A read that will grab you and not let go, a time split read, 1918 and 1976, two generations apart!
We go to France during the Great War, with a realistic view of how our men were treated when injured! Then we are with the first women to enter Annapolis, the US Naval Academy , and a lot of the men are not happy with the situation!
It takes awhile to weave the two stories together, but the author does a great job, making the characters come to life, and then melding them together. We are soon caring about these strong women, but surprises, some not good, are ahead, and we are there to witness how this all turns out!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher G. P. Putman & Sons, and was not required to give a positive review.

Emmaline who has not done much with her life, finds herself volunteering to become a librarian for the troops in 1918 and being shipped to a hospital in France near the front. There she meets mechanic Nellie, who becomes a friend. Parallel to Emmaline's story is that of Kathleen, Nellie's granddaughter. It is 1976, and Kathleen enters the Naval Academy in the first class to include women. Both stories showcase the courage of these women, the prejudice they received and they observed, the value of intellectual freedom, and the conflicts that war and serving one's country brings. Will be a good book discussion group as these topics are as timely today as they were in 1918 and 1976.

Loved the timelines. They went so well together and complimented each other. I really enjoyed this. I felt like I was drawn into the story and this may be my new favorite historical fiction!

This split-time novel featuring a young woman in 1976, and her grandmother's life in 1918 was enjoyable and I also found it interesting to learn some things. 1976 is during my lifetime, so I was surprised to learn that women weren't allowed into the Naval Academy until then. This book also made me think about genealogy -- perhaps an odd thing to have a book make you think about, but the actions of one of the characters would definitely have an effect on any of her descendants who would try to find their roots,a nd it made me wonder how often that happens.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book of historical fiction.

Looking at old photos of parents and grandparents and other relatives it is hard to get an idea of what their lives were really like. The photos are usually posed, with smiles all around, as these were the days of film, not digital and usually only had one chance to make the photo right. Unless you knew family history you didn't know the troubles these peoples in photos dealt with, nor did we know much about their adventures and their travails outside of these photos. Addison Armstrong in her new book The War Librarian tells the story of two women, grandmother and granddaughter whose lives are changed by decisions in both war and peace, but face many of the same problems and discriminations.

World War I is raging in 1918 in Europe and Emmaline Balakin whose live is more devoted to books makes a decision. She plans to volunteer to be a librarian on the front lines, a decision that does not go well in the beginning. Soon she has found love, and a purpose working a Motor Car Operator, and taking part in a project that might get her in lot of trouble. Almost sixty years later Kathleen Carre in 1976 plans to be one of the first women to enter the Naval Academy, to make her Nana proud and for herself. This plan is viewed with derision and misogyny and soon she finds herself in jeopardy both for her dream and her Nana's legacy, which might be more secretive than she ever knew.

The book works well with strong characters that carry the story and make everything work. Making a generational story work, especially one with such a large gap is hard but the author if very good about keeping both the characters and the story together, and interesting. The plot is intriguing, as are the subplots, and the support characters. An interesting, depressing book about being a woman, dealing with men and trying to do something that men considers unlady-like, but is actually just a word that men use to cover the fact that they are afraid that women will be better at something.

Fans of the author's previous book The Light of Luna Park will not be let down. The research is very good and the story very compelling and page turning. Fans of Kate Quinn and Kate Atkinson will also enjoy the story for both it's historical view of World War 1 and about female intergration in the 1970's.

I really enjoyed this book! I normally dislike the dual timeline structure in historical fiction books, but this book was an exception as both characters and storylines were compelling. I figured out the twist very early on, but still enjoyed seeing the details play out. This would be a great read for fans of Kate Quinn or Fiona Davis.

A heartwarming story amidst the chaos and catastrophes of WWII, set against the angst of women’s struggles for equality. The dual timeline gives little glimpses of future events without spoiling the read. The importance of this book lies in its reminder that history matters and family legacy should not be ignored. It is our past, the roads taken or not taken, and the people that come into and out of our lives that create our stories. Highly recommended.

3.5/5⭐️

This dual timeline historical novel follows Emmaline, a young woman who travels to 1918 France to serve as a volunteer librarian for wounded troops at a field hospital and Kathleen, a young woman who determinedly faces the daunting challenge of being among the first women to be admitted into the US Naval Academy in 1976.

Emmaline, who is passionate in her beliefs as a young girl, has become a shy, subdued woman. Following a fateful reading of a letter written by a friend from her past (in the Dead Letter Office where she works), she decides to step out of her comfort zone to do her part for the troops.

Kathleen, raised by her grandmother, has always yearned for discipline and steadiness (opposite of her flighty mother) and is determined to prove herself in the Naval Academy.

Both women face hardships (losses, discrimination, harassment), and in the end, the author provides a surprise twist to their stories.

While there was nothing radically wrong here, I found myself not as engaged as I wanted to be, and I think it was both with the characters and the storyline. While sympathetic with the women’s struggles, I didn’t connect with them as individuals. And the storyline, while inspiring in some ways, felt contrived in others. This one was pretty much just an OK for me.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the free early arc of The War Librarian for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I sadly DNF this book. I enjoyed what I read but it didn't capture me the way I hoped. The writing was well done and I could see myself reading this at a later date but currently not in the right mindset for historical fiction.

I hope Addison Armstrong continues writing historical fiction. I enjoyed reading this as much as I did The Light of Luna Park. The dual timeline (WWI and the first female Naval Academy plebes), the interesting characters with complex back stories, and the unexpected twists all made for a riveting read.

The War LIbrarian
by Addison Armstrong
Pub Date: August 9, 2022
G.P. Putnam
*historical fiction
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. The Paris Library meets The Flight Girls in this captivating historical novel about the sacrifice and courage necessary to live a life of honor, inspired by the first female volunteer librarians during World War I and the first women accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy.
I really enjoyed the book. Addison Armstrong is a new author for me but I do like her writing and her take on historical fiction. I will be glad to recommend this to our readers. I also learned a lot about librarians and the ALA during WW1.
Readers of Aimee K. Runyan ( The School for German Brides), Jennifer Ryan ( The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle), and Anna Stuart. will enjoy this book.
Now I am going back to devour her previous book, The Light of Luna Park. Great read of 2022!
4 stars

I really enjoyed this dual timeline! The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed learning a bit about WWI considering I mostly read books based around WWII. I was intrigued by this author and I will continue to follow her after reading this one.

Really enjoyed the book. Like Addison Armstrong's writing and take on historical fiction. Learned a lot about librarians and the ALA during WW1. Look forward to following this author.

First off thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy to review. I read a fair amount of historical fiction so I greatly enjoyed that this was set in WWI. I also thought the plot was unique. Some of the plot points I could see coming but that did not take away the enjoyment I found in reading it. Characters were nicely developed. Writing and pace were also enjoyable.

In 1918, shy Emmaline loves her books more than people. She works in the Dead Letter Office and she comes across a letter that changes everything. When she decides to do her bit to help out in the war and she ends up being a volunteer librarian in France, she ends up seeing the writer if that letter, who she knew and loved when she was younger. Which ultimately leads to another important letter being written, one that may ruin two women’s lives. In 1976, Kathleen Carre is one of the first women accepted into the Naval Academy, where she faces hazing and discrimination. When a letter that was written in 1918 threatens to derail her Navy hopes, a family secret comes to light.

I always loved books and books, especially when there’s some pretty interesting history that we get to learn more about. However, this was only a 3 star read for me because I wanted more character development. I felt like we got to know these characters on a superficial level and I didn’t feel tge were development enough to answer the question of why they did what they did, particularly with Emmaline’s character. The actual plot of the book was interesting, but I just felt the story was lacking that little extra spark to make it a great book.

Summary: It’s 1976 Kathleen Carre is going to be part of the first class of the US Naval academy that allows Women to learn and graduate with the men however first she must prove that the letter with US slander found in her room isn't her’s all while dealing with a personal tragedy. The second narrative follows Emmaline Balakin during the first world war as she works as a hospital librarian and runs into her old childhood crush and the bigotry of the US that makes her question things and puts her entire future in jeopardy.

Thoughts: The story of Emmaline is much more interesting than Kathleen’s and I almost wish the book solely focused on Emmaline although their connection was interesting and I was kind of surprised by the twist. I adored Emmaline and Nicholas’ story and wished we spent more time with them. I like a happy ending and while this typically doesn't happen in historical fiction the ending for Emmaline and Nicholas was especially brutal and dramatic and unnecessary. Dramatic and unnecessary seemed to be the theme though because Kathleen’s entire conflict in the navy is very dramatic and over the top which I think is why I preferred Emmaline’s narrative. Overall the story was interesting and liked that it tried to tackle the difficult issues that oppress both women and minorities.

The War Librarian is told from two POVs, Emmaline in 1918, a shy, timid bookworm working the Office of Dead Letters, and Kathleen in 1976, a woman in the first class of females in the Naval Academy. When Emmaline answers a letter from the Dead Letter Office, she will change the lives of both women forever.

This story is about stepping out of your comfort zone to do what you want, even if it costs everything. In the end, what if it all works out.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

My personal preferences colored my enjoyment of this dual time frame presentation. I really got into the WW1 aspect but was unimpressed with the more modern trailblazer (guess it's because I've been there, done that). Each story was sound, but this history geek was disappointed in the background research. I simply was not the target reader.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley.

The War Librarian follows two women—Emmaline, one of the first volunteer librarians in World War 1, and Kathleen, who is a part of the first coed class at the Naval Academy. Both women’s stories were compelling, and I found myself invested in how their stories turned out. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dual storylines!

The War Librarian is thought provoking. Well written and researched, it follows strong women in difficult circumstances. Being a woman, I've benefited from women like these characters.

I'd honestly not considered what war librarians did and how important their role. I recommend this book