Lovely mashup of historical fiction, romance, and suspense with a twist. Think Kate Quinn mixed with Paula Hawkins or Gillian Flynn. I really enjoyed both storylines and the supporting characters were well written. Suggested for fans of Kristin Hannah, Colson Whitehead, or Louise Erdrich.

Favorite quotes:
I wanted to be three things: JFK, my nana, and not my mother.

...one cannot have two deaths, but cannot run from one. It mattered less how long you lived than how,

“It’s just that she knows what it’s like to be somewhere people wish you weren’t.” “Yeah.” I swallowed. “That’s why I wanted to talk to my grandma, too.”

“Bazwillie Sure Moose?” Nellie shrugged. “That’s what the soldiers call it. The French is too hard to pronounce.” “Bazoilles-sur-Meuse,”

“They also call it Baz Eels on the Muss, if you’d prefer, or Bacillus on Mush.”

WAR SERVICE LIBRARY: This book is provided by the people of the United States through the American Library Association for the Use of the Soldiers and Sailors.

These books come to us overseas from home; To read them is a privilege; To restore them promptly unabused a duty.’

Mabel smelled like chocolate chip cookies and was shaped like a hug.

“That’s one of the beautiful things about a book. You can make it last however long you need it.”

...the ALA was sending fifty shipping tons of books— something like seventy-five thousand volumes— overseas a month.

“Thanks to you,” he said, “I know there’s always light in the darkness.”

Don’t forget about the power of words to keep us alive. A Tale of Two Cities in particular serves as a reminder of two things: That anyone can be a hero, and that love remains a miracle in the midst of war.

In alternating chapters, Addison Armstrong writes about two women - Emmaline, a war librarian in France during WWI and Kathleen, a plebe at the Naval Academy in the seventies. Both women are fighting for their spots in a man's world. Emmaline is a librarian who challenges military policies (as in segregation and book banning) while Kathleen's story of the first coed class at the Naval Academy highlights the grit and determination of those first female plebes. The plebes face harassment and fabricated charges that could ultimately derail a military career. Emmaline's yearning for justice and equality puts her in opposition to military directives and social protocol. Their stories culminate in a satisfying ending.

The War Librarian is a strong work of historical fiction with vivid descriptions and emotions. This is an excellent choice for libraries with patrons interested in historical fiction. I will be recommending this book.

Thanks to the publisher, Addison Armstrong and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved this dual timeline historical fiction! Emmaline Balakin is a librarian in France during WWI in 1918. Meanwhile, Kathleen Carre is in the first class of women at the Naval Academy in 1976. I found both stories compelling and interesting.

I love reading about librarians, books, and authors so that aspect really appealed to me. I also found the bits about racism towards the Black soldiers in WWI interesting. It was something I hadn't really read about before.

Kathleen's story appealed to me slightly less just because I found her personality grating and I kept just wanting her to give up on the Naval Academy. It just seemed so horrible and depressing. I really liked how the two stories came together in the end. It was totally unexpected to me.

I feel like the dual timeline thing has been a bit overdone lately, but this one is great and deserves to be read. Don't let that narrative device deter you! Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

Such a sweet and heart felt story about librarians during the war. It was great to have the perspective of someone in WWII, and someone preparing to go to war. I loved that this novel focused on a different role of women rather than another novel about the Red Cross or nursing. Addison Armstrong weaves together an amazing story with a lot if detail. Definitely recommend this read to all historical fiction fans!

Finally a book to bring me out of my reading slump! Addison Armstrong’s first book The Light of Luna Park did the same thing for me. What a wonderful new author.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong is a book that empowers women to have a voice and to make change.

Emmaline, Kathleen and Nellie are equally courageous, tough, honorable female characters. They are out to prove women can succeed in a male dominated war setting. The women sacrifice themselves for each other and prove that family doesn’t always mean blood relatives, many times your family is your closest friends.

Emmaline is a volunteer librarian in France during WWl and Kathleen is one of the first women accepted into the United States Navel Acadamy in 1976. The two timelines are brought together at the end perfectly. I enjoyed learning about, actually not really enjoyed, learning about how women were treated in both positions during their prospective time periods.

I loved everything about this book. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The War Librarian is a MUST read. It will be published August 9th, 2022.

This was an incredibly compelling story told in dual timelines. It focuses on two brave women who are fighting for their place in a male dominated setting. The two time periods were seamlessly woven together, which is usually a hard thing to accomplish in dual timeline stories. This book was empowering, enlightening, and shed light on so many important themes with beautiful prose.

I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Addison Armstrong's new book The War Librarian. I love, love, loved it! In 1918 Emmaline is the quiet daughter of Russian immigrants. Her parents pass away while she is young and she remembers the amazing way her mother could bring people together while she feels she is hiding from life herself. Through her work in the Dead Letter's Office, she finds a letter written to a childhood friend, who is a soldier fighting in France during World War I. She realizes she has to do something more and becomes a librarian at a field hospital in war-torn France. In 1976 Kathleen is one of the first women accepted to the US Naval Academy. She endures hazing and violent attacks from the male students. After the death of her grandmother Kathleen finds a letter that ties her to Emmaline and her story. I couldn't put the book down. This is sure to be a favorite.

The War Librarian parallels the lives of two young women: the first during World War One; the second serving in the first class to. Include women at West Point. Each woman is beginning a new chapter of her life in an untraditional role. Both must display courage to meet the challenges of their new daily lives. The end of the story reveals the common thread between them as well as a love that has stood the test of time.

The War Librarian is a compelling historical fiction novel. The story is told from two points of view; Emmaline, whose story is set in 1918, and Kathleen, whose story takes place in 1976. Emmaline is a timid young woman who goes to France during WWI to provide comfort to wounded soldiers through books, and Kathleen is appointed to the Naval Academy the first year it is open to women. Both women face unexpected challenges as they encounter racism and misogyny, and must dig deep to find strength and courage to forge ahead. The author has done a wonderful job in bringing the characters, their stories, and their timelines to life.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong
Release Date: 8/9/22

Going back and forth between 1918 and 1976, The War Librarian tells the story of two incredibly strong women during two difficult periods of time. Emmaline Balakin, the daughter of Russian immigrants, finds herself volunteering as a librarian in France during WWI. While there she reconnects with her childhood sweetheart who had been drafted into the war, and she also becomes close friends one of the only women on the front to drive a car, Nellie. In the short time that she is in France, Emmaline finds herself in dangerous situations as she combats censorship in the war. Kathleen Carre, the granddaughter of Nellie Carre, is a part of the first class of women allowed in the Naval Academy. While there, Kathleen does her best to stand strong against assaults, lies, and overall misogyny while digging deeper into her grandmother's past.

I really enjoyed this book! It was one that I definitely couldn't put down. Personally I enjoyed Emmaline's chapters more than Kathleen's but I think that's just a preference for the WWI time period. I wish that there had been a longer explanation of Nicholas's life after the war and how everything that happened had affected him. And above all I wish that Emmaline hadn't felt like she was forced to do what she did! I don't want to put spoilers but I feel like she still could have had the life she wanted with Nicholas, even if it wasn't exactly what it should have been.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong tells a story with a dual timeline spanning 58 years. It tells us about the power and importance of books and words. But it also tells us about women breaking into a man’s world by assisting the war effort during WWI in 1918 and 58 year later, the first class of women admitted into the US Naval Academy. We are ensconced in the lives of Emmaline, Nellie, and Nicholas in 1918; and in 1976, we hear about the struggles of Kathleen, Susan, and Linda as they become plebes at the US Naval Academy. This story shares with us the strengths of the women involved, the challenges they faced during their lifetimes, and how the two generations are forever woven together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

4.5 stars

This was one of those books that gave me withdrawals after finishing. The author did a fantastic job of transporting me back in time and I felt as though I was living though the war myself. This was a great portrayal of women’s contributions to war efforts and the military.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The War Librarian follows the story of two women: Emmaline and Kathleen and is told in their dual timelines of their lives. Both women are attempting to follow their dreams in the midst of WWI and the story that unfolds is how each woman struggles, but then overcomes. I really enjoyed the determination and friendships that evolved throughout the story, and the ending definitely left me emotional.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong is the story of two strong women who refuse to give up on their dreams. Both women are faced with (and must overcome) many obstacles to achieve their goals.

The story unfolds over two time lines. First, you have Emmaline. In 1918 she volunteers as a war librarian to help get books to wounded soldiers in army hospitals in France during WWI. Emmaline tries to stand up for what she believes is right irregardless of the consequences she may have to face. Second, we have Kathleen. Her greatest dream is to be among the first women to be admitted to the Naval Academy. In 1976, she becomes a member of the first class to include women. Kathleen is determined to make it even if she must face injustices at every corner and fight for the chance to keep her place at the Academy . As the book progresses, secrets are revealed, deep friendships are made and lives are changed forever.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was intrigued by the idea of WWI and the first class to include women at the Naval Academy coming together. I would definitely recommend this book of sisterhood, courage and determination.

I so wanted to love this one -- World War I historical fiction following a war-time librarian in France? Count me in! Unfortunately, this one was just OK for me -- a solid three stars, but not a stand out on my list of finished books.

The War Librarian follows two timelines. One is during World War I following Emmaline, a woman who leaves her safe job in the United States to become a librarian at a hospital on the front in France. The other timeline follows Kathleen in 1976 as she experiences being in the first class at the United States Naval Academy that allowed women to be admitted.

Emmaline and Kathleen both experience adversity and come to terms with the realities of being a woman in their respective societies. They both also see the effects of racism in their environments. These themes constitute a pretty large part of the novel. The women fight back against societal constraints in the hopes of enacting change.

I enjoyed reading about the effort of the war librarians in World War I, which is something I did not know existed. It was clear the author did research into the topic, and it felt informative and interesting.

Kathleen's timeline seemed to have more of a driving force -- she is fighting to complete her first year of training at the Naval Academy amidst all of the sexism and criticism she receives for being in the first group of females to be admitted. I felt like Emmaline's sections had less of a driving plot. Her chapters felt much more "day in the life" with no real goal other than to bring books to the injured soldiers at the hospital. The novel does ultimately build to a twist, but it's not altogether surprising.

Ultimately, I thought that the book had a lot of potential and I loved the idea of following a war-time librarian, but I didn't really connect with the characters too much which made it difficult to become too invested in the story. Some characters seemed to exist to advance a particular plot line, which I didn't love.

I will admit that part of my hesitancy with this novel began at the time I read it. Roe v. Wade was overturned just a day or two after I'd started this book, which really soured me on feeling gung-ho for women's rights and the achievements we have made over the years. Roe v. Wade is even mentioned in Kathleen's timeline, and it felt a sad sort of comedy to be reading how revolutionary and exciting that was for women at the time. Obviously, this is not the author's fault and the book was written prior to its overturn.

Overall, it is a solid read, but not my favorite historical fiction. If you love strong female characters and are interested in military history as well as the war librarian effort, then I would say give this a go!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group's G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

This book captivated me. I was drawn in once I realized the two different times that were being used. I read a lot of WWII and this was a different story than I have ever read before. I was so invested in the characters I could not put it down. While I started to suspect the twist at the end, I had no idea how the author would get us there. I read the last 2/3 of this book in one afternoon and sat on my couch crying.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

The War Librarian is a story of generational activist, women, who during their life encounter racism and equality of women's rights. One character is a librarian who travels to France to see her lifelong friend and love while the other character is part of the first women to enter the Naval academy. The women fight for right equal rights among women and minorities when during their lifetime these were not accepted.
I enjoyed the book, however I felt at times it lagged and the constant comparison of literary characters to those of the. book was at times not needed.

Addison Armstrong sold her first historical novel while still an undergraduate studying elementary education. “The War Librarian” is her sophomore novel and continues her strong showing. It features a dual timeline: set in the last months of World War I and in 1976 when the Naval Academy first admitted women. The chapters alternate between the story lines. (I was so tempted to skip ahead to continue the narrative gripping me at the moment). Eventually elements from the two timelines merge in a suspenseful courtroom scene.

Emmaline volunteers to serve as a war librarian in France. She operates a small library of donated books out of the recreation hut at an army field hospital by loaning or reading books to the wounded soldiers as they convalesce. Introverted Emmaline knows firsthand that “books are the best place to hide … when the world is too much to take.” While carrying out her duties, she discovers that the negro soldiers receive a lower standard of medical care and accommodation at the hospital.

Kathleen, whose Nana served in WWI as a driver, is excited to be among the first women admitted to the US Naval Academy. She experiences hazing and false accusations from those who would prefer the institution remain male, not unlike the first African-American midshipmen.

The novel explores themes of equality, the role of dissent in a democracy, and whether books (and their ideas) are more dangerous than weapons of war. I like that the more recent of the two timelines also has a sense of the historical about it. It’s like getting two historical novels in one.

This was a great book. Many of our patrons loved books about librarians. This gives similar vibes to the books written about the packhorse librarians of Kentucky. The struggles that women had to go through to get reading material to difficult places. However, these women were under a considerable amount more stress, due it being wartime. We sometimes forget the importance and convenience of library, assuming they will always be available for our use. This is not the case. These women were pioneers and helped with the war effort in a unique way. I am looking forward to reading this title at an up and coming book club meeting. This book was provided my Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me. The beginning was good, but as the book progressed, I found myself not able to identify with the characters and their storyline. It was a 2 person POV. Both storylines were progressing into a challenging point in the characters life.