I was debating between 3 and 4 stars for this book, but the ending really sealed it as a 4 star. Loved the writing style an da little bit of a different WWII novel.

3.5 stars.

There were some wonderful things about this read, but admittedly it was lacking in some regards. The writing showed talent in a number of ways and the research completed to write the novel appears to have been well done. There were portions of the novel that were incredibly well done, but the same care does not appear to have been taken with the entire narrative. Some portions feel as though they are written by an entirely different author.

The book starts off slow and moves at a bit of a languid pace for at least the first half. This is not all a bad thing, as it does do a great job of setting up the atmosphere and providing background about the protagonists and the library itself. The plot for The Paris Library is told in a dual timeline and multiple perspective format. While I often love this approach and feel like it gives a much fuller and well-rounded nature to the story, in this case I think the narrative may have been better served by staying with Odile's WWII perspective. The writing in these sections is superior and the plot seems to move more seamlessly and with greater purpose. The sections written by other characters lack the same finesse and the chapters written in the modern time take on a bit more of a juvenile feel that detracted from the power of the narrative for me. Still, the plot was good and there was a lot to take in.

Odile was a well-written character, as I felt were all of the characters from the WWII timeline. The modern day timeline didn't feel quite as fleshed out and the characters weren't as realistic for me. Instead, these sections seemed to feel a bit more generic. Still, these characters did play a decent role in both paralleling some of the earlier timeline and expanding the understanding of Odile's character. They did serve a purpose, they just weren't as strong.

The topic was interesting and there were a lot of emotional moments. There was some great historical information and exploration of the nature of humans. Even though they weren't all Nazis, some of the individuals in the book did certainly have questionable morals and there were plenty of instances of a lack of human compassion and the tendency for people to become hateful beings in the face of adversity. There was more than once that the instances in the narrative caused me to simply be disgusted by humanity. The writing does a good job at drawing out this kind of emotional response.

Though not as hard-hitting as some of the WWII historical fiction I have enjoyed, The Paris Library's perspective and presentation is just unique enough to remove the book from falling into the "just another WWII historical fiction" category and makes it one worth taking note of.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

A World War II story that shows another side of war, betrayal, and growth that lead to lifelong lessons that span generations. Told on two timelines, we get the story of a woman, Odile, during the war in Paris, and Lily, a present-day high schooler and neighbor to Odile. While I enjoyed this book, I felt like it was lacking in some character development and a bit of the story lines were lackluster. Overall, 3.5 stars are rounded up to 4!

A truly eyeopening historical fiction book! I had no idea the role librarians played in the American Library located in Paris during WW II. They risked their lives to deliver books to their subscribers and to save the millions of books they still exist today. Fantastic and well written/researched book!!!

I found the chapters with Lily's story to be somewhat of a relief from the tensions of WWII, even though she experiences her own tragedy. Lily is a wonderful character - nosy, curious, looking for a way out of Froid and into the wider world. And Odile is just the person to lead her there. But, it is through her friendship with Lily from 1983 to 1988 that we learn what happened to Odile after the war and how she ended up in Froid, Montana.

I was first attracted to The Paris Library because it was about a library in Paris during WWII. What lifted it out of good book and put it into great book for me was the inclusion of real people who worked in the ALP at that time, like Americans Miss Reeder, the directress, and library trustee Clara de Chambrun, as well as the Russian born head librarian Boris Netchaeff. Even the German library inspector, Dr. Fuchs, was a real person and a professional acquaintance of Miss Reeder. All of this added such a sense of authenticity to the novel and allowed for some interesting history to be worked into the story without seeming forced.

And I loved being in the library with Odile, Miss Reeder, Boris, and everyone else. Even the subscribers who spent their days there, reading, talking, arguing were so realistic, perhaps because they reminded me of the habitués I used to know at the NYPL when I was doing research. Each one of Skeslien Charles' characters were brave, defiant and loyal, even through the darkest days of the war.

If you are looking for a book about books with themes of community, communication, friendship, betrayal and resistance, you can't go wrong with The Paris Library.
You can find a detailed Reading Group Guide courtesy of the publisher Simon & Schuster HERE.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from the publisher.

The Paris Library has been on my ARC tbr list for a while. I realized I had been putting it off because I wasn’t sure I wanted the weightiness of another WWII novel. On the heels of two lighter reads, I finally decided to dive into it, switching between audio and ebook. This book was a delightful surprise! Although, it still dealt with the serious and sad issues of a war, there were no vivid battle scenes in this book, which I appreciated. The Paris Library is written in a dual timeline, which really worked in this novel. The story begins in 1939 with the female protagonist, Odile, applying for a job at the American Library in Paris. In the second chapter, the reader is transported to the year 1983 in the state of Montana, where we meet our second protagonist, Lily, as well as a more mature Odile. I enjoyed both timelines, where we see the importance of family, friendship, love, grief, and forgiveness play out. We see Odile offer guidance to Lily based on the lessons she has learned from her mistakes. In this beautiful story, we see how much Odile helps Lily through hardships in her life. However, it not until the end of the book that we understand how much Lily meant to and for Odile’s life. Amid this backbone of the story, readers who love libraries, books, and historical fiction will really enjoy this. I certainly, did. Exceptions? At around the midpoint, the story started to seem to drag. Happily, switching to ebook only, solved the problem for me. The other criticism was the twist that comes in the last few chapters, and how quickly the book ended from that point. I felt that the ending was abrupt and didn’t align with the history of Odile’s personality. That is what prompted me to rate it as a 4 star instead of a 5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely and emotional story set in two different eras, one in Paris during WWII and the other in Montana in the 1980’s. As a young Parisian woman, Odile loves books and wants to be successful in her own way. When she gets her dream job at the American Library in Paris against her father’s wishes, she finally feels content and begins making friends with all sorts of people, helping make the library a safe haven for everyone during the turmoils of war. Odile and the rest of the library staff intend to protect the books-that is, the ones the Germans don’t demand be burned or banned, and try their best to get and keep books and knowledge into the hands of everyone.

In Montana, teenager Lily lives next door to Odile, now widowed. Over time the two begin an unlikely friendship, with Odile even teaching Lily to speak French. Lily is trying to find her place in the world as a young girl after losing her mother ad seeing her father remarry a girl not much older than Lily herself. Odile, elderly, alone, and worn down from years of keeping secrets of betrayal to herself finally begins to open up to Lily about what she went through in Paris during her youth.

This was such a wonderful novel that any lover of historical fiction based on true events would enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my copy.

This book is just so beautifully written and constructed. There is a wonderful elegance to the way the author brings the story to life. For those who love books and libraries, this tale is for you.

The Paris Library is the fictionalized account of what happened at the American Library in Paris during World War II. Several of the library staff are real people while the main character and some of her closest circle of characters are fictional. The story revolves around Odile, a young librarian whose Police Commander father is trying to marry her off. The main story takes place from 1939 to 1944 in Paris with bits of it occurring in 1980s Montana where a young girl Lilly helps to bring Odile out of her solitary life. While the Library staff send books to POWs and bring carrier packages of books to Jewish patrons after they are forbidden to come to the library, the story is more about the person life of Odile, her twin brother Remi, his girlfriend, and Odile best friend. The story spans from the declaration of war to the liberation of Paris and includes so gruesome scenes.

If you like historical fiction that is more about everyday people and their lives definitely grab this one. It is not about soldiers, spies, or resistance fighters but instead young people who still find love and protection and lose it all.

It is always fun to read a novel and learn about something new you never knew about. The Paris Library tells a story of the American Library in Paris before and during World War Two--who knew there was an American Library?? It tells the story of how these library workers stayed and provided not only reading material, but also a sense of community to those citizens who needed them. It tells us how they made deliveries of books so that people had something else to think about and not just the Nazi occupation. In the middle of a pandemic, when libraries had to be closed it reminded me of libraries providing virtual programs, Overdrive, and curbside service for their patrons. But this book is a novel and Odile's story is filled with sadness as well as joy and across the world and decades Lily's story mirrors Odile's as it is filled with pain, but also joy. This is a book that will appeal to both librarians and their patrons.

This was sort of a slow burn but it paid off in the end. The storyline in Paris in WWII was interesting, but the one in Montana felt pointless and very slow for a while. Eventually the author tied the two together in a satisfactory way. Not my favorite WWII historical novel by any stretch, but a worthy read nonetheless. If you like books or Paris at all, then give it a shot.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was well-thought-out and well-written. My interest was kept throughout the entire novel and I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review The Paris Library. I look forward to reading more books by Janet Skeslien Charles

The Paris Library was absolutely beautiful and I savored every moment spend within its pages. I wanted to tear through it, but forced myself to take my time - every page read was one page closer to the end. Bouncing between Paris in the 30s and Montana in the 80s, The Paris Library follows a fantastic cast of characters, a beloved library, and secrets brought on by the war. So excellent, completely unforgettable, I'll be waiting to see what the author does next and I'll be first in line for it!

I loved this story! WWII books are my favorite historical fiction to read, and this one did not disappoint. I loved that this was told with two timelines, and each timeline was equally as interesting. I found myself wanting to get back to each as I was reading the other, which usually doesn't happen. Definitely recommending this to everyone, especially those who love reading books about books.

In 1939 Paris, Odile Souchet has just gotten her dream job, working as a librarian at the American Library in Paris. When France goes to war with Germany, and Nazis invade Paris, Odile stands to lose everything. In 1983 Montana, Lily is curious about her reclusive neighbor and decides to write a school report about France, hoping to talk to her neighbor and learn more about her.

<i>The Paris Library</i> is based on the true story of the American Library in Paris remaining open throughout World War II and the ways they defied the Nazis. I love that the author included so many real people from ALP in her story. I was fascinated by the way librarians at the time filed both fiction and nonfiction books under the Dewey Decimal system at the time. The book mostly switches points of view between Odile and Lily, but occasionally, it will come from a side character's point of view for a chapter. I understand why that happened, to report things that Odile wouldn't have been present for, but it took me out of the book a little bit each time that happened. My only complaint would be that the endnig seemed rushed.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

This book started out a bit slow, but my advice is to keep reading. You will be rewarded with a new perspective on WWII novels about France. This books provides a fresh look at the war through the eyes of librarians and their love for books. I wasn't as excited when the perspective flashed back to Lily in Montana as that was a bit dull, but everything about Odile was fresh and interesting. While I liked this book, I am not sure I would compare it to Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, but it did keep my interest and taught me a bit more about WWII in Paris. It is definitely worth a read.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an ARC.

I am a huge fan of Historical fiction, and this novel checked all the boxes for me! Beautiful setting, well thought out characters, and lovely prose. So happy I had the opportunity to read this!

I received this read from NetGalley. This is a historical fiction story that takes place in Paris and Montana and in 1930s and 1980s respectively. In Paris Odile is a librarian of the American library, where she joins the resistance during WWII through books and finds herself betrayed. In Montana, Lily is a teenager befriending her elderly neighbor who shares her love of language. They both find themselves learning a secret that binds them together. I liked the theme of not everything is as it seems and everyone has their own story. The character's were great, but there was a few places that Lily seemed a little whiney, but as a teenager we all were that way. I would recommend this to anyone interested in WWII chick lit type of books.

The Paris Library was a heartbreaking look at a woman dealing with the war in her past and a little girl dealing with her life changing in the "present."

I liked how the timelines were intertwined and they were both very emotional. I ended up purchasing a copy to pass on to my mother-in-law who also enjoyed the book.

Read this for a book club-- and there will be so many good questions to discuss! One of my biggest takeaways is that during war, people may do unspeakable things that they would have never done otherwise. Who am I to judge what others have done during duress... yet many of the things bothered me. How can Odile forgive Paul for his complicity and marry him anyway? Characters conspire with the enemy to save others' family members. And how difficult would it really be to subsist on so little food and go day to day not knowing whom to trust? How do you give up one of the most important things in your life to someone who has wronged you in some way? Why can historical fiction at times be more powerful than nonfiction? Is that authors try to get us invested in the characters?

I found the Paris parts of the story much more interesting than the sometimes-mundane Montana segments. Yet, I can see the point of it as showing that as different as their situations are, Odile and Lily have some things in common. (And how did Lily get into Columbia, anyway, with some of those grades?)

The book really is a love letter to libraries; how could you read it and not be proud of the profession? I really appreciated the backmatter and the true stories and people that inspired this, and as with many books I enjoy, I look forward into doing some of my own research to learn more. Hopefully, on my next trip to Paris, I can visit the American Library!