Brilliantly written.

I was first attracted to this book because of the unique friendship between Odile and Lily. I also wanted to learn more about Paris during WW2, and what the people living there went through and how they overcame the challenges of everyday life. I was also curious about the American Library.

I was quickly drawn into the story and enjoyed learning about both Odile and Lily’s lives. There were a lot of twists to the story that I didn’t expect. I admired Odile’s strength and how no matter what was thrown in her path, she stood strong to her beliefs and followed her dreams. The one thing that took me by surprise was how she ended up in Montana. When Lily’s curiosity led her to Odile’s house, I was also surprised how close they became and the secrets they shared.

The author did a fantastic job writing this book. It is one that I won’t soon forget. It was entertaining and educational. It’s a story about friendships, family, finding love and the love of books.

This was a really great read, and a different twist on a WWII story. The Paris Library takes place in two different time frames Paris 1939, and Montana 1983.
Odile Souchet, is our main character along with many other great people who we meet throughout.
The Author herself, in 2010 worked as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris, where she heard stories of what happened during WWII, and about some of the real life people who would frequent, and work at the library.
This is about a library that sent books to servicemen, during the war, sneaked books to their subscribers who were no longer allowed to visit the library, because they would be persecuted, and it always provided a place where people would feel welcome and feel some sort of normalcy in their lives. They did everything they could to not close their doors during the war.
It talks about the Dewey decimal system of filing books, the love, people have for books and the relationships of the people who worked there, but also it questions who they were, did they help or hinder each other, were they who they said they were.
It was fun to figure out a couple of the mysteries, and sad to see what was happening once the Nazis invaded and started isolating the Jewish people and foreigners that lived in Paris, getting the french police to hand over the Jewish citizens to them.
When older Odile is living in Montana, a neighbors daughter, Lilly befriends her.
Lilly wants to know about Odiles life in France, and asks her if she could also teach her to speak French. Through this friendship, we find out more about the rest of Odiles life in France, and also about what is was like for her to live in a remote town in the USA.
Once again, a great read. I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this book.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

This book takes place in 1980's Montana and Paris during World War II. While I have read many books taking place in Paris during the war this one had different take and focused on the workers at the American Library in Paris and how it remained open throughout the German occupation. The story intertwines a teenager during the war who worked at the library as well as teenager in 1980's Montana.

Parts are heartbreaking as you would expect from a war book, but the focus is on the relationships as opposed to the atrocities of the war.

If world war II fiction is an interest, then I found definitely recommend this book.

I was drawn to this book because it was a bout a library, and I was not disappointed. The book is told in a duel timeline, from several points of view. It is masterfully written and while it is about WW2, it never felt hopeless.
The flashback timeline follows Odile as an early adult, trying to navigate through finding independence while still holding tight to those she loves. And then we follow Lily, who is trying to navigate her teen years, in 1980 and is captivated by Paris, and the neighbor next door. When Lily goes over to ask Odile for help with a school report on Paris, she unknowingly changes both of their lives.
An amazing read, and definitely one I will be recommending to all my friends.

Paris, 1938; Odile Souchet is applying for a job as a librarian at the American Library in Paris. She gets the job, but then Paris is getting occupied by the Nazi's. Everything in the library is unsure now, especially because the librarians also serve Jewish readers. Together with the other librarians, Odile finds herself in a secret form of resistance. Their weapons are books. They keep their books the Nazi's don't like, and they keep delivering books to their Jewish clients. But then slowly on, Odile finds out that people very close to her are on the wrong side, and finds out about their horrible betrayal..

Later on, in 1983, Odile lives in Montana, USA. She is widowed and lives alone. She doesn't have many contacts in the small town she lives in, untill one day her neighbor girl Lily rings her doorbell, as Lily is looking for adventure in small-town Montana.s 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...

This is a beautiful written book, perfect for anyone who love historical fiction, libraries and Paris as a backdrop. The book is written in two POV's, Odile and Lily's, with Odile's part being the largest. The book is based on the true story of the heroic librarians of the American Library in Paris, which still exists today, during the Nazi occupation of Paris. The
story of Odile was just amazing. It was just so heroic of her and the other librarians how they fought to keep the library open as a resistance, and how they kept delivering books
to readers, and smuggled books to the checkpoints, even when threatening letters on the library are made, you can just imagine how it would have been during that horrible period. The author obviously did wonderful research on this book! The character’s in the historical segment of the novel had greater depth (they were based on real people) than those in the modern part.
Overall, this is a beautiful book that I truly recommend reading!

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a fascinating historical fiction piece focused on the American Library in Paris. I always appreciate a historical piece that exposes me to new pieces of history, and this was definitely that! This is story of how books played a central role in the resistance primarily focused on the story of a young library named Odile. In addition to telling the story of this past experience, this also includes a storyline in 1983. Lily doesn't understand her older neighbor. She seems to be hiding something, and Lily is a curious teenager who just wants to know more. She decides to do a school project on her, so she has to share her story. As you might infer, this neighbor has connections to the library. It's not revealed just what those connections are, so part of the captivating nature of this story is learning more about her through Lily's research. The past and (sort of) present have really emotional and compelling stories. I was so drawn into Odile and Lily's pieces of the story. In the past, it was so incredible to read how the library remained dedicated to sharing knowledge and truth even when it was dangerous. In the present, Lily is navigating so much "stuff" in addition to learning more about her neighbor, and I was so emotionally drawn into her reality. This was just a beautiful read in its characters and storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this February 2021 (Whoa, I did not realize publication was so far away!). Way, way in the future, this is a book you'll absolutely want to check out.

Janet Charles' The Paris Library offers a fictionalized portrait of The American Library in Paris during World War II. The novel shifts forward and backward between World War II Paris and small-town Montana in the 1980s. While the history of The American Library is interesting and worthy of a fictional treatment, the book fails to recreate the atmosphere of the 1940s. For example, the presence of the Germans is minimal and mostly non-threatening. The protagonist, Odile--by all accounts a French nationalist--somehow manages to overcome the fact that her love interest is arresting Jews while becoming deeply distraught over the fate of collaborating women in the immediate aftermath of the war. Within the artificial world of the story, none of this seems particularly strange. However, that is precisely the problem: Charles' world feels artificial. Fortunately, the Montana portions of the book feel more authentic and Odile, then an old woman, feels similarly improved. All in all, the book is uneven and underdeveloped, but competently written and something of a page-turner.

This was an excellent book about a little known piece of history during WWII and the American Library in Paris. I love libraries and Paris and WWII books so this one was right up my alley. It was even more enjoyable knowing it was based on a true story. I also really liked the more modern storyline woven throughout. Each setting and story was interesting by itself but together they made the book all the better. I highly recommend this book! Thanks to Netgalley for the early manuscript in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of The Paris Library.

Odile loves everything that a library can be with its hidden treasures, books and misfit regulars debating in its halls. Before her job interview at the American Library she memorized the Dewey decimal system and uses it all the time even in her own thoughts. She has it along with the job of her dreams she has started falling in love with a local police officer, that is until Germany begins to occupy Paris and make drastic changes. Her twin brother has decided to join the resistance and has gone off to war. Her Jewish subscribers have been band from coming to the library. Her and her library compatriots bond together to try and save their library and friendship in the bitter face of hatred and betrayal. The second portion of the novel is set in the 1980's and focuses on Lily a disruptive teenager dealing with her mothers death and a new step family. She seeks solace at the home of her recluse neighbor, Odile.

I really enjoyed Odile's story revolving around the great library that survived the German occupation of Paris. The novel portrays an interesting version of a Parisian trying to survive during the war. The friendships she makes and the ultimate betrayals that they face is moving and profound even years later. The Lily portions of the novel felt disjointed and unnecessary. Other then Odile's character I did not find much connection between Lily and the younger librarian. This was an interesting historical read and definitely worth checking out.

We meet Odile Souchet in two stages of life, first in 1939 in Paris, where she has just accepted her dream job at the the American Library in Paris and again in 1980s Montana where a lonely girl named Lily wonders what brought her unusual neighbor to her tiny country town all the way from France. Young Odile is emotional and impetuous and entirely unprepared for the years of war and occupation that soon overtake her beloved Paris. Even as she clings to normalcy at the library, where she befriends a rich and quirky cast of characters, her world is changing. Determined to keep providing books to soldiers and Parisians alike, the staff of the library bands together to stay open, daring even to deliver books to their Jewish subscribers who have been ordered by the occupying Nazis not to enter.

As the war wears on, Odile finds that she doesn't know anyone as well as she thought she did, including herself. Slowly Odile's eyes are opened to the cold realities of the wartime world even as her blinders to her own privilege fall away. Unfortunately, when stubborn, outspoken Odile, causes irreparable harm with just a few thoughtless words, her life takes on an unexpected trajectory.

In more modern day Montana, Lily endures a tragedy at home and takes refuge in her newfound friendship with the town's outsider, Odile. Together the two will finish the learning the same lessons that Odile began to learn in wartime Paris. Together they'll learn the power of forgiveness and what it means to truly put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Admittedly, I've been a little tired of the dual narrative historical fiction with a modern day perspective thrown in, but I warmed to it over the course of the book. What's remarkable about this plot device in The Paris Library is that the modern day perspective really pulls its own weight and doesn't become an interlude to hurry away from to get back to the historical story. Lily is an honest, genuine character and her budding friendship with and curiosity about Odile provides a generous framework for the historical story.

Charles beautifully brings to life her Paris Library characters who are based on the real people who heroically kept the library open through the years of the occupation. She excellently captures their comradery and the magic of the place Odile loves so much. Odile herself is a bewilderingly naive character that it took me a little work to like, but as the story proceeds, her coming of age, while slow, is ultimately believable.

The Paris Library should satisfy World War II fiction lovers and book lovers alike.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a lovely dual timeline historical novel focused on Odile a young woman in Paris in 1939 and Lily a young teen in Montana in the 1980’s who lives next door to the widowed war bride Odile. This is one of those books that makes me want to go read more about a real place – in this case the American Library in Paris. There were also nice literary references – not too much but just right. The novel has great characters that seem real and stayed with me. I liked that the modern setting was in the eighties, not present day. The story ties up almost all loose ends up (I wondered what happened to Odile’s son but maybe I missed that). The ending is good but the storyline for both characters felt a little off, like it wasn’t quite perfect -- but to be honest that really makes it seem more like real life where endings aren’t always perfectly happy and totally neat and tidy. I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book on Net Galley, all opinions are my own.

Heroes are found in the quietest of places

This book is based on the true story of the American Library in Paris. This library was a gathering place for everyone international and local. It was a happy place for everyone until the Nazi's came and changed everything. When the Jewish patron's were no longer allowed to access the library the brave librarians delivered books to them putting themselves in personal danger to do so.

The main character is Odile a young librarian. She has a loving family, a job she loves, a best friend, her boyfriend Paul and her whole life in front of her. That is until one slip of the tongue causes her to lose everything.

The characters in this chapter of the book are realistic, funny, and fitting to their parts. From the girls Odile and her friend Margaret, the two older gentlemen that come every day to read the papers and argue with each other over politics to the director Mrs. Reeder that mentor's the girls.

Fast forward to 1983 a town in Montana and a young girl Lily. When her mother dies and she gets a new stepmother she is lost. When her best friend finds a boyfriend and spends more time with him she is hurt and jealous . She is overwhelmed at home, her stepmother is busy with her younger brothers and her father is always at work. She turns to her neighbor a senior lady who happens to be Odile. She doesn't know about Odile's past life and the secret she carries with her.

This is a story of brave librarians, of cruel Nazi's , romance and heartbreak. It is also a story of love and redemption.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Janet Skeslien Charles, Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Here is my review as posted on GoodReads (I am unable to review on Amazon at this time).

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked, not loved it (I really, really wanted to love it). It was good, but not great.

Here's what I liked:
I enjoyed that this was a different take on a WWII novel. The book is based on actual events and people involved with The American Library in Paris during WWII. I was able to learn a little about a part of the war I knew nothing about. I really enjoyed the characters of the ALP - those that worked there, that volunteered, and the subscribers. The book was really more about them - primarily those that worked there and the risks they took to care for not only their subscribers but also soldiers. I wish more of the book had focused on this. The idea of the story was something I really would have enjoyed if it had been better delivered. I will definitely visit the Library on my next visit to Paris.

Here's what I struggled with:
1. It started off very slow. Like really slow. I was almost 30% into the book before the plot began. I thought about giving up many times before I got to that point. At other times it moved too quickly. Conversations suddenly ended, events over before they began. It was hard to follow sometimes. Many times I would think, "Wait, what just happened?"
2. It was often hard to like the main character, Odile, especially in the 1940s storyline. She was immature and naive and seemed to be oblivious to the seriousness of the events happening around her. I liked her much better in the 1980s storyline. I imagine she saw her younger self in Lily. That said, I didn't really love the second storyline with Lily in the 1980s. I spent most of those chapters feeling like I was reading a different book and wondering why it was included. In Chapter 47 I found out why, and it was good, but there are only 48 chapters. Still, I think the story would have been better without that storyline.
3. I would have liked more at the end, less at the beginning. Like I said, I was 30% into the book before anything really happened. At the end, I wanted more. I felt it ended suddenly, especially Odile's story. Did she write that letter in 1989? So many questions left where she's concerned, but I won't spoil it by mentioning them here.

Overall, I liked it. It was good, not great. If you choose to read it, persevere through the first 6 or 7 chapters to get to a decent story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

Paris, 1939. Odile Souchet is obsessed with books and the Dewey Decimal System. She soon has it all – a handsome police officer beau, an English best friend, a beloved twin, and a job at the American Library in Paris. Yet when war is declared, there's also a war on words.
Montana, 1983. Widowed and alone, Odile suffers the solitary confinement of small-town life. Yet Lily, a lonely teenager who yearns to break free of Froid, wants to know the secrets of the older French woman and will not let Odile alone. As the two become friends, Odile sees herself in Lily – the same love of language, the same longings, the same lethal jealousy.
"The Paris Library" features dual narratives. The book explores the relationships that make us who we are, the geography of resentment, the consequences of unspeakable betrayal, and what happens when the people we count on for understanding and protection fail us.
The wit, empathy, and deep research that brings "The Paris Library" to life also brings to light a cast of lively historical characters and a little-known chapter of World War II history, And that's what I like best about this book. It's based on a true story and real people who had to navigate a new normal.
I laughed and cried as I read this book. The humanity of the characters touched me.
As I read, I felt like I was enveloped by a comfortable friend. I did not want this book to end!

I seriously cannot get enough of WWII historical fiction books with two time frames. They are, by far, my favorite genre and style to read. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was a wonderful glimpse into a little-known dimension of WWII: morale and bookish wartime activities for servicemen. In Paris of 1939, Odile created a service to deliver books to servicemen and deffy Nazi orders. In Montana of 1983, her story comes out to teenage Lily as she does a school project.

This book was based on real events and people, which made it even more extraordinary. Charles’s writing was captivating throughout the incredible story she was able to tell - I didn’t want to put the book down once I started reading! I also loved the French language that was sprinkled throughout the book.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @atria books for the eARC of The Paris Library in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Paris shortly before the German occupation during WWII, courageous Odile is a Parisian who works as a librarian for the American Library in Paris. A compelling historical fiction novel, The Paris Library tells the story of the difference a library and their staff can make in so many lives. Emotionally intense and dramatic, this heartwarming story will stay with you after the final page.

3.5; rounding up.

Setting: The American Library in Paris and how it's staff kept up with its library functions--facing threats of closure--during and after WWII. A cast of many, but focusing on Odile Souchet and her family/circle. A dual timeline--which I quite like--past in Paris [mostly 1939--but through 1944] and then in Froid, Montana, 1983. [Less of the story was set in Froid--which was fine, though it was a lovely and necessary part of the novel]

in the Author's Notes, Charles says the characters are based on actual people and events [with some elements changed] and that she wanted to share this chapter of history and a love of literature. In this regard, a true success. The characters were well drawn.

In Montana--Odile now widowed and alone [story question: how did she get there? --A slow reveal] meets Lily, a lonely teenager she befriends. As the story unwinds, it explores relationships, settings, resentment, consequences, betrayal, forgiveness, transgressions, and more.

Well researched [and as a former staffer of the Library of Congress, loved all the references to that institution] and well-written, However, I had a very few disconnects with some of the mushy language ub scenes betweeb Oddile and Paul--a pet peeve.

So what did i like? Historical fiction, The writing. The setting. The cast of characters. The plot,

At first I wondered, Miss Reeder--a play on reader? But notes revealed she was an actual person!

A few phrases I liked:

"Soup teaches patience..."

"At dinner, we barely s[poke--the news anchor, our constant companion did the talking."

"...subtracted his own guilt, and hypothesized how he could divide the attention"

and more.

Recommend, but not a rave.

Being a teenager sucks. I certainly wasn’t fond of it. Like Lily, one of the protagonists of Janet Skeslien Charles’ novel The Paris Library, I was annoyed by my friends, irritated by well-meant advice from adults, and couldn’t wait to be grown up and independent. Lily and I even grew up in the intermountain west in towns that people leave in droves. The similarities end there because Lily is a massive francophile who lost her mother at a critical age. Thankfully, Lily has Odile Souchet to guide her through the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. She provides Lily with desperately needed perspective in that she can provide real examples of the consequences of jealousy, petty revenge, and all of our ugly little emotions—because Odile came of age during a world war, when the stakes were a lot higher than a broken heart.

The Paris Library flips back and forth from World War II to the mid-1980s. Lily’s narrative, set in the 80s, shows Lily growing close to Odile through impromptu French lessons and some substitute mothering. Her friendship with Odile helps Lily find her self-confidence while contending with loss, an absent father, and a surprisingly fertile stepmother who is a scant ten years older than Lily. The other narrative, Odile’s, is based on the author’s own interest and curiosity in the American Library in Paris. The library and some of its real-life staff form part of the cast of The Paris Library.

I’m not going to lie. Odile’s story was more interesting to me than Lily’s. In 1939, Odile lived a charmed life in Paris. Sure, her parents were overbearing and her father keeps bringing home potential suitors from the police station (he’s a commissaire), but her library degree and love of reading help her achieve her dream job at the American Library. She even manages to meet a cute young policeman who helps her stand up to her very traditional father. Even the War, at least during the first few months, doesn’t really touch Odile. When France is occupied and Paris fills up with Nazis, Odile does her small bit to fight back: she helps deliver books to library patrons who are no longer allowed to go into public spaces such as Jewish people and foreigners from countries the Nazis are at war with.

It’s only in the last third or so of The Paris Library that my big question–how on earth did a Parisienne end up in rural Montana?—started to be answered. Lily commits a big sin. She snoops around in Odile’s things while she is away, and discovers old letters that Lily immediately misinterprets. And thus, lessons are (eventually) learned about forgiveness and how to avoid impulsive bad ideas.

I found a few missteps in The Paris Library, but they’re just small things about being a librarian. I only saw them because I work in a library and with librarians all the time (see note). Otherwise, I found this book to be a solid tale about very human people who, for whatever reason, have to learn that there are costs to be paid when we act in the heat of the moment. Odile pays a very high price. Lily gets off lightly in comparison. Because of its characters and subject matter, I think The Paris Library would be fantastic reading for parents of teenage daughters who don’t mind stepping into the perspective of a teenager and a very young woman for 400 pages. This book is a very good reminder of just how much it sucks to be a teenager.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, for review consideration.

Author Janet Skeslien Charles worked at the American Library in Paris as a project manager. While working there, she learned about the Library’s operations during World War II from her colleagues. Their stories about the dedication of the library staff and its valuable service inspired her novel.

This beautifully written story alternates between the lives of two main characters. Odile Souchet worked as a librarian at the American Library in Paris during World War II. After the war, Odile moved to a small Montana town with her new husband. There, Odile befriends her young neighbor, Lily, an impulsive teen who yearns to leave her small town for the excitement of bigger cities. Odile becomes a mentor to Lily, in whom she sees parallels to her own youth.

It’s hard to put this book down as Odile’s life story slowly unfolds! Ms. Charles combines fact with fiction as she incorporates some of the real Paris Library employees into the story. With a real sense of time and place, it’s a story of love, relationships, family, and sacrifice, as well as a love of reading and libraries. It’s an unforgettable story that would appeal to readers of historical fiction - don’t pass this one up!

Thank you to Net Galley, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, and author Janet Skeslian Charles for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this unforgettable novel.

It has been a while since a historical fiction novel has kept me 100% engaged throughout the entire story. The character development and story telling in the one is magnificent. It started of strong and the pace was fast and fierce. Odile, you are a gem of a character and I loved your story.