A beautiful historical fiction novel, featuring the war librarians of WWI and the first coed class of the Naval Academy, with a dual timeline that is interwoven flawlessly.

The author really did her research for this one and it shows! Some tough subjects were tackled here, but handled with such ease and grace. Armstrong definitely has her own distinguished style of storytelling and is blazing herself a trail straight into the spotlight!

I could not put this book down. The intertwining of two stories - a World War I librarian in France and a young woman in the inaugural female class at the US Naval Academy, though years apart, deal with many of the same struggles and prejudices. Their stories will both captivate you and leave you page-flipping and anxious over what comes next in their tales. I’ll leave it there to protect against any spoilers.

Armstrong’s research into both time periods left readers with the perfect amount of pertinent information. This book was not too dense as some historical fiction can be, it was just right in every way.

This is a story about the triumph of women through the ages, and the power of when brave, forward-thinking people band together for what is right and just. Absolutely incredible.

I suggest all fans of historical fiction, especially from the perspective of groundbreaking women, read this book when it’s out in August!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong was a compelling and interesting story. I love historical fiction and this was defiantly among the top reads that I've encountered within the last few months.

This is the first book I have read by this author. The language is mostly clean, there is a bit of physical abuse of women, but for a book of a military type nature it is clean.

The characters are well developed. I learned much about WWI and the naval academy. There was much to be saddened by.

There is a very interesting twist at the end, that I saw coming, but it still gave closure. All in all, a good read.

As difficult as this was to read, I found the story very compelling. The story travels along two timelines, Emmaline as a volunteer librarian in a hospital base in France in 1918, and Kathleen entering as one of the first women accepted to the Naval Academy in 1976. Both women had to endure gross injustice at the hands of men, but both found the inner strength to persevere. I highly recommend this book for it's historical significance, and for the women who have fought to achieve in a male dominated world.

I have high expectations when reading historical fiction about a librarian, and Addison Armstrong did not disappoint!

Emmaline is one of the few women sent to France during WWI to help distribute books to solders. Decades later, her granddaughter, Kathleen, enters the first class for women to become Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.

Both women struggle with discrimination, racism within their circle of friends, censorship, and family strife. Their experiences become intertwined in an unexpected way, and in the end Kathleen grows to know the value of family and friendship.

This book was well researched and rich with historic detail. The characters and struggles they faced maintained my interest throughout the story. I had to stay up late to finish "one more chapter."

I was provided a free copy of the book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Thank you Net galley for this ARC.

This is an amazingly well researched and well written historical fiction novel. The blending from the world war era to the 1970s is perfect. I could not put it down until I was finished. I enjoyed every chapter.

Best historical fiction I've read in a long time.

The reviews and ideas created are my own and this was a copy from NetGalley.

"Books are the best place to hide when the world is just too much to take" This was a engaging story that intertwines the lives of two women. Emmaline Balakin is a librarian that takes the risk of going to the war to offer books to the individuals on the front line that have been injured during World War I. She risks many things to be there and it affects the lives of many other individuals. The history behind the American Library Association and the amount of material they dedicated to World War I is quite fascinating. As a librarian I was intrigued by the dedication and vast donations they provided the war effort and legacy they left on the individuals who were involved in the fight.

Kathleen Carre wants to prove her identity by joining the Naval Academy in a time when women are new. She is a strong character and works to prove her ability. She deals with many set backs and struggles to find her place when a devastating turn of events causes her to fight even harder to prove herself.

There are several twist that make this novel a worthy read. The value of family, strength, and endurance make this a book with strong characters. This is definitely a read that involves much history and strong women characters. I would recommend this book for other to read that enjoy historical fiction.

"The War Library" from Addison Armstrong is probably one of the best historical fiction books written in this decade AND in the past decade. I really don't like books whose points of view are shared but I loved the way the author did it in this book and I even loved the moments when the book had a climax situation and I had to read a chapter of Emma to continue Kath's or vice versa.
The book managed to put not only two characters with different chapters but at different times and still bring that together in a cohesive way historically speaking and making me think that the book was genuinely very interesting as I read and tried to understand what was going on and what the coalitions were. Can't wait to read another novel written by this author and also comment about this book publicly when it is actually released. 4/5 stars.
Thankyou to netgalley for providing me with an
eArc.

Though it took me a little while to get into this story, I think that was more of a case of right book, wrong time than anything else. It's well written and researched and definitely made the setting feel real and fleshed out. I also liked the way the two protagonists developed over the course of the novel, and the dual voices. Recommended!

Source: NetGalley
Format: E-book

The War Librarian...Wow! I had no clue what I was going to get when I requested this from Netgalley. The cover and title were enough to capture my attention. I purposely did not read the description snippet so I would be surprised as I read. I was not disappointed at all.

Spoiler time below.

For Addison to be able to write 2 time lines completely clear and trackable, Oh my this alone made me push forward and not put the book down. Following Emmaline and Kathleen through their hardships and military careers, their trials and hardships, the friendships made and love lost...I feel like I experienced 2 lives at the same time.

Both women have this urge to fight for what is right and uphold the integrity of a nation and agency built on the premise of honesty and honor, yet so broken in itself that it rewards those who refuse to live up to the same standards. The constant challenges to this and their determination to fight for what is right had me cheering them on as I flipped the pages.

Both woman so strong in their own abilities and overcoming their own self-imposed obsticales...we need more heroines like them.

This book has made me a fan of Addison Armstrong and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Amazingly written from both females and times in history! I was wanting to know more and more about each story line and how they connected, if they even did.
Emmaline and her life as a war librarian was so exciting and interesting to read. I could see her working in France driving with her friend as well as conducting the book club.
Kathleen at the Naval Academy and trying to overcome the death of her Nana as well as the hazing for being a female in a male dominated world as just as the exciting.
I look forward to reading any other books by this author.

** spoiler alert ** I was immediately intrigued that this book simultaneously goes back and forth between WWI and the 1970s. Usually I don't like when books do that, but in this case, I loved switching back and forth between the two characters and never found it distracting. I loved that this book celebrated the strength of women as individuals and as friends. The book kept my attention and had a surprising twist that I didn't see coming at the end. As a librarian, I enjoyed learning through the characters what life was like for librarians at war, as well as what life was like for the first women accepted into the Naval Academy. Overall, I loved that this book celebrated the strength of women as individuals and as friends under the most difficult circumstances.

I ABSOLUTELY DEVOURED THIS BOOK. It's SO good and I can't believe that people have to wait until August to read it (Thanks, NetGalley and Putnam for not making me wait). Armstrong does an unbelievable job of weaving two separate timelines together, and telling the stories in a way that is compelling. I feel like I've read a lot of split timeline books recently, and this is one of the better ones.

Emmaline and Kathleen are such fun and powerful protagonists, and you root for them throughout the book. I feel that WW2 historical fiction is a bit overdone, so I was happy to dive back to WW1 for Emmaline's story - it felt new and interesting, and taught me something I didn't know.

Highly recommend, lovely read.

Wow, this story is beautiful! I could not put it down and felt so involved in both of the women's lives. I absolutely loved the dual POV and the dual timelines set in different decades. I thought it added to the story beautifully and made me want to read it and never put it down. This story is so empowering and touching and powerful. All around, I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy. The descriptions are beautiful and you find yourself rooting for the characters from the very start. It is easy to forget how different the world was one hundred years ago, and even just 50 years ago, so this was a great look into some of the things women of that time went through while also showcasing the importance of books, stories, and overcoming one's fears and challenging oneself. Truly an inspiring novel that I will be thinking about for a long long time.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Putnam for this fantastic novel.

This novel is beautiful - the dual narrative and storytelling keeps you hooked until the last page. This is a gorgeous story full of strength and courage and I will highly recommend this to readers searching for a great historical fiction pick.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I loved this book and how it showed the perspectives of two women decades apart. I felt like I was in the story and right there beside the characters. This is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a very long time!

A wonderful historical novel of two women facing difficult challenges in in the military service. One working as a librarian in WWI, the other being one of the first women in the US Naval Academy; they both face challenges in male dominant worlds. A good winter read and I will gladly recommend to my friends and my book clubs..

I loved this book and its dual perspectives. Each character's story was so compelling in its own right and then the way in which they were tied together was very well-handled. Can't wait to recommend this to readers!

The War Librarian is a generational novel of two women decades apart.
Emmaline, the "War Librarian", finds her strength and courage during the devastating times of WW1.
Kathleen, a strong independent young woman, tells her story of being a part of the first coed class in the US Naval Academy. Both of these women tell of their struggle to be taken seriously in a society that is male dominated.
This is the second novel I have read by Addison Armstrong. If you are a fan of historical fiction with a gripping, heartfelt, and strong characters story, she is an outstanding author.