I was so excited to read this as I adore books about books/libraries/etc. I also adore historical fiction. This was perfect! This story focuses on two women, in two different times. Emmaline, who is a volunteer librarian at the frontlines of war, and Kathleen who becomes part of the first coed class at the US Naval Academy. While dual timelines can be tricky, Ms. Armstrong manages them well in this book. The premise is lovely, the book is written well, and the story kept me hooked from the first page!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of the War Librarian by Addison Armstrong.
Told in dual timelines, The War Librarian is the story of two women going beyond their comfort zones to achieve their goals. Emmaline joins the front lines of the war, and Katherine becomes one of the first groups of women accepted into the Naval Academy. Both must find the determination and grit to overcome obstacles and finish what they began. Well written and purposeful, Addison Armstrong creates a story that makes reading worthwhile.

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 the strength and courage to forge ahead. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the characters, their stories, and their timelines to life.

Thanks netgalley for the copy of this book! I like hearing about how people lived a century ago. This book I got through super fast.

Emmaline was a war librarian in 1918. She finds a bunch of books that have been banned by the government. She wants to fix this. Kathleen is one of the first women to get admitted into the naval academy in 1978. She find an old letter written from Emmaline to a newspaper. How do their stories tie together?

The part I found interesting was how they were banning books during the war if it had a different agenda. Schools are trying to ban books all the time lately. Emmaline says that words can be more dangerous than weapons and I think she’s right. People are scared that’s why they ban books. Fast forward to 1978 and see how women were treated in war. 1978 isn’t that long ago. They still were disrespected and not given full right. It was a man’s world for these two women but they still spoke up and stood out.

Popular read. It was taken out multiple times when purchased. Blends two historical time periods beautifully. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Well worth it!

I am so grateful that the publishers allowed me to read a review this book. What an interesting dual timeline of WW1 and 1970’s Naval Academy. My family has a very rich, extended connection with the US Navy and none of their stories ever made me wonder what the experiences of women were like. I had also never heard of war librarians before. It was all fascinating! I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Being a librarian, it is no surprise that I enjoy reading books about books. Unfortunately, I just could not get into The War Librarian. I attempted several times but was unable to connect with the story.

3.5 stars out of respect for the author and the fact that The War Librarian is likely is just not the right book for me at this time. I will keep in on my "to be read" list and will update this review in the event that my opinion changes.

The War Librarian
by Addison Armstrong
Pub Date 09 Aug 2022
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons
Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction


I am reviewing a copy of The War Librarian through Penguin Group Putnam, Putnam's Sons and Netgalley:



This is a dual timeline story, that shifts from 1918, to 1976. It's the story of two women, a secret and a truth worth fighting for.


In 1918 Emmaline Balakin is a timid and shy young woman who lives in books more than she does her own life. That is until the day 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 for books being censored, Emmaline will need to find more courage within herself than she ever thought possible in order to survive.


In 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. The problem is 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 give The War Librarian five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I feel like I'm both the perfect and worst audience for this book, being a military veteran (Marine Corps) and librarian. Because any book about a woman's experience in the military automatically makes me both excited and nervous—particularly if the author has no military experiencce.

However, Armstrong did her homework, very thoroughly. There are so many little details about military life that are right—and so many details of what went down during the first year women were allowed into the Naval Academy (she had several sources who were in the class of 1980), and she spares little detail on the struggles they faced.

I did enjoy it. I liked both Katherine's and Emmaline's POVs, although by the 80% mark the storylines got a little ridiculous, it still made sense plot-wise—and enjoyed the themes of female friendship and found family.

So why the three stars?

Well...it just didn't hit all the marks for me, particularly the last 20%. I found myself going WTF several times, and also because this book contains the trope of Bad Things Happen to Secondary Characters (no, not the one in the Big Reveal), who happen to be Black, which makes the main character realizes things (systemic racism, the dual-tipped tongs of white supremacy and misogyny, etc). That it happens not in one timeline, but both timelines, with the Black characters shriveling out of the picture after their Part in the storyline (although one does pop up at the end), kinda made me side-eye the story a little bit. I'm probably reading into the white feminist angle too much here, but the fact that it happened twice just felt...like an odd parallel to include?

I initially received this book as an ARC, but didn't read it when I was supposed to, and after delaying the hold on the audiobook five or sixteen times, finally got around to listening to it.

4.5 I really enjoyed the dual time line historical function and look forward from reading more from this author in the future. This story follows to characters Emmaline a war librarian during world war and Kathleen her granddaughter who is trying to attend the naval academy in the late 70s. I thought this was an interesting way to show us that there are issues that were present in the early 1900s that are still present in the late 70s and even still today. The writing was very engaging and I really enjoyed seeing the two girls journeys side by side. I also felt this book was great at getting some less known history out there. I had not heard previous about war librarians or the importance the government placed on getting books to soldiers. I also planning on picking up the book recommended in the author notes. Overall I really enjoyed this book my only issue was some of the ending felt a little unnecessary and kind of brought my rating down a bit. I look forward to picking up more from this author and I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

This is another untold story of the role women took during the war years. Emmaline, stepping away from the comfort of home, arrives in France at the end of WWI to serve as a librarian to wounded soldiers. She finds her path recommending books to help comfort the recovering soldiers and forms a book club that integrates them. In a dual timeline, Kathleen enters the Naval Academy as one of the first recruits in 1976. A place where she longs to be but is not welcome by the men in her class. Both women end up confronted with censorship, segregation and having to overcome personal fears to overcome.

Oh how I despise WWII era historical fiction. As a granddaughter of two holocaust survivors, I’m here to tell you that the over-romanticized wartime jib-jab was not how it went. Sure, when chaos pops off, there’s a strive for normalcy in places, but dedicating a whole novel towards it? Blah. This one reminded me of Kristen Harmel’s The Book of Lost Names, which I also hated…

You can't go wrong with a historical fiction book about books. I know the story wasn't entirely about books, but, I did enjoy the read and the part the books play. It is different to have a book set around WW1 because so many historical fiction books were placed during WW2. If you like Historical Fiction, try this! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I don't really like WWII fiction, especially Holocaust fiction, but in rare cases, I read what I call "peripheral WWII fiction," meaning the war is like a minor character and usually doesn't take place in Germany. This book is a dual time-line book about a war librarian and her granddaughter, one who was a war librarian, which wasn't a common position, and the other, one of the first females to attend the Naval Academy in the 80s. Both are strong, determined women.

What I liked about the book is that either story could stand alone and be a book of its own, yet the two fit together perfectly. The book kept my attention the whole time, right to the end. The twist was unexpected, although there were a couple clues that I should have caught right away.

I was happy with the ending. I look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine, and freely expressed.

This title was the epitome of "not for me." I DNF'ed it - it was well written, it tells a poignant story. But I was mentally not in a place for the story it was telling.

Following up after the popularity of The Light of Luna Park, the author has once again released a compelling read we can get lost in.
This dual timeline is divinely researched as the author combines fact and fiction in the time periods of 1918 and 1976.
Strong, empowered women lead in firsts including WWI women librarians and the first class of women to attend the United States Naval Academy. I found it fascinating how each timeline is a standalone but so seamlessly meshes at the end of the book with the characters from the first timeline finding their way into the second timeline.
The book shows resilience the women show during hardships. I also enjoyed the inclusivity shown by the book club created during WWI that included ALL soldiers regardless of color. Soldiers of color were often not treated until all whites were treated regardless of injury and oftentimes it was too late for them as evidenced by the author's writing.
Very authentic feel to this writing. I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

Pub Date 09 Aug 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I had such high hopes for this book. I tried to read it for several months and just could not motivate myself to finish it after reading over 60 percent. As much as I wanted to, I could not become invested in the two main characters. They did not have a lot of depth and were not particularly interesting. I suspected one of the twists, which is always a little disappointing. Ultimately, I was not interested enough in finishing this book over reading another.

I enjoyed reading this historical story. This is a newer author for me which I look forward to seeing what is next for her. This is a story that will bring inspiration and emotions to a new level. A well written story where you have two women, a secret and the truth that you can fight for. I enjoyed how the author used details to pull me into their world. A world where trusting someone is not always that easy. I also enjoyed how relateable the characters are. I had no problem picturing myself in their world. They are strong, engaging characters that brought the story to life. They have great growth throughout the story which made the story easy and entertaining to read. You don't want to miss this one. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Exciting story told over 2 eras. Gives a different viewpoint of WWI.
A view of women in the war when women were first permitted to serve. A great read.

In 1918 Emmaline lives in Washington D.C. She is working in the dead letter office and comes across a letter that makes her decide to become a volunteer librarian. She works near the front of the war. Books are the main source of entertainment for the soldiers recuperating in the hospitals. When books are suddenly being banned, she secretly participates in a book club that is about the censored books. Emmeline will need to find a way to survive that she never thought about. Does she have the strength for it? Kathleen in 1976 has had her dream come true. She has been accepted into the Naval Academy as part of the first groups of women ever accepted. She finds that it is difficult to be in the Academy as the male students and teachers don’t want women in their classes. One male classmate has it in for her. What will he try to do to her? Will he succeed?

The author has written two fascinating women. Neither had realized, understood or anticipated the challenges that they will face. As their stories continued I became totally immersed in their lives. Their accomplishments and growth are realistic besides their fears in this novel. There is loss, intrigue and sorrow in this dual lifetime historical novel was felt as I read it.