As a lover of Paris, libraries, and historical fiction, I was drawn into The Paris Library from the beginning. And as the story developed, it did not disappoint. In fact, it did so much more than not disappoint. The alternating plot lines, characters, and messages of loss, friendship, and love immersed and moved me. I savored each page of this story. Charles is a fantastic writer!

The Paris Library has become one of my favorite reads of 2020. And when it releases next year, I will purchase a copy so I can have it permanently on my shelf and be able to re-read it whenever I choose to journey through its pages again. I'll also tell my friends and family to purchase a copy as well :-).

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved this beautiful story featuring dual timelines in Odile Souchet's life. In 1939, she is a young woman working at the American Library in Paris during WWII. In the alternating timeline, it's 1983 and Odile lives in Montana where she develops a bond with her teenage neighbor. I thought Charles did a wonderful job of weaving the story between the two different time periods.

One of the aspects I loved most about this story was Odile's relationships with the staff and patrons of the library. They brought such life and depth to this book. I want to work at the library with all of them!

I also really loved Odile's connection with Lily in 1983. I loved how invested Lily became in her elderly neighbor. It brought back memories of spending time with my great grandfather and talking with him about all of his life experiences. All teenagers should be so lucky to have a special relationship like this.

While this book is centered around WWII and the Nazi occupation, it wasn't as heavy as some historical fiction can be. Still emotional but not devastatingly so.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a well researched and written book and I enjoyed every moment of reading it. I wish I had read the author’s notes before I started because it outlines which of the characters were real people, which makes their heroic efforts even more impressive. I love historical fiction and this book was really special because the story and the character development added so much to the historical context. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what happened but also was sad when the story had to end. I highly recommend this book to all readers who just enjoy a well written book with a compelling story. I was provided an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Library tells the story of Odile Souchet, a young librarian at the American Library in Paris immediately before and during the Nazi occupation. At the same time, the story explores Odile’s later years in America, living in Montana in the 1980s.

This book had so much unrealized potential. Odile, being the central character, lacked so much. She was young, naive, and impulsive--all characteristics that made her unlikeable.

I don’t know how it’s possible, but the storyline was both too fast and too slow. For example, the author goes on and on for several chapters about a fight that Odlie has with a friend, only to resolve the fight in one sentence. This is only one example, but the author does this again and again--something that I found completely annoying. The author also put in information that, to me, didn’t move the storyline along. An example of this would be the second storyline that takes place in the 1980s, where Odile befriends a young girl who has the same problem as she had: immaturity and impulsiveness. The book would’ve been much better without that part of the story.

Read it if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and The Paris Library tops my list as it is based on the true World War II story of the American Library in Paris and its heroic librarians.

During WW II, the American Library of Paris served as a safe haven and pillar of strength and hope while WW II was affecting their everyday lives; the Germans / Gestapo moving in and taking over, loved ones / young soldiers shipped out to war, the overwhelming stress and anxiety of it all. It was incredible to read about how the American Library of Paris, even immense pressure, stayed open so it could serve its patrons during their time of need. This book is an homage to the librarians of the American Library of Paris and a testament to their heroism - at the time they were probably not thought of as heroes, but they truly were.

The Paris Library is about a woman, named Odile Souchet, coming into her own in 1939 Paris as the Nazis invaded Paris and then fast forwards to the 1980s when she is much older, widowed and living alone in a small town in Montana. Her story begins when she is just 20 years old and she gets her first job - her dream job - as a librarian for the American Library in Paris. Much of the book follows young Odile as she grows into adulthood and takes a deeper look at her relationships with her family, friends (from the library), and lovers and the consequences of these relationships. She experiences love, heartache and betrayal and these follow her throughout her life.

The book, while anti-climatic, is a lovely one - any bibliophile and Francophile will appreciate this book. It's beautiful and emotional and has well-developed and (mostly) likeable characters. My only criticism is that I would've loved to hear more about older Odile in Montana. I felt like the story lacked substance there. It would be interesting to hear about how her life transpired from 1939 Paris to 1983 Montana.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author for providing me with an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I just loved this book! A book about books, how fun!
The story goes back and forth between Paris 1939-1944, and Montana 1983.
In Paris, we follow the story of Odile, who becomes a librarian at the American Library in Paris (ALP).
I never knew such a thing existed.
In Montana, we follow the story of Lily, a teenager who lives next door to Odile.

It was easy to go between the 2 stories because each chapter has a heading of who is speaking and what year it is. So many books ignore this and just title chapters 1, 2, etc. A time hop is fine if we know where we are, when we are, and who is speaking.

I also really liked that the reason Odile ends up in Montana is not telegraphed so far ahead. Sometimes you can see things coming a mile away , and that was not the case here.
It was also really interesting to read a WWII book that was not from a Jewish perspective. I have read a ton of WWII type books from a Jewish perspective, which is very important, but it's good to see through different eyes as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Books about books and libraries are my kryptonite! I could read them all the live long day, and The Paris Library was not a disappointment.

Skeslien Charles described everything perfectly, making it easy to imagine oneself in Paris and at the American Library in Paris. Odille and the staff of the ALP were quirky, tough and fun to meet.

I did feel that the connection between the 1940s and the 1980s was a little bit tenuous, and that it served basically a moralistic purpose, which I could have done without. And I feel that Margaret went missing midway through the novel, and could have been fleshed out.

I greatly appreciated that there weren't italicized French words on every page, Skeslien Charles found the perfect number of French for the setting and the flow of my reading wasn't disrupted with annoyance.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves libraries, books, Paris and historical fiction (particularly WWII period).

THE PARIS LIBRARY
BY JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES

In Paris 1939 Odile Souchet applies for a job at the American Paris library. She has memorized the Dewey Decimal System. She lives a charmed life with her beloved brother Remy and her mother and father. This book is finely researched and based on actual facts relating to the American Library in Paris. The dual time line takes place from 1939 through the 1940's while Odile and other members of the staff fight the German Occupation of Paris by protecting the books from the German's and placing them in the hands of subscribers from all over. During the time when the German's invaded and occupied Paris Jewish subscriber's to the library are forbidden from attaining the right to check out books. The staff at the library make sure that the books are available to everyone. The library is like a second home to Odile.

In Froid, Montana Odile lives next door to a young girl named Lily during the cold war in the 1980's. Lily and Odile's friendship was my favorite part of this historical novel. Lily is intrigued by Odile who teaches her French. Lily's mother dies and shortly after her father remarries Eleanor and they have two son's together. At first Lily doesn't like her stepmother but with Odile's guidance Lily transitions into a big help to Eleanor who is overwhelmed by her duties at managing a household with two young son's. Lily's father is never home to help with raising a family.

During World War II, Odile is heartbroken that her brother Remy goes off to fight and is captured and becomes a prisoner of the war. He is either in a concentration camp or held captive doing hard labor at a working internment camp. The novel let's you draw your own conclusions and it is ambiguous in his letters home. He is engaged to Bitsi who works at the American Library of Paris. The library joins the resistance and becomes a sanctuary for all of the character's who work there. Making sure that books are accessible to all of its subscribers during the war is the role this library plays in fighting against the Nazi's. This book sings with the power of books and the love of language and how important they are to preserve and make sure that they remain protected and available to everyone.

While the war is certainly a backdrop of the setting during Odile's timeline in Paris during the 1940's, it is more about the American Library in Paris and how the employees fought in the resistance by preserving its books and making them available to everybody. This isn't really a story about the Holocaust although it had betrayals and Jewish and British people were persecuted. Odile's father was a member of the police and she stole letter's from her father's office of people informing on others. Odile was courageous to steal as many letters as she could to protect many people.

This was a light read compared to the many dreary books that I have read about World War II. This historical fiction story was more about the love of language and books. The way's in which Lily grows under Odile's mentoring was heartwarming and offers redemption and hope. I enjoyed this novel immensely and recommend it to all bibliophiles. It is a tribute to how books can transform readers and a celebration of the tremendous connections of the bonds we develop with others that truly brings us joy.

Publication Date: February 2, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Janet Skeslien Charles and Atria Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All Opinion's are my own.

#TheParisLibrary #JanetSkeslienCharles #AtriaPublishing #NetGalley

World War II from a library perspective should be every historical fiction lover's dream. Once I got into this book, it flew by. I've read several books that time hopped lately, this was the best of them. Perhaps because. the WWII portion was written in third person and the 80's appeared in first person it was easy to go back and forth without getting whiplash.
The author created robust characters. I loved Odile and Lily and the lessons they learned from each other. I will admit at the end I was sad that Odile didn't return to Paris. As with all historical novels it was wonderful to have endnotes detail the "realities" the book was based on.
A very enjoyable read. Sexual references - not detailed. War-related violence.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.

I have to admit, I am partial to books set in libraries, especially in other countries. While I found the story slow only a couple times, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was delighted to read that the author had actually worked at the ALP and based the book on real people. Paris during WWII was tough but she proves that the librarians are tougher. She creates the sense of family and community in her descriptions and character building and doesn't let those standards go before the book ends.
I would love to see a sequel to this book, with Lily going to the ALP and learning more about Odile, Boris, Miss Reeder and the rest.

I really enjoyed this read. The book makes you feel like you're along for the ride. The story was well thought out, and truly enjoyable. I hope we see more of her journey.

The Paris Library is about a fascinating, yet little know piece of WW2 history that, prior to reading this book, I hadn't known about. I enjoyed learning about the resistance efforts of the librarians and staff at the American Library in Paris during WW2. I found the story to be a little bit slow and confusing at times, but overall I enjoyed the story. I think the fact that the book goes back and forth between 2 timelines helps to keep the reader engaged and to move the story a bit more quickly. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to historical fiction readers for sure.

This beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking book tells the story of two people. Odile, in Paris, working at the American Library of Paris during WW2, then 40 years later in rural Montana and her neighbor Lily, a teenager, who loses her mother and has to learn how to be a good person. Odile teaches Lily both French and what she learned during the war about herself and the value of family, friendship, and especially books. Odile and her colleagues at the library kept it open and kept getting books to subscribers during the Nazi occupation, at great danger to themselves. As the story goes back and forth in time, Lily learns to accept a younger step-mother when her banker father remarries shortly after her mother dies from a heart ailment. Lily has trouble adjusting to a new family that soon includes two step-brothers. Back in WW2 Paris Odile stands up to her parents and fights to get a job as a librarian, her dream job.

Odile finds the answers to all of life's problems in books, and gains a second family in the library staff. She also learns some hard lessons in friendship, loss and trust which she tries to teach to Lily, hoping that she won't make some of the mistakes she did. Based on a real place and real events during WW2 this book is wise, sad and ultimately a victory for the human spirit and courage. I highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Paris Library is an informative and entertaining read about a subject rarely covered when reading about WWII. The importance of the American Library in Paris and the protection of books and historical documents is paramount to the characters of this story, yet you also learn about the characters themselves and what they were willing to do not only for the library itself, but for its patrons. Fascinating story.

This book was about the American library in Paris during WWll. The library was able to stay open during the war and supply it’s patrons with books even after the city’s invasion by Germany. They continued to supply their Jewish subscribers with books even after they were banned from the library by the Nazi’s. Odile was one of the librarians. It tells of her life and efforts during the war to help out.

The second part of the book takes place 40 years later, following Odile’s life in a small town in Montana. How did she wind up there, and why does she never visit family or friends. She befriends her neighbors and becomes a friend and mentor to their young daughter Lily. Lily wants to know about her previous life and goes snooping around Odile’s place for answers. She is caught causing Odile to retreat back into herself and backing away from her friendship. The lesson Lily learned is that people have secrets and will tell you if they want, but you should not pry. Odile had done the same thing when she was younger and had learned by it.

I liked the book very much. Even though I hated history in school, I am a big historical fiction fan, particularly during this time period. The author’s note advised about the historical part of the book so there was no guessing as to what parts were true. Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy..

As a librarian, I enjoyed this book. I did not know about the American Library in Paris and the part that it played in WW2. The way it was written with two timelines kept it interesting. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A unique historical fiction novel about how books, a library, and friendship connects us in ways we couldn't ever imagine.

What I liked: I loved how this novel showed that despite war and change, people work hard to maintain a sense of normalcy. It showed us - through several characters - what WWII was like for Parisians. It also showed Lily what that time period was like, and even though Odile was a foreigner in little old Froid, Montana, people still carry burdens from long ago.

What I didn't like: the ending fell super flat for me.

This is a great read for fans of The Lilac Girls. (This would make for great book club discussions). If you crave the intensity of a HF novel like All The Light We Cannot See, this is not the read for you.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any story about libraries hooks me into reading it. At first the story seemed slow but then the pace picked up as I was entwined into Odile’s life during the war. I thought Lily seemed too immature at times but was amazed as she learned to accept her friends and family. Definitely a book for those interested in Paris, history, and libraries. Will recommend as a book club selection too.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this free ebook for my honest review.

This story was moving and emotionally stirring. The character development was very well done with sufficient drawings of each person to pull the reader into the novel. I was in love with Odile’s love of books and libraries that she described as, “...More than bricks and books; it’s mortar was people who cared.” Miss Reeder talked about why she stayed in Paris instead of going home at the beginning of the war, “Because I believe in the power of books...” How could any book lover not be hooked in by characters that love books and reading anymore than that. Bitsi talked about being book mates rather than soulmates with their draw to books.

The story shows more than just the horrors of this war that we may have all learned about in school but it made the evils of pain and suffering that the people of Paris lived through alive. It also used the story of the war to teach Lily that the heart of humans doesn’t change so much over time and helped her learn and survive her own growing era of high school. To learn from others’ mistakes before we repeat them all ourselves is the purpose of reading History in the first place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In historical fiction, especially WWII novels, I find I read similar stories in many of the novels I read. There are many novels about resistance, about espionage, about the atrocities of war, and the people who commit those atrocities or who are affected by those atrocities. "The Paris Library,"on the other hand, felt fresh. It is a story about events I haven't heard about before and I learned new things about the war that I haven't come across in other novels.

"The Paris Library" is about the librarians of the American Library in Paris during the Nazi Occupation of Paris (and much of France) during WWII and the efforts of resistance these librarians took. There is a whole cast of interesting characters that you slowly get to know as the novel goes on and though you only get to know a bit about each one, I was totally invested in their collective stories. There are 2 different timelines that I found easy to keep track of and I like the multiple points of view that were offered throughout the novel, though it took a bit of time to get a feel for each character. I love books based on true stories and I love this one for also keeping the names of the real librarians for many of the characters. I really appreciated the author's note at the end that explained more about the true lives of these characters.

This book seamlessly tackles themes of resistance, friendship, family bonds, a love of books, heroism, and unintended consequences that our actions can have.

I really enjoyed this book! I am a sucker for WWII historical fiction and the fact that this book was that PLUS was a book about books and librarians... it was like it was written just for me!