was insufferable, just as Odile was. Maybe that's why they get along so well. To be fair, I don't think it's the character's fault she's unlikable. It's the way she is written, which is reflective of the whole book. It is very much a telling rather than showing book, which no one wants. There's far too much information that we don't need, and not enough of the information we do need. The interactions between Lily and Odile are cringe-worthy, especially when Lily begins to interview her and ask her questions. Tact, anyone? It's an awful idea to go straight in and ask deeply personal questions about one's experiences about WWII, everyone knows this. You have to work your way up to it. It feels like the author is so desperate to get to the exciting plot of her story that she's abandoned the gradual buildup that a story like this needs. If you're going to write a piece of WWII historical fiction, you need to know how those books work. You can't just make it up, otherwise you end up with a book like this that disregards the experiences of what people have done. I know it's fiction. I know it's not real. But it's historical fiction, for crying out loud. The point is to be realistic and still relatable. This was neither.

It may sound like I'm being overdramatic, and I'm sure there are people who will really enjoy this, because whether a book is well-written or not doesn't matter to them. But it should matter to the author. Please, do your research on basic things, like how to make characters appeal to your audience, the problematic nature of something that you want your character to be obsessed with, and please don't try to make a historical fiction novel sound modern and contemporary. It's historical for a reason, and if you write one, I guarantee that your intended audience will want it to sound historical instead of a story that could have taken place last year. It could have been really well done, I just don't think the author had the right intentions with it. Maybe it will be someone's first delve into historical fiction, where they will hopefully search for and find better written books. I wanted this to be good. I'm quite sad that it wasn't.

This is the part where I'm going to lose a lot of people: I didn't actually finish the book, but you may have already been able to tell. After reading few other reviews, I now see that this is based on a true story, and that the author once worked at the American Library in Paris, where she heard the story. I don't know how much of this book is fabrication and how much is truth. I do give her a bit more credit with research and having worked in a library, but most of my opinions still stand. I still don't think it's well-written. I don't think there should be excited emphasis on the Dewey Decimal System, and I think the original story itself was given the wrong treatment. However, I think for people who don't typically like historical fiction this book will work, and will work for those who don't really mind if it isn't well written and just want something entertaining without too much emotion too (that just ain't me).

As much as I wanted to like this based-on-a-true-story historical fiction novel, I just didn’t. I enjoyed the premise of a group of librarians and staff members who do what they can during the occupation: they make sure their patrons, regardless of nationality or religion, still have books to read (and as readers, we all know how important and powerful the written word is). This genre loves a good spy story, but I appreciated that this focused on the smaller yet still meaningful ways that ordinary citizens fought back. The challenge, though, was that it didn’t create a very plot-driven story to latch on to. Without that, either the writing or the characters (or preferably both) needed to pull me in and carry the novel…and they simply didn’t. Odile was a frequently infuriating main character, and the unadorned writing style left me cold. I read it quickly more to be done with it than because I couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed this book! The back and forth flow of the two timelines was excellent and didn't feel forced. I really enjoyed all the characters but Odile was definitely my favourite. It was fascinating to learn about the American Library in Paris and how they continued to operate in WW2. I found the story to be a bit slow at times but overall I would definitely recommend giving this a read if you love historical fiction!

Alternating storylines between WWII Paris and 1980s Montana. Odile desires to get a job at the American Library in Paris just as the war is beginning. The cast of characters (mostly real people) and the activities and bookish references was just what I needed this winter. Lily Jacobsen is growing up in Montana as she comes of age through middle/high school, she becomes deeply interested in her aloof, outcasted French neighbor.

I fell hard and fast for this one, the writing and the story kept me interested, I had to know what happened to these characters. The ending (literally the last 15% of the book) was hugely disappointing and left me falling right in the middle here. I'm not sure if the author just had to end this instead of taking the care of continuing to weave what she had already deftly crafted. The choices these characters made at the end felt wrong and a little too contrived and rushed. I still really enjoyed learning about the American Library and learning a bit of what they endured during WWII. Anyone interested in this timeframe and books in general will really enjoy this one.

The Paris Library is the story of Odile, a young Frenchwoman who works at the American Library in Paris during the Nazi occupation of WWII, and then later in her life as an older woman who befriends her young next door neighbor. This book was a harder one for me to review and rank, mostly because I found the duel timeline jarring from the beginning. It was difficult to follow both stories, which were quite separate. There were connections in the end through Odile, but I still question how meaningful both storylines were together, beyond comparing what life was like for a young girl in both time periods.

This is a slow moving story. There is quite a bit of character/relationship development but not much in the way of action for the first two-thirds of the book. The last third does pick up quite a bit and I moved much faster through it.

The author's note at the end was very interesting and I definitely would not skip it. I did not realize how many of the characters were based on real people and liked hearing a little more about their lives and futures.

This story was a window into a little known part of the Paris occupation. Every time I read a WWII novel I find I learn just a little more about this time. Overall - 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC of this novel - all opinions are my own.

Historical novels set in the era of WWII have become a favorite of mine. With some of my personal favorite titles like THE LIGHT AFTER THE WAR, and LANA’s WAR (Released within the last year and published by Atria Books - Check the out!). When I first read about THE PARIS LIBRARY, a novel set in WWII, depicting the story of a heroic librarian, willing to do anything she can to keep books in the hands of readers. Portraying how important, and meaningful books are the people, at the right time..

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. I wish I could read over again for the first time. It brought all the feels as a reader, happiness, sadness, and many tears. This beautifully written story, is based on a true events that transpired. Told in two separate timelines, one then, and the other during 1983 Montana, and we read about what connects the two characters in a very special way.

As an avid reader, I appreciated this book much more, and I’m so proud to be a devoted reader. I know it will touch many hearts like it did for me.

This is one of those books that on the surface, tick all the right boxes. Women – check; historical – check; based on a true story and real people (biographical) – check; books and libraries – check; heroics and resisting Nazis – check; Paris – check; friendship, loss, betrayal, and secrets – check. Furthermore, Charles seems to have a very open writing style, that is very accessible, even with the French (and sometimes a couple German) words thrown in here and there. The narrative is more straightforward than lyrical, which was a bit unusual, considering much of this takes place in Paris – one of the most beautiful cities in the world. However, Charles does dabble in waxing poetic when speaking about two things – food and books. With the former, some of the descriptions were truly mouthwatering. With the latter, it was the inspiring, and truly appropriate books and quotes that she found to insert at just the right moments of the story. This was probably the most charming part of this book for me, together with how Odile likes to categorize situations and people using books she knows and their Dewey Decimal system numbers!

So, we have a good premise for a story, and that this takes place at the American Library in Paris during WWII, means that there’s also going to be deception and intrigue. Obviously, Americans may have been neutral at the beginning of the war, but once Pearl Harbor happened, they were suddenly enemies of Germany and the Nazis. Anything associated with an enemy was therefore a possible source of subversion. On the other hand, the French who sympathized with their occupiers, or who just wanted favorable treatment (or extra rations), were known to have informed the Nazis of any suspicious activities, or the locations of people who might be dubious, especially Jews. Again, all this on the backdrop of a library, and all of the literary references, really made this sound like a winner for me. However, I did find some problems with this book.

Let’s start with the main protagonists, both of whom are fictional. We have Odile – who appears throughout the novel, and we have Lily – who is only in the 1980s sections. Of the two, Lily is the weaker character. She’s a teenager, who is too curious for her own good, and a bit of an outcast, socially. This is what attracts her to the illusive and secretive Odile, of whom the town isn’t terribly fond. Their connection makes sense, and I get why Charles included her, but the whole second timeline to better understand Odile felt extraneous. Yes, it is helpful to have another character’s perceptions of the main one, but Lily was a bit too self-absorbed and with enough of her own troubles, to really make that work properly. Furthermore, the Odile of the 1980s didn’t really mesh all that well with the Odile of the 1940s. Of course, people change, but I wasn’t convinced, and there were several things in the later timeline that just didn’t fit her nature. In addition, the whole adolescence romance bit in Lily’s story also didn’t work well, and I felt that too was unnecessary to the overall story. Plus, Lily’s snooping into Odile’s past and her discovery of some of Odile’s past felt pointless, because we were already watching them play out during the 1940s timeline long before Lily found any evidence of them.

Frankly, one timeline would have been enough, and I think that if Charles had stuck with just the 1940s sections, she would have been able to make Odile even more sympathetic, and turned her into a real heroine. As it was, there were times when Odile felt more like a victim who feels helpless and sorry for herself, than a woman who has to become a tough survivor. I have to admit that the romantic parts of Odile’s story weren’t as superfluous as Lily’s angst, but they felt a bit flat and cold. On the other hand, Odile’s friendships with the (real) employees of the Library, their (real) regular visitors, and her family were very well developed, and this was when Charles let Odile truly shine. For all of this, I think I liked it, but I was disappointed in this book (and sadly, the ending only slightly mitigated that feeling), but I did like Charles’ writing, and concept (based on a true story) were good, and the real-life characters were vivid and sympathetic. But the overall execution fell a bit short. I’ll still recommend it but I think that for me, I can only give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgallery for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This novel comes out February 2, 2021.

Brief Synopsis:

Paris, 1939: Odile has obtained her dream job at the American Library in Paris, yet when World War 2 breaks out, the threat of losing the library threatens to take hold. Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance while armed with books yet just as freedom is soon on everyone's lips, Odile is part of an unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily, a lonely teenager, befriends her elderly neighbour, Odile, who find out they both share a love of languages and books. However Lily is intrigued by Odile's mysterious past and tries to uncover more about where she came from and what she may have left behind.

My thoughts:
A book about books and libraries?! Sign me up! I can never resist one of those. I'm also a fan of a good historical fiction so I instantly wanted to learn more about how librarians joined the Resistance during the war and kept the love of literature alive during hard times. I generally enjoyed this book and the story that was outlined.

While I really enjoyed the back and forth chapters between Odile and Lily's point of view/timeline, every now and then we were immersed in a different character's POV of a chapter. I didn't mind this change however sometimes it was a bit confusing as to why we needed to jump to that character. There were certain scenes that I thought felt were a little bit rushed but it didn't take away from the book. There were a couple characters I wished were developed a little bit more but I loved the scenes between Odile and Lily and watching their friendship grow through their French lessons.

Overall, I think it's a decent 4 stars, especially because it made me want to work in a library so bad like Odile, especially in Paris. Oh la la, c'est magnifique!

She proffered The Brothers Karamazov. “I wept when I finished.” Her voice swelled with emotion. “First because I was happy to have read it. Second because the story was so moving. Third because I’ll never again experience the discovery of it.” - The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles

I saved this passage while reading this book because it perfectly captures how I feel after reading an amazing book. I am a lover of historical fiction novels and this one does not disappoint. While it starts slowly, it gradually gains momentum to the point where I wasn’t able to put it down. One of the benefits of reading this book on my phone - always accessible!
This is set as a dual timeline and follows Odile, a librarian working at the American Library in Paris during WW2, and Lily, a high-school student living in Froid, Montana in the 1980s in what is supposed to be present day. The setting of the American Library brought me instant comfort while reading; imagining the stacks of books, the smell of the pages, the calm quietness. I was almost disappointed when I realized it was a dual timeline novel because I didn’t want to leave the library! But Skeslien Charles so expertly blended and intertwined Odile, who in present day lives in America as Lily’s neighbour, and Lily’s lives, it wasn’t a bother to switch between both characters. Odile, during her time in Nazi occupied Paris during WW2, learns some hard but necessary lessons about love, jealousy and forgiveness, and in turn is able to guide Lily, her neighbour, through the same trials and tribulations during her adolescence. This novel is not without heartbreak, but also love and triumph that I think makes it a worthwhile read.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and publisher Atria Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 Ordeal Stars

I really enjoyed this one with dual storylines and timeframes. It was great to learn about the American Library in Paris and what happened there before and during WWII.

The WWII storyline focuses on Odile, her family, and how she sets out to get a job at the American Library. It was fascinating to discover that many of the other librarians were based on real people, that always makes the read more interesting to me! As the war progresses and the Germans occupy Paris, the library and all it represents is threatened. The Germans start to dictate books that can’t circulate and “certain types” of people that can no longer enter the library. The librarians engage in some resistance of their own and I couldn’t help but cheer them on!

The other storyline and timeline are set about 40 years later in a small town in Montana. Odile lives by herself and is very isolated. She is befriended by a lonely teenage neighbor Lily and the two start to build a wonderful friendship. Odile teaches her French and tries to impart some wisdom. Lily is struggling with a lot in her life and I enjoyed the interactions between these two.

The book slowly tells the story of Odile’s life in Paris and explains how she ends up in small town Montana. I thought this one had great characters and I was a bit sad to finish and say goodbye to these characters. This is my first book by this author, but I will look for others by her.

There are so many WWII books out now that it’s hard to find a good, interesting one. THE PARIS LIBRARY is exactly that; a different take on a suddenly popular theme. It has a dual timeline that also captivates and holds back just enough information to keep the story tight and engaging. Our protagonist loves to read and relishes her work at the American Library in Paris. Many years later, we catch up with her in isolation is rural America. Connecting the two points in time is a fascinating tale well-worth reading and author Janet Skeslien Charles paints deft pictures of war-torn Paris and neighborly 1980’s rural life. I really enjoyed this book that I received from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

This was such an enjoyable story and led me to research more about the American Library in Paris. The story starts in 1939 Paris, as we follow twenty year old librarian Odile Souchet. Odile's father is a police chief and when the Nazis arrive in Paris, he is tasked with following through on all the letters identifying the persecuted people of the time. Odile's brother has joined the war, despite being so very unsuited for physical activity, while Odile's police officer boyfriend gripes about having to do chores for the Nazis. As hard as things are for Odile and her family, they are so much better off than most of the people in the area. 

The American Library of Paris is under attack also. Library subscribers are banned from the library due to their heritage or because they are deemed enemy aliens. Most of these people are carted off to detention camps or worse. Long lists of books are banned or confiscated. The library is under surveillance by spies and it's people are reported anonymously to the police or Nazis. For the next years of the war, Odile, her coworkers, and volunteers work to save the books and to carry books to those who are banned from entering the library. 

In 1983 Montana, we meet Odile again, widowed, alone, isolated from others except for her attendance at church. Teenage Lily lives next door to Odile and she is going through a horror of her own, as her mother is dying and later as her father remarries. Odile and Lily strike up a wonderful friendship as Odile teaches Lily French and they become true friends, despite their age difference. But Lily wants to know more about Odile's past, why she didn't marry her policeman boyfriend, why she seems so closed off from the people of her past, what she is not telling Lily, as she relates her stories of the war. 

These two timelines interweave with each other and I enjoyed both timelines equally. I think it is Odile that allows me to enjoy both so much because we still see the younger Odile behind her older self, holding on to fears and great regrets that have a chokehold on her life in the present. Odile wants to teach Lily not to make the same mistakes she did but until both Odile and Lily see the past more clearly, mistakes will continue to be made. 

I loved learning about the American Library in Paris, through this story. This is true historical fiction with most of the library workers and patrons being real life people, who risked their lives to help each other and to save the library and books as best that they could. They were the library Resistance fighters of their day and the ugliness of that time is evident throughout the book. 

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 Stars rounded up.

I absolutely love historical fiction especially books set during World War two era. I have read a lot of non-fiction about it in the past. I had heard about the American Library in Paris in some of the other literature I had read in the past. To see someone write a fictional story about it steeped in fact just made my heart happy. I enjoyed the dual timeline aspect of the story though as any true bookworm would be I loved the scenes about the library the best. This book is about resilience in insanely hard times, there was a lot of terror, fear, and hardships, but there was also a lot of love and friendship, and sticking together. I fell in love with the writing and the story. The characters were well written. Just over all a good book!

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for the Advanced copy I am glad I was able to read this book!

There have been so many books in the last few years about Paris during WWII, with many different angles. This novel is set in the real-life American Library in Paris, a private library where patrons paid a yearly subscription fee to gain access to books in English. The book follows the heroic efforts of the employees to keep the library open throughout World War II, and the many challenges they faced. There are two timelines, first taking place during the Nazi occupation, and then in The United States during the 1980's. I found the settings, historical details, and characters to be compelling, with a story that was full of suspense. If you enjoy historical fiction, you are in for a treat.

What I Liked:

Historical Details of 1940's Paris:

The historical details of wartime Paris were particularly well done. To think there was this gem of a library (and ones from other countries, as well) in the heart of Paris? I had no idea. The author went to great lengths to describe this real-life place, and how it worked. She used letters and archives from the actual American Library to lend details and a level of accuracy that was stunning.

She also showed how people found ways to still keep living their lives, despite the war. The descriptions of the food situation, in particular, were vivid. Slowly, all the little luxuries were stripped away as the war progressed. A scene where a group of characters pool all their rations together to help a couple celebrate their wedding was very moving.

Characters:

Odile is a young, very strong-willed woman in Paris as the war breaks out. She certainly is one to buck tradition when she gets a job, and is not enthusiastic about marriage. But her hot temper is not an asset once Paris is occupied. She has to learn quiet ways to defy the Nazis, or risk the lives of her co-workers, and family. But is she too complacent? She is very young when the book begins. As the war progresses, things she doesn't think about much, such as what her father and boyfriend, do as police officers, start to nag at her. How is her friend getting all those extra rations? How does her boyfriend seem to know when fantastic apartments will be empty? Odile learns some hard lessons. But she also learns not to come to quick assumptions and judgements.

Lily is the teenager in Montana who lives next door to Odile in the 1980's. She shares many of the traits of the young Odile, especially her hot temper and snap judgements. While Lily doesn't need to deal with danger, she does face terrible heartache as her mother is dying. When her dad quickly remarries, how is she supposed to move on? Lily needs to understand how she fits into her new family, and half-siblings. While Lily seems bratty at times, it's very understandable. She is still mourning the death of her mother. With her clueless father being no help, Lily gravitates towards Odile. Their friendship helps both of them move on from tragedy.

Story:

The story set in Paris is really compelling. It is hard to fathom the lengths that the staff of the American Library went to keep the operation going. They didn't just hide a few rare books, they risked their lives delivering books to Jews, who were banned from entering the library. If they had been found to do this, they (and their families) would have been shot.

But beyond that, the part of the story that really got to me was how Parisians adapted to, and sometimes assisted, the Nazi occupation. The author used real letters, called crow letters, to show how people informed on their neighbors to the Nazis. Police had no choice but to assist in rounding up Jews, sending them to their deaths concentration camps. Of course, some people were happy to do this.

There were also heart-wrenching scenes of how the women who slept with Germans were treated once the war was over. While the mobs were brutal, the author did an admirable job of showing the roots of this violence. Men felt emasculated from years of humiliation at the hands of the Germans. Sadly, they took their frustrations out on women who probably had little choice but to sleep with the occupiers.

The scenes that take place in Montana are of a smaller scale of tragedy, but also riveting. Lily's life is turned upside-down by the death of her mother. And there is also the mystery of why Odile wound up in Montana in the first place. She had a wonderful, French, boyfriend during the war. What happened? The answers to this make this novel a page-turner!

What I Was Mixed About:

Setting:

What could be more exciting, and scarier, than Paris in the 1940's? Not Montana in 1983, that's for sure! The contrast between the two time periods was deliberate. After narrowly surviving the Nazi occupation of WWII, it's no wonder that Odile is happy to live out the rest of her life in small-town Montana. But, even in rural America, life can still have some drama. While the Paris setting was rich in details, I didn't get the true flavor of America in the 1980's. Where was Madonna, MTV, and all those shoulder pads?

I was provided a free copy of this by @netgalley and @atriabooks in exchange for my honest review.
Y'all... This book was so good!! Of course being a bibliophile the story set around the American Library in Paris and the love of books was great. But I loved the depth of the friendships, the lessons it taught, the emotions I felt! Whew... @jskesliencharles takes us on an amazing journey from WWII in Paris to the early 80s in rural Montana. The story easily showed how many relationship struggles (with parents, friends, etc.) are similar no matter the year or place! This one will be published on Feb 9th, so definitely add it to your TBR and get it soon!!
#NetGalley #TheParisLibrary

With the magic words of library and Paris in a book title, I grabbed at it immediately. The story did not disappoint. Odile, the protagonist, is a young French student who adores the Dewey Decimal System (go figure) and lands a job at the American Library in Paris. It is wartime, and before we proceed very far, Paris tries to survive under Hitler's henchmen.

JSC populates her novel with many unique characters who work or volunteer at the library. Odile's father is a policeman who brings eligible young police officers to the house for dinner to interest Odile in a future husband. Odile's brother, Remy, studies law but has no real taste for it.When Remy enlists, the drama of the novel rises to a fever peak. We find out what people are ready to do to stay alive and to profit from war.

An added feature of this beautiful novel is the connection between wartime Paris and the eighties in Montana, where Lily befriends an older widow, Odile, from Paris. Odile and Lily, though generations apart have something to teach others and me. I loved this novel and hope many readers will find it and treasure it as I have.

Thank you to the author, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley to review this.

I enjoyed reading this book as it was from one of my favorite genres (historical fiction) and focused on a time period I am very interested in (WW2.) I also loved that it had a dual story and showed Odile as a young women and later in life through the perspective of a young girl. The end really got me when it jumped to current Odile and the first time Lily came over. That part made me almost cry.

The book was enjoyable but I wish there was more to do with Odile's relationship with Margaret. I feel that more could have been looked into with it and would have added more to the book.