Historical fiction is one of my new favorite genres. I have read several recently and love the uniqueness of each author to develop characters in the tough background of the war. I loved the character development of Odile in this one and the back and forth between time periods of educating a younger generation. And If you didn't get it from the title this one practically takes place in... a library! A book for all book lovers about book lovers! Janet Skeslien Charles was unique in the fact that her novel gave us eyes to the war as it was developing and the feelings surrounding the surrender of Paris and the beginning of the occupation, instead of the middle to end of the war and brutality of the Germans. I loved how she painted a picture of resilience and lack of defeat through the library and the staff. However, the book didn't have a peak conflict for me or a time when I was truly on the edge of my seat- unable to put it down. It felt like I was still reading the beginning or introduction to the characters though I was halfway through the story. The beginning of the story made me fall in love with the characters, but I never felt like there was a climax to the story. Overall, great book that made me want to visit Paris even more!!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Publishing for an early reader copy!

I have been waiting for this book forever (it seems)! Told by alternating voices in 1939 and 1983 it's the story of the American LIbrary in Paris and the people who worked there and saved it during WW II. Odile Souchet has landed her dream job at the American Library. The director is a wonderful teacher and Odile is surrounded by wonderful people all driven by their love of books and the Library. And then the Nazi's arrive...at first Odile is afraid they will steal the books and destroy the library as they have done in other countries, but the Nazi officer in charge is a bibliophile and he wants to save the library (at least, what he thinks the library should be). As time goes by and the occupation becomes more and more brutal, people begin to disappear and relationships change. Who can you trust? What should you do? How many risks can you take? Odile is tested in more ways than she could ever have imagined.

In 1989, Lily is a young girl living in a nothing town in Montana where in her eyes nothing ever happens. She is curious about the mysterious French woman who lives next door but talks to no one. Who is she, how did she meet her American husband, and why doesn't she participate in community life? As Lily develops a relationship with her neighbor, the neighbor shapes Lily in many ways, much as the people at the American library and the Nazi occupation shaped Odile.

The Paris Library is not just a great read, it's very satisfying! That might not sound like a very exciting thing, but it is when you finish and say "what a great book! I think I'll read it again!"/

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a compelling novel that weaves the stories of two young women with the fascinating history of the American Library in Paris (ALP).

In 1939 Paris, Odile is fresh out of library school and applies for her dream job at the ALP. She is from a well-off family; her Papa is a police chief and her Maman is a serious, very proper woman. Odile’s life is comfortable; she is loves to read and enjoys learning about the lives of others through her books.
In Froid, Montana, 1983, Lily is a restless middle-schooler who is a good student and enjoys her warm home life with a very nurturing sensitive mother, but struggles to understand her distant father who works long hours. She also is an avid reader and yearns to see the world beyond her small town.
The book’s chapters alternate between Odile’s experiences at the ALP and Nazi-occupied Paris, and Lilly’s life and maturation as a teen growing up in rural America during the Cold War. Both of these young women are portrayed as realistic characters for their times, and both share a love of reading and learning. They are challenged by their circumstances and are shown to emerge as wiser, more understanding and more complete individuals.

This book is clearly well-researched and, in the author’s note at the end, the reader learns that the author actually worked at the ALP in 2010 and is well-versed in the history and inner workings of this library. I had never heard of the ALP and really enjoyed learning about this venerable, important institution. I am also a fan of the writing construct that alternates between two separate stories in different time periods, as it holds my attention and encourages me to look for commonality and intersections of the two stories. Ms. Charles very skillfully accomplishes these things. She also uses the lives of the heroines to gently explore the meanings of friendships and personal responsibilities in relationships. I especially liked how she envelopes the reader in the warmth and wisdom of Lily’s mother and the important life lessons she imparts to her daughter. Although Odile’s life was portrayed as more exciting and adventurous, I was drawn to the pathos of Lily’s life as she endures grief and emerges as a more sensitive mature person.

Throughout, this novel is a paean to libraries and to books—how they are chosen, how they speak to the reader, and how they help people with feelings and with experiencing emotions on a very personal level.

I enthusiastically recommend this book to lovers of libraries, books, 20th century history, female protagonists and coming of age stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books/Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I enjoyed reading this book; it is based on a true story of men and women who kept the American Library in Paris going during the Nazi occupation of World War 2.
It is full of wisdom, heartache, and examples of how to survive even during the most challenging times.
But…, it is a story of the love of books and reading and how for those of us who are true bibliophiles, we will do what we can to keep books alive, especially during the times when evil tries to rule our world.
I recommend this book—I always love the true stories of brave people.

I've tried to read The Paris Library slowly so that I can savor the experience. It is the trifecta of reading for me, I love reading about libraries, books, and bookshops, I love reading historical fiction, and I love reading dual timelines. Oh, and I love reading about strong women, especially when they don't realize they are strong - I wonder what is the next step up from trifecta? Research time!

The Paris Library is a pleasure to read. I especially enjoyed reading the WWII passages. The author, Janet Skeslien Charles, has skillfully blended the timelines so beautifully that I believe even readers unused to a "split story" will have no difficulty in keeping the characters or their experiences straight and in their intended order. She has also wisely let the narrative flow organically instead of resorting to an alternating chapter system that some authors mistakenly use. Ms. Charles allows the story to rule and that in turn allows for the reader to completely lose theirself in the story.

It is true that when one reads a historical novel that one wonders what they might do in a character's place; it is especially true when the book is based on real events and people. Ms. Charles has done a wonderful job with the creation of her characters. They seem very real and fully realized as multidimensional people with the same flaws, hidden depths, sympathies, beauty, and ugliness as anyone may encounter in "real life".

The Paris Library tells of a hidden chapter in our history and I , for one, am heartedly glad she not only discovered it but that she has shared it with the world.

Author #Janet Skeslien Charles has a wonderful novel out. '#The Paris Library' is a perfect stay at home read for historical reader's. I've read quite a few Paris books the few years and this one is quite good. It has romance, friendship and is just perfect for readers of Paris books. For more on this head over to my blog this week Maddie_approves_book_reviews on Instagram please.💜🐾🐾
Thank you,
#Netgalley, #Janet Skeslien Charles and # Atria publishing 💜🐾🐾

I read quite a bit of WWII historical fiction and consider myself to be something of an expert in this genre. Imagine how excited to find a novel about a librarian (like me) during this tumultuous time in history!

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: a 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.

Unfortunately, this novel just didn't work for me. My biggest issue was the split narrative, which in this case, seriously weakened the plot. This is typically an effective tool, but Lily's storyline was used so infrequently there seemed to be no reason to include it at all. Too bad the author didn’t just stick with Odile’s story. I would have enjoyed The Paris Library much more. Three stars.

This is a book that looks at Ww2 from a very different place. The American library in Paris is a very special place. You will become familiar and friendly with all the people who work at the library and who use the library. Anyone who enjoys books and historical fiction will find this book very entertaining. I found myself stealing time from my daily chores to read this heart felt story.

I recently became a fan of historical fiction books.

This is my 2nd book reading about Nazi's and France, and how they had to overcome hard times, they loved the library and fought for the delivery of books to their Jewish subscribers.

This book was very well written, it had me wanting more from the start. A very engaging novel.

From the heroism of librarians during WWII to the horrors of that war we have an intelligent voice to guide us. Her later life in Montana is shared in a lovely way.
Enjoyable historical.

Janet Skeslien Charles writes an amazing novel that will entrance you from the very beginning with a beautiful story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris. This unforgettable story is based on true events from WWII and told in a frame where the present meets the past. I am honored to have read this prior to publication as the novel is a truly inspiring story of romance, friendship, family and the power of literature to bring us together.

What makes this story even more impacting is the authors work at the American Library in Paris as the programs manager in 2010. The stories her colleagues told about the courageous staff keeping the ALP open during the war were the author’s inspiration. She was even able to speak with the children and grandchildren of Boris, and Helen and Peter as well as friends and colleagues of other heroes.

This novel is truly amazing and one I could not put down. Make sure to put it on your must read list for 2021 and be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. You will have a greater respect for librarians and those who have gone through times of unspeakable things.

This book has a dual timeline: One is set in Paris and begins at the onset of WWII and the German take over of the city, and the other is set in 1980s Montana. While I enjoyed learning more about conditions in Paris during the war and the interworking's of the American Library in Paris during that time, I didn't feel the story reconciled well with the tale unfolding in Montana. Another distraction to the flow of the story was the introduction of multiple chapters told from a random character's perspective. I felt like the dual stories finally came together at the end of the book; that said, I found the ending was difficult to believe. Overall, I'm giving this book 3 stars.

As an avid reader of WWII books, I am so grateful to net galley, to have access to The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles who used facts from her research to write this novel. A quote that the author included in her summary of her novel is a friend who reads WWII novels wonders what they themselves would have done in this situation, but what a better question is to ask is what we can do now to ensure that libraries and learning are accessible to all and people are treated with dignity and compassion. I never realized that Jewish people were denied access to libraries and books during this time. The novel explains how risking the librarians were to smuggle books to subscribers who were denied access. If caught, the Nazis would have sent them to concentration camps or punished by death.

Every time I think I've had my fill of WWII historical fiction, I find a title I just can't resist. This is one of those titles and premises, a dual narrative that moves between the 1939 story of a librarian who must carry on her work even as her life and the world around her descends into chaos, and a teenager in 1980s Montana who bonds with this librarian. now an older and colder woman. Circumstances aside, it is a lovely exploration of the nature of human relationships, how becoming close to someone necessarily threatens to expose all our secrets, and how we are changed by what and who we read, study, and love.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. It had all the components that should have sucked me in but I just never could connect with the characters or the story. I am a big historical fiction reader, but this one didn’t do it for me.

What an authentic feeling glimpse into WWII Paris and the failures and triumphs of the human condition. This book is well written and an easy read so far as prose is concerned. The story itself is not shocking or gore filled, yet manages to paint a picture of life in occupied territory. The end of the book was a bit unsatisfying, but not out of keeping with the conduct of the rest of the book.
Ms. Charles deftly develops multi-dimensional characters, which are easy to relate to and understand. They are easy to imagine as one’s own peers and co-workers. The experiences in prisoner of war camps expressed through letters to protect the loved ones back home, the interactions between various characters – all interwoven to make a truly immersive experience.

Thank you netgalley for a chance to read this early. I haven’t read anything by this author, so I was excited when I was granted access for this! While this isn’t my usual genre, this book was really enjoyable! I’ll definitely recommend it to others!

I enjoyed The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. Overall, it was a very good book, but it had moments when the storyline was not as developed. The characters were well defined and during most of the story I felt as if I knew the characters. I rated this book 4 out of 5. If you enjoy historical fiction set during WWll, this is one to add to your to read list.

One of my favorite book genres is that of historical fiction set within the WWII time frame and have read many, but The Paris Library instantly became one of my favorites instantly! The story centers around Paris a few months before the war finds itself at their doorsteps, and with a lady named Odile who has aspirations to work at the American Library. Soon she finds herself as a librarian at the periodicals desk that begins meeting new and interesting characters that fulfills her dream to assist people and be close to the books that she holds dear. The story travels to and from the days of WWII as the courageous librarians such as Odile assist as best they can to quell people’s anxieties about the war with books and magazines and find that their place with the war machine. It also is set within late 80’s Montana where a girl named Lily is interested in her French neighbor whom she befriends by learning French and of her story as she left France shortly after the war. Both neighbors find what’s most important within each other as the past and present, full of life lessons, merge the two into a tight friendship where they learn the good and bad of people around them. The author did an excellent job researching and using real life stories of characters shown in the book in such a way that the humanity of each character shown through wonderfully. I really look forward to reading her next novel!

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the eARC of The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. Every now and then, I crave a historical fiction read. The Paris Library hit the spot for me!

This is the story of Odile; a woman who worked at The American Library in Paris during World War II. The story is told in two different timelines. One is during World War II in France and the other is in the 1980's in Montana. Odile works at The American Library in Paris. She helps deliver book from the library during the invasion of France. During that time, Olilie's brother goes off to war. Odilie falls in love with Paul, a police officer, and also forms a friendship with a woman whom Odilie betrays. Odilie eventually flees France and moves to Montana where she starts a family of her own.

The second timeline focuses on the relationship Odilie forms with a young girl, Lily, who is her neighbor. Lily's mother has passed away and she finds comfort in her relationship with Odilie. Lily eventually uncovers the secrets of Odilie's past which ultimately help to shape Lily's future.

This book is based on a true story. I really enjoyed this one. I recommend this to lovers of historical fiction! This one gets a good solid 3.5 stars. The Paris Library releases on February 2, 2021.