This is one of my favorite genres and this book was another good one to read. It takes place in two timelines, 1918 and 1976. Emmaline Balakin is the daughter of Russian immigrants more comfortable with books than people. She is working in the Dead Letter Office when one comes across her desk and changes her life forever. Kathleen Carre is a determined young woman with her heart set on joining the military. As one of the first women admitted to the US Naval Academy, she faces obstacles at almost every turn. I enjoyed Emmaline's story much more so than Kathleen's. I appreciate that the author was trying to convey how difficult it was for her to be in a man dominated time/situation however everything about her character was struggling which lead to not particularly liking her. I thought she did a good job of building up to the big secret reveal and I hadn't guessed it until right before it occurred. Overall, an entertaining, well written, read and a great second book from this author.

The last 50 pages made this an instant 5-star for me. The War Librarian grabs you immediately and doesn't let you go, the characters are beautiful and messy, the scene is so easily envisioned. A historical fiction novel, with a thriller like twist? What more could a gal want. When this comes out on August 9th, please grab it immediately.

The War Librarian is a beautiful mix of The Paris Library, plus The Alice Network, plus The Nightingale in the most wonderful way. This historical fiction novel covers the intricacies of being a woman trying to support the armed forces during World War 1 and being a woman of the 1980's who wants to join the armed forces.

In 1918 Emmaline Balakin lives for her books, and not much of her own life. While working her job she comes across a letter with a name from her past, which sparks her to finally go on her own adventure as a volunteer librarian on the front lines in France. A romance between her and an injured solider blossoms during her secret book club that she holds. Emmaline will need to find courage, conviction, and strength - more than she ever thought possible to survive.

In 1976 Kathleen Carre wants to prove to herself that she deserves to be in the first coed class at the United States Naval Academy. However, not everyone is in agreement with her that she deserves to be there once she arrives. Kathleen has to battle discriminatory efforts as well as bullying of her peers. She must protect herself to accomplish her goal, but also because she now must protect a secret that could be her undoing.

I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Using a dual timeline, the story moves between WW1 in 1918 to the US Naval Academy in 1976. Two women in situations unlike anything else they have ever encountered. Kathleen Carre is accepted into the first coed class at the US Naval Academy and the way those first women were treated was deplorable. The author did a lot of research that supports what she writes about regarding the attitudes and behaviors men had toward those women. Emmaline Balikin is a volunteer librarian for the soldiers fighting in Europe and the reader also gets a view of the conditions these men and women had to endure on the lines in that war. What I most enjoyed was how the author was able to connect the storyline to Emmaline and Kathleen and this made the books ending very satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This is such a great dual timeline story, set during WW1. One story belongs to a volunteer War Librarian, who goes to France to bring books to the troops. The other story is of a young woman who earns her place at the US Naval Academy in 1976, the year when women were finally allowed into Annapolis. Both women go through hardships that allow them to grow and persevere. Each woman endures trials in male dominated settings. Both time periods have themes of racism and sexism. What a great read!

This is a dual timeline story, with the first timeline taking place in 1918 with Emmaline, a bookish girl who volunteers as a war librarian in France during the Great War, and the second taking place in 1976 with Kathleen, a member of the Annapolis class of 1980, the first class which allowed women to join the ranks of Midshipmen. It took me a while to realize how the stories were connected and I did not anticipate the plot twist near the end. No spoilers - but I loved the story and it came to a satisfying ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the novel in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for a prerelease copy of this book. Generally I don’t care for novels that switch back and forth between the past and present time but I don’t think this book could have been written any better. It takes place during WWI. Women volunteered. to provide library services to the medical hospitals but they were met by intense objections by the men and fought hard to serve their country and to take their places in history

I appreciated the unique setting of this book and liked the way it was structured to shift between time periods. There were some compelling moments. However, I think the author tried to do a bit too much in some areas of the story, and not enough in others. There's too much telling, not showing; there are too many characters who exist merely to move the story along or make a moral point. This was an ambitious work and I wanted more from it, so I'm sorry I could only give it in honesty three stars.

After reading so many WWII novels, it was fascinating to read one that featured WWI. This story follows Emmaline who goes to France as a librarian in WWI and concurrently tells of Kathleen who in the 1970s who is in the first class of women midshipmen at the US Naval Academy. Both women face similar (yet totally different) experiences of women who are in places where men don't think they belong. Both stories are engaging, fascinating, and intertwined in a way that reveals itself later in the book. I really could not put this down and devoured it in 2 days. It had me googling places, people, and events which is always the hallmark of good historical fiction in my estimation.

Unfortunately I don't think this book is for me. I appreciated the writing style and the characters' development, but I didn't feel myself drawn into the story enough to fully enjoy it. I'm grateful for the chance I had to read it though!

The War Librarian following Emmaline a former Motor Car operator from World War In 1918, and a woman who was in the first class at the Naval Academy that allowed women in 1976. Both these ladies face adversity in their new roles. It shows the difference between men and women within the military.

Overall I liked this book! Was it my favorite book ever, no, but I throughly enjoyed the book, getting lost in a different time period, and gaining knowledge about World War I!

1918. Timid and shy Emmaline Balakin lives more in books than her own life. That is, until an envelope crosses her desk at the Dead Letter Office bearing a name from her past, and Emmaline decides to finally embark on an adventure of her own—as a volunteer librarian on the frontlines in France. But when a romance blooms as she secretly participates in a book club, Emmaline will need to find more courage within herself than she ever thought possible in order to survive.

1976. Kathleen Carre is eager to prove to herself and to her nana that she deserves her acceptance into the first coed class at the United States Naval Academy. But not everyone wants female midshipmen at the Academy, and after tragedy strikes close to home, Kathleen becomes a target. To protect herself, Kathleen must learn to trust others even as she discovers a secret that could be her undoing.

I adore books that are told by different characters in different times, that ultimately weave together. And this book was no exception. It is a historical fiction that takes a look at WWI in a different way than usual, and takes a look at the first women admitted to Annapolis. These were interesting storylines that haven’t been done a thousand times. Kathleen and Emmaline’s stories are inspiring. Each woman goes through a different difficult experience that helps them grow and learn. And interwoven in those stories are so many applicable themes: racism, sexism, fear, strength, love, perseverance, power of words, integrity, and so many more. As an English teacher I love the way that books are shown as powerful tools for the characters. And the look at censorship as being against everything democracy stands for is spot on. You will fall in love with these two women and their stories.

Wonderful dual timeline story of two women in a male dominated military. So rich wonderfully researched. If you like to read about strong women try this one. You won’t be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. Its not so much about the historical war but about a family secret. The author has relatable main characters with an easy to follow storyline.

The War Librarian is really two stories in one novel. First, the story of Emmaline Balakin who travels to the front in World War I to serve as a war librarian after receiving some training. Second, the story of Kathleen Carre, a young woman driven to prove herself and serve in the first co-educational class at the US Naval Academy. The interweaving of the stories keeps you intrigued, and the stories present moral conflicts faced by each protagonist. The well-researched story shares underrepresented aspects of our past.

THE WAR LIBRARIAN
by Addison Armstrong
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam
Pub Date: Aug 9

The War Librarian is a compelling dual timeline story focusing on two courageous women who must overcome obstacles in male-dominated military settings.

In 1918, quiet bookish Emmaline strikes out past her comfort zone when she decides to volunteer as a librarian on the French front. When she finds romance in a secret book club there, she needs to grow even more fearless to survive.

In 1976, Kathleen wants to be accepted into the first coed class at the United States Naval Academy. But not everyone wants a woman there, and she becomes a target when tragedy hits close to home.

"Two women. One secret. A truth worth fighting for," the synopsis proclaims, and how apt that is.

Also, The War Librarian includes an equally apt quote about literature: "Books are the best place to hide when the world is too much to take." Don't miss this glorious tale!

Thanks to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

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In the midst of World War 1, Emmaline works in the Dead Letter Office where she learns about women volunteering as librarians, through the American Library Association, on the frontline of the war in France and decides to join them. Six decades later, Kathleen is a member of the first co-ed class at the U.S. Naval Academy where many people are not happy by that women are being admitted. As both story lines unfold, the two slowly begin to intertwine. The book is inspired by the first female librarians in World War 1 and the first women who enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy. I really enjoyed this one.

This is my second Addison Armstrong book, and The War Librarian was truly a book to get lost in. I am sure it will be a huge hit with historical fiction lovers like myself. I adore dual timeline books because it is fun to see how times changes yet stay the same, as well as figure out the connections between the two characters. First up... Emmaline, serving in WWI era France as a librarian. I had no idea that the American Library Association supported the war by sending librarians overseas! How interesting. Emmaline and her friendships/relationships are certainly tested during the trying times of war. She is truly a brave woman and her story had me hooked. But not as much as the 1970s counterpart, Kathleen. Perhaps I was obsessed with Kathleen's story because she shares a name with my sister, but I kept wishing her story was longer. I loved reading about her trials and challenges to break barriers at the US Naval Academy. I have much respect for the women who 'integrated' in that way, and Kathleen's strength and determination really came through in this book. It was so fun to try to figure out the connection between the two women too.

My only (minor) problem with this book was that it doesn't seem to be aptly named. Kathleen's story isn't really part of the title, and I get annoyed (as a librarian myself) when people who aren't trained as librarians call themselves librarians. I suppose Emmaline did have some training but she spent much of the book saying she wasn't really a librarian so the title of the book was a little off for me. But I couldn't put this book down and will definitely recommend it when it comes out this summer!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The War Librarian by author Addison Armstrong.

I sat down and took over a week to figure out exactly what I wanted to say for this review. And I find that I still don't have the words to express how much I truly adored this one. I have read over 280 books this year so far and this is my first 5 starred read of the year.

I felt like I could actually experience and visualize both timelines and what these women both endured. Both timelines were powerful and I probably couldn't pick which character I enjoyed reading about more. A great historical fiction read and ties in beautifully with Women's History Month.

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for fans of historical fiction.

When I saw that part of this book takes place during WWI, I immediately thought of one of my favorites - The Alice Network - and requested the ARC! Oh, how I love wartime novels with strong female characters and The War Librarian was no different ♥️ I loved that though there were multiple timelines and POVs, they were during different yet similar historical challenges. Addison Armstrong does a phenomenal job of pulling the reader into the book, even from BEFORE the first page (because guys, the book dedication was beautiful). For those that gravitate towards Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn books, don’t let this one sit on the shelf - run out and buy it come August of 2022!

P.S. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid book lover, this book spoke to me and will stick with me for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me early access to this book!