As I expected, this book was kind of a mash-up of two books that I’ve read in the last several years and enjoyed: Lilac Girls (for the experience of everyday girls during WWII) and The Giver of Stars (plucky ladies share the love of reading despite all odds).

I felt that the author here did a great job jumping between “modern” day (the 1980s, which made sense as a time frame for Odile to be the right age) and WWII times. I really liked how the author wrote Lily, the 1980s teenager, because she seemed way more like a realistic teenager than you often find in books.

As can be expected in a WWII book, there are a couple of scenes toward the end of the book that are hard to read because of the violence. If someone doesn’t cope well with violence, I wouldn’t necessarily shoo them away from this book - the violence is not ubiquitous and passes fairly quickly.

It was interesting reading about the experiences of normal people in Paris during WWII while being self-isolated due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It gave me some perspective for sure. People have endured much worse at many points in history.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book but it was just alright for me, I loved the story of the Paris Library and its role during WWII. The characters in the library were all very vivid and real and Odile’s story was heartbreaking. It was the modern day parts of the book that just had me a bit bored. I found it hard to get through. It did all come together in the end but getting there was a bit of a push.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced copy.

This book was an interesting one for me. I dream of going to Paris someday and I am a librarian, so the premise had me immediately. However, it did take some time for me to really get into the story (at the start I found the jumps to 1980s Montana to put me a bit off-balance). The middle had me engaged as France got closer and closer to war, and then again the final 20% of the book (I read this ARC on my Kindle) took a sharp left turn that left a bad taste in my mouth. A great addition for a public library and an incredibly atmospheric read, however not one for my personal library as I felt it was a borrow, not buy.

I’ve somehow been drawn to books about Paris during World War II lately and not sure why. However, as a book worm, a book about a library during the war was fascinating. It was good but also sad and seemed like it had a lot of repetition. I’m glad that Odile got away but sad for her too. She had to leave everyone behind and not able to get back but love how she bonded with her young neighbor and became such a confidant for her. I hope the author writes more!

Not just another World War II novel, the Paris Library is a tribute to those who tried to keep their patrons reading at the American Library in Paris. After the war in 1980s Montana a touching relationship evolves between Odile who worked at the library and Lily, a young girl who has lost her mother. Odile guides Lily during her teen years as she navigates her relationship with her father and stepmother.

The Paris Library
Janet Skeslien Charles
June 2 release

Four Stars, but I’d give it Five Stars if . . .

The Paris Library is a fictional tribute to the amazing librarians who kept the American Library open during World War II Nazi-occupied Paris. Putting their freedom at risk, the staff continued to include and care for their Jewish subscribers banned from the library.

The novel moves between WW2 in Paris, and the 1980s in Montana, USA, and is primarily told from two points of view. The first is french Odile's, a young Parisian woman working at the library during the war and later living as a widow in Montana. The second viewpoint belongs to Montana-born, Lily, a young girl grieving the loss of her mother and life as she knew it. When the older woman's and the young woman's lives finally intersect, their unexpected friendship helps them learn, heal, and grow together.

This novel is character-driven rather than plot-driven, but with one small change, it could be both. If the publisher would move Chapter 47, Odile's Birthday in 1983, to the beginning of the book, I would have been hooked immediately and known what and why I was reading The Paris Library, and I would have read it much faster. I beg the publisher to make this change so that some readers will not prematurely give up on Odile and Lily. With this small change, it would be five-stars, no doubt.

The Paris Library is a thought-provoking read that reminds us about the importance of friendship, honesty, and compassion during chaotic and life-threatening times. Without friendship, honesty, and compassion, we risk becoming who and what we hate. The Paris Library is a superb choice for fans of The German Girl and Lilac Girls.

I was given a complimentary copy of The Paris Library in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will wait to share my review elsewhere until the book is fina and released. Thank you, Atria Books and Janet Skeslien Charles for the opportunity to read The Paris Library in advance.

I thought this was great. I like that the author used real people and events to tell this story. Obviously the main characters are fictional, but a lot of the minor characters were real people. I thought this was really well researched. The story itself was compelling. The underlying theme is betrayal and forgiveness, both of yourself and others. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it.

I had a hard time gaining momentum reading this book until about the halfway mark - then it grabbed my interest and finished strong!

The Paris Library is a book of historical fiction that combines true events with some fictionalized characters. It is set in 1980’s Montana in a small town where an adolescent girl, Lily, and her old French neighbor, Odile, become unlikely friends. The chapters alternate between the two characters revealing Odile’s life in WWII France. This is a story of friendship and redemption that is heartwarming while giving us a history lesson at the same time. A wonderful story for those that love historical fiction.

The Paris Library pays homage to the brave men and women who worked in the American Library in Paris during World War II, covertly providing services to many who were no longer permitted in the library, namely Jews, and others targeted by the Germans occupying France. While this aspect of the story is compelling enough, the author has added a second timeline where Odile, a librarian during the war, is living in Montana in the year 1983, and imparts her wisdom, much learned during her experience during the war, on a young woman experiencing her own difficulties. Although some connections between the timelines are not immediately revealed, the reader can easily follow along, eagerly waiting to return to the alternate timeline for more information. The use of Dewey Decimal numbers throughout is a nice treat, appealing especially to bibliophiles and librarians. A beautiful story about friendship and intergenerational relationships, the importance of literature and libraries, and survival during a horrific and challenging time in history. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this e-galley.

Thank you to NetGalley for this delightful read in exchange for an honest review. This was a wonderful escape from my everyday life! I enjoyed reading about Odile in Paris and the American Library in Paris set during WW2, and Lilly in Montana in 1983. I don't want to spoil the story, but I enjoyed how this was a different kind of historical fiction set during the war and liked how the library looked out for their Jewish subscribers and got them reading material when they could no longer visit the library.

Pick this book up if you too enjoy historical fiction!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

The cover art of this novel first captivated by attention...however, this beautifully well written story held my attention page by page, chapter by chapter. Five Stars!

This librarian loved the Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. I appreciate the opportunity to read the book and write an honest review for NetGalley. I had never heard of the American Library in Paris. Reading the book and learning about the true events that are included in the story, I was inspired to research the library. Odile's story was amazing as was the story of the real Miss Reeder.

The Paris Library tells the story of Odile during the Paris occupation by Nazis and also decades later when she befriends her young neighbor Lily. Janet Skestien Charles draws you into her novel immediately and then pulls you along throughout the story. I had not read much about the Paris occupation and nothing about the American Library in Paris. As a librarian, I can't imagine the anguish of limiting access to books to only certain people or losing irreplaceable books to an opposing force. It was hard to put down and I look forward to reading more of her work. This really was an excellent book and I thank Netgalley for my review e-copy.

I hate having to leave a review and to rate a book when I haven’t finished it. Therefore my two stars is possibly wrong and surely doesn’t reflect the book as a whole for I haven’t (couldn’t) finished it. Six chapters in and I still don’t know what the book is about. I love historical fiction, but there it feels like nothing is happening, the introduction too long, I don’t feel like I’m in Paris, and the characters not compelling enough to my liking.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Beautiful tale of heroism in the face of disaster. I loved the characters in this book! The story was so well told. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

I have read some WWII fiction and was hoping this would be different, especially when I saw library in the title. Thankfully, this was different than many other books in this era so that was a pleasant surprise.

I also an not sure if i have read a main character lately that I loved as much as Odile - everything about her was great and I found myself hoping to find someone like her to have a friendship with someday.

Well written and great characters.

“No other thing possesses that mystical faculty to make people see with other people’s eyes. The Library is a bridge of books between cultures”
Dorothy Reeder, Director of The American Library in Paris

If you love libraries, Paris, and World War II historical novels as I do, be prepared to be swept away by this beautifully written novel. Who knew that The American Library in Paris held such rich personal stories among the books themselves? Two well-researched and insightful plot lines intersect, providing timeless and important lessons about resilience, loyalty, forgiveness and passion. I am already missing Ms. Charles’ multifaceted characters and will be diving into more research about these brave librarians who risked their lives in the name of literacy.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for books about books, especially when you throw in historical fiction! I loved so many things about this beautiful, engaging book..the glimpse into being a librarian, life in Paris, young love even in tumultuous times, Odile -her story and growth, and how much life changed when the Nazis stepped in.
My only complaint is that I wanted more depth, not just from Odile and her story but from the seriousness of The Nazi take over of France. The story felt like grazing the surface but I wanted more.