The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar is a novel based on real events that occurred in France during World War II. The novel follows Jocelyn, a young librarian who works to protect the books and the people of her seaside town from the Nazi invasion. She writes secret letters to a renowned Parisian writer, in which she shares her stories, challenges, and choices in the midst of war.
This book is a good choice for readers who like historical fiction, especially those who want to learn more about World War II and the French Resistance. The book is also ideal for book clubs, as it provides many themes and questions for conversation and analysis. The book is an engaging and emotional read that will appeal to your feelings and thoughts.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson. I am a longtime reader of any books that discuss World War II. I was drawn to this book as it had a unique point of view of a small town librarian who tried to support her town, Saint-Malo during WW2 by giving them books. The unthinkable happens when the Nazi's start to destroy books they deem unworthy (something that is currently happening in Florida by their tyrant of a governor). I adored this book.

A WWII story told from the perspective of a librarian in the town of Saint Malo, France. Seems very well researched and it definitely was a page turner. I so enjoy WWII historical fiction and the many perspectives it is being written from. This was no exception.

France is being torn apart by war, and libraries are being ransacked. Jocelyn is quietly determined to resist the occupation and save the tiny library of Saint-Malo. The story and horrors of war are told through a series of letters smuggled to an author in Paris.

Newly-weds Jocelyn and Antoine are caught up in their own happiness, and Germany's invasion of Poland just seems to pass them by. When reality sets in, they know Antoine will be called up to defend France, and that does happen. Meanwhile, Jocelyn is determined to save her library. The German occupation army is equally determined that she not be able to save it, because they are bent on destroying every bit of culture in France.

Jocelyn is forced to house a German SS officer in her home and he makes her life miserable. She writes frequent letters to Marcel Zola, in the hopes there will be some documentation of what is happening to the books entrusted to her keeping. She tells him of the extreme deprivation suffered by the people, the deportation of Jewish peoples, the destroyed buildings, the culture, all the things that make France France.

Most of the book deals with her efforts to save the library. All else comes in at a very distance second place. The book seemed tedious much of the time - some of this may have been due to it being a translated work.

The Librarian of Saint Malo by Mario Escobar is a World War II fiction. It generally holds up well against a large field of books in this specific genre. The structure though was a little challenging to fully engage with, through letters to a largely unseen author. I also do agree with other reviewers about the problematic relationship--I know that people on every side can be complex, and fine people may get caught up in poor situations, but it was difficult to root for.

This is a very heart wrenching story about a librarian during World War II who has to deal with physical illness, a husband going to war, losing friends and family, and saving her precious books from the Germans. It was a bit of a tragic love story with plenty of intense twists. I have not read a good historical fiction book for awhile, but this one was truly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend. I received a free copy for my honest review.

Initially, I kept reading this book because I thought it had to get better. But I became only more confused by the apparently epistolary format and less enthused about the main character. I finished the book only to see if it redeemed itself, but no, the disjointed love triangle ended in nothing but tragedy.

There were a few lines I highlighted. A few epic attempts to save the books of Saint-Malo from the Nazis. But overall, the book was incredibly confusing and depressing.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it.

It did make me think about how much we invent when we are writing historical fiction and how we signal that to our readers. This is one of three novels set in World War II that I’ve been reading, and while both the others (The Little Wartime Library and The Paris Library) are set in real libraries but with fictitious characters, the author of the Librarian of Saint-Malo tells us in a note at the end that “The library of Saint-Malo currently exists in the building described in the novel, but there was no library there in the time period of the novel’s events.”

I suppose that makes it really clear how much of the story is imaginary, even though he has been diligent about representing real members of the French Resistance as accurately as he could.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really connect with the librarian he invented, Jocelyn Ferrec. I found her relationship with the books she was safeguarding to be too idealistic and yet, at the same time, lacking any real depth of knowledge - the plot has her gadding off to Paris and even to other meetings in Saint Malo while the library is unguarded, and the details as to how she supposedly hid its treasures are sparse.

Other characters drift in and out of the story too obviously to suit the needs of the plot - Jocelyn’s husband dies conveniently in time for her developing love story with one of the German soldiers, and her bookseller friend Denis is taken to Dachau, from which he manages to escape in a few sentences that don’t quite make sense of that almost impossible feat.

Overall, it’s a nice idea of a story, and perhaps would make a good movie, but I just didn’t get into it as much as The Little Wartime Library or The Paris Library. In fact, I love The Paris Library so much that I am eking it out for as long as possible because I just love the world its author has created - even though it’s a world at war. The characters are so vivid and I feel huge affection for them. Whereas for Jocelyn Ferrec and her friends, I felt pity but no real connection. I’m sorry.

Absolutely fantastic book! I am a huge fan of Escobar's works, and his historical fiction books really bring history to life. I devoured this book. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read and review it!

The Librarian of Saint-Malo is an epistolary WW2 historical fiction novel, told through smuggled letters to an author. The story takes places in France and involves a French librarian set on resisting the Nazi's during occupation by protecting the people in her town and the books they hold dear.

This storyline felt unique and was very fascinating to me, keeping me invested the entire way through. I was blown away to find out that this book was based on true events. It's very clear that the author did their research and very well at that. I really enjoyed the interesting characters we meet and come alongside and the atmospheric French coastal town of Saint-Malo. I was swept away and found all of the elements here to be woven together beautifully. I couldn't help but be incredibly inspired by the main character Jocelyn's bravado! She's one of those characters you simply don't soon forget.

Unfortunately I did have some difficulty with the author's writing of the letters themselves. The letters were the chapters and at times the writing in them felt messy to the point they didn't read like letters at all, and I felt that overall it could have been executed better. I'm a huge lover of epistolary novels and that was very much one of the elements that really drew me to this book in the first place, so this was a significant let down for me.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this heartbreaking yet powerful novel. I just wished the epistolary aspect would have been stronger. I would still definitely recommend this one to fellow historical fiction lovers though, as there were enough redeeming elements here and I found the book to be well worth my time spend with it.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.

This was an emotional book - strong characters and emotional attachment to books. Although historical fiction is not my usual genre of choice, I really enjoyed the strong female character and the mild underlying tension throughout this novel.

This is a historical fiction account of the town of Saint-Malo and the attempt to save the valuable literary works from the hands of the Nazis. It is also a love story between Antoine and Jocelyn who get married the same day that Germany invaded Poland. The book is written as a letter to an author and yet, that is neither here nor there, because it added nothing to the story.

I can't totally relate to this story. I am an avid reader, but I think when given the choice between some valuable books and my life, I would pick my life. On the other hand, Jocelyn had very little left to live for in life and I think the library gave her purpose.

While fiction, it was still awful to see how neighbors would turn in neighbors who were helping others and be so cruel to each other. I have no doubt this happened in real life during World War II and still happens today, unfortunately.

"At the core, being a writer means feeling things at a deeper level than everyone else and knowing how to communicate those depths, helping readers to see reality in a way they never have before." I don't agree with the whole of this quote. I don't know that writers see things deeper, but I do believe good writers have the gift of being able to plumb those depths and put them onto paper for the rest of us to read and ponder.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it, but there were some elements that I'm just not sure about. It gave a different side of the The Resistance than I had ever seen before and it was a little unclear how Jocelyn fit into all of that. I did enjoy the book as a story though.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this one for the most part. I love the idea of historical fiction told through a librarians eyes and their duty to protecting the books. I didn’t like the cliche love romance between her and a reformed Nazi. The ending was good but so sad.

The Librarian of St. Malo is a bittersweet tale about a young woman named Jocelyn and her struggles in France amidst World War Two. She does her best to fight for what she believes in and save as many of the books from her beloved library as she is able. Jocelyn has so much passion and empathy for those around her, whether it is for her friends, strangers, or even a German solider who is kind to her. This story was beautifully written from start to finish and I would recommend it to any reader who enjoys stories of this time period. Mario Escobar pays wonderful attention to the small details and the development of his characters and I hope to find other stories from him as well.

This was a good historical fiction about a librarian in a small coastal French town during WWII and her determination to protect the town's library and all of the books within.
For a WWII historical fiction, the violence is thankfully not too explicit, nor is there much of it. There are a few instances of atrocities described, but not in vivid details.
It was an ok read but I just didin't love the MC or empahtized with her :(

As the Nazis threaten to wipe out the entire culture of Saint-Malo , France, in 1939, librarian Jocelyn works to save the library. When her husband Antoine is dragged off to war to fight those very same Nazis, Jocelyn risks her life daily to save something of their former life.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

The Librarian of Saint-Malo is the first novel by Mario Escobar that I've read- and won't be the last! The book is a series of letters written by Saint-Malo's librarian to a local author she has commissioned to tell her story. The story of Jocelyn, the Saint-Malo librarian, is inspirational and heart-breaking. Her love for the library's books is admiral, although at times the extreme efforts she makes and trials she endues in order to protect them during the German occupation of France made me think that she truly had gone mad. However, her reasoning is her love of words, humanity, and history- which is apparent above all else, and so admirable.

The town of Saint-Malo is decimated during WWII and Jocelyn fights til the end. This is a story of survival, love, friendship, and faith. The theme of love is portrayed throughout this book, Jocelyn and her colleagues insist love is the only means to prevail. In a letter near the beginning, Jocelyn writes, "my hope is that someday, when humanity regains its sanity, people will know that the only way to be saved from barbarianism is by love: loving books, loving people, and though you may call me crazy, loving our enemies." This is a profound and inspiring notion to me. This quote spoke to me and I see so much relevance to today's current events in America- BLM Movement, the politicians and leaders, COVID, and the recent mass banning of books. In a later letter, she writes, "Books are a legacy, the signal to light the path for future generations."

Another favorite quote: "Every time someone opens a book, it comes alive once more. Its characters wake up from their nap and start acting all over again."

If you are looking for a new spin on WWII historical fiction, here it is. Escobar's writing is magnificent, it may be a little slow at times, but the profoundness of his words and story-telling more than makes up for it.
I highly recommend The Librarian of Saint-Malo.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">