Book Review: Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade’
Stars: 4 x 5
Author: Janet Skeslien Charles
Publisher: Atria Books

What an interesting book. There are two dual story lines. The first is about Jessie “Kit” Carson and takes place in 1918 . Kit is a librarian at the New York City Public Library. She takes a leave to go to France to help rebuild a devastated French community. While there she ends up converting an old ambulance into a “bookmobile” for the children. She also ends up working with libraries and creating children’s sections.

In 1987 Wendy is a librarian at the New York City Public Library and she comes across some papers in the the Archives that mention Jessie Carson and what she had done back in 1918. Wendy decides to research this further. The reader finds out about Jessie Carson and what she did in France and beyond. This book is based on a true story and it was fascinating to read.

Wonderful heartfelt book. Characters were interesting and entertaining. I usually don't enjoy war books, but this book sucked me in and kept me there. Will be handselling this like mad - first one up is my daughter in law and granddaughter!

MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE is a must-read dual-timeframe novel about strong women inspiring and fostering women and book lovers for generations to come and the long-lasting impact of libraries and librarians.

The story is chock-full of enlightening details about WWI and the CARDS, and it is well-balanced with what life was like for the villagers and those who served in any capacity.

Fans of THE PARIS LIBRARY will be excited to learn that the author learned of the CARDS while researching the library director, Dorothy Reeder. The author knew somebody must share their stories, and she was right.

Thank you for being you, Janet Skeslien Charles! And thank you, ATRIA Books, for the complimentary galley.

5.0 stars
HIGHEST recommendation

I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Janet Skeslien Charles, Atria Books. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

WOW!! This book is the reason that I love, love, love historical fiction! I learned so much about WWI which I knew very little about at all. I have been very tired of WWII books so reading something different was fun and exciting!

This book covers two timelines with two main characters. Jessie "Kit" Carson in 1918 at the end of WWI in war-ravaged northern France working with CARD (a refugee/civilian aid organization) and Wendy Peterson in 1987 in NYC while working at the NYPL discovering CARD and wanting to write about it. The storylines are woven together beautifully and create an amazing storyline.

Of course, both characters are librarians who have worked at the same library in vastly different timeframes. A story about books, libraries,, and librarians - you had me at BOOKS!!

I know very little about WWI and this book helped educate me about this brutal war. Now I want to research it more thoroughly!!

My thanks to Atria Books for the ARC. It was a great historical retelling of Kit Carson, a librarian who risked life and limb to bring the joy of books and reading to people who demoralized and injured by World War I. The stories of those people who lived through the horrors of the War and how Kit interacted are researched by a NYPL employee who happens onto her story and brings it to life as a separate story line. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. This story was amazing!! I devoured this book. It is impeccably researched and the absolutely awesome charecters come to life on the pages. The bravery and strength and heart of these women is so inspiring. This is a story you do not want to miss.

Many thanks to Janet Skeslien Charles, Atria Books, and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. I had never heard the story of the WWI CARD volunteers, so this bit of history was fascinating, and I learned a lot. In that regard, I very much appreciated the author’s note at the end of the novel, that provided photos and more detail on the real-life characters. I always love a story centered around books and libraries, but here I did not connect with the characters in the same way as I did in The Paris Library.

There is two POVs in this book but it works well as the characters are well developed and relatable. I enjoyed the settings and learning about how both worlds worked - the research and protection, the recovery and care.

It was a new topic from WWI I didn’t know about with the CARDs and the work they did. Interesting stuff! And enjoyed learning about them in a very personal way.

The ending felt a little off in the way things were wrapped up, but at the same time it was satisfying. The authors notes at the end about the real people she researched and based her characters on was fascinating.

My two favorite things are books about WWI/WWII and books about books, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. Having read so much about this time period, it's rare for me to discover a vantage point that hasn't already been explored to death already in historical fiction, so I was very intrigued by this focus on the women of CARD and their work in France in the aftermath of WWI.

Dual storylines and timelines often mean that one is more fully fleshed out than the other, but that's not the case here - our two protagonists are nuanced, fully realized human beings. The historical research is sound and the two time periods are distinct and accurately represented. Overall, well worth a read.

In 1918, NYP librarian, Jessie Carson, is invited by heiress Anne Morgan to join her philanthropic group, THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR DEVASTATED FRANCE aka (CARD) which helps war torn areas of France. Jessie’s job in France, is to set up libraries for the children. When Jessie arrives n France, she is unprepared for the realities of German occupation Villages, homes and even crops have been destroyed. The villagers are homeless and starving. The CARDS befriend them, and give them food, blankets and other necessities. They babysit, give them medical attention, help them plant crops and comfort them if needed. When Jessie reads books to the children, they can escape into a world not at war. They can inhabit THE SECRET GARDEN, and share adventures with Peter Pan. The library books give them hope for the future. The CARDS helped the villagers survive, both physically and emotionally.
This story is historical fiction at its best. I am proud the CARDS are finally being recognized, and are no longer just a footnote in WWI history.

As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

{n 198, NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, and she becomes consumed with learning Jessie "Kit" Carson's fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change. I had read the author's previous book, The Paris Library, so requested this book from NetGalley and thank them and the publisher for granting my request to read about this little known group of women. I was amazed at what they achieved and what they sacrificed to help the French people. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about strong women and the parts they played in WWII.

This was an interesting, and fun story to read.
I had never hear of this group of American women who between 1917 and 1924 all volunteers – who left comfortable lives in the United States to help the war-ravaged civilian population of northeastern France. The leader of this effort was Anne Morgan, daughter of financier J. P. Morgan, who collected private funds and founded the American Committee for Devastated France. (CARD)
The story takes place between,1918 and 1987 following for the most part two women who worked the New York Public Library.
In 1918 we follow Jessie Carson, who took a leave of absence and joined the American Committee for Devastated France, to open up a children's libraries, something new to the French at that time. She wanted to have a place where children could feel safe for awhile and develop a love for stories.
In 1987 we follow Wendy Peterson who works at the New York Public Library and who came across the Name Jessie Carson in the archives, and became obsessed to find out what happened to her and the other CARD'S during and after their time in France.
I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was such a fun, enjoyable read. I loved the different perspective of war focusing on those that made such sacrifices to help others. I really enjoyed the characters and found myself wondering if any were based on true history. I loved the dual narrative from the NY librarian in the past who works in France as part of the CARD group aiding war town areas and the NY librarian in current day who was researching them.

I have only read one other book by Janet Skeslien Charles but it was a great read and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is no different. The characters and setting and just the entire book was spectacular. I will be recommending this book to every one who loves Historical Fiction books.

Brava! Brava! Brava, to Janet Skeslien Charles! This book is as inspirational as it is informative and interesting! The research, looking into the CARDs, as they were known, during WW1 in France, is voluminous. These women were brave, tireless, generous and awesome. I’m grateful to have been granted this novel by the publisher, prior to publication. I learned so very much about this brigade of women, led by Anne Morgan, daughter of JP Morgan and Anne Murray Dike, MD, and the courageous, selfless women comprising Miss Morgan’s Brigade. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster.

This inspiring story is based on the women who worked to help the French civilians whose lives were devastated during WWI. Begun any Ann Morgan, daughter of J.P. Morgan, women served as CARDS behind the front lines. The author features Jessie “Kit” Carson who brought bookmobiles and story time to the children. Jessie went on, after the war, to transform the libraries of France so the would be accessible to everyone.

If you love to read, you will enjoy and appreciate Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. Ten years of research went into this book. It is a remarkable story made even ore so because it’s based on real women. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is a dual timeline story, with the first timeline featuring Jessie Carson, nicknamed "Kit," and her work with the American Committee for Devastated France (called "CARD," based on the French name of the committee). As a member of CARD, Jessie meets the founders, Anne Morgan (daughter of financier JP Morgan) and her companion Anne Murray Dike - know to Cards as The Two Annes, and works with amazing, strong women who selflessly give of themselves to help French children and families. The second timeline is that of Wendy, an aspiring writer who works in the NY Public Library's Remembrance Department in 1987 where she stumbles upon boxes of CARD records and information. As she learns more about the Cards, she realizes what an amazing novel she can write about them. No spoilers, but just a recommendation to read this book. This is the second book I have read by Janet Skeslien Charles and her writing draws the reader in right away- I felt like I was sitting next to Jessie and Marcelle as they drove through the potholed roads, bringing books to the neighboring villages as shells and artillery could be heard nearby. The bravery of these woman! The characters really came to life for me. I especially enjoyed the author's notes at the end, where she wrote about the real-life Card heros she wrote about and the real-life persons who inspired the fictional characters in the novel.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Book like this make me so greatful to be a part of NetGalley!

"Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade" by Janet Skeslien Charles is a poignant and captivating novel that seamlessly weaves together the stories of two women separated by decades but connected by their love for books and their courage in the face of adversity. Set against the backdrop of World War I and its aftermath, the novel follows Jessie Carson as she joins the American Committee for Devastated France and embarks on a mission to bring literature and hope to war-torn communities. Charles skillfully portrays the challenges and triumphs of Jessie's journey, from transforming ambulances into bookmobiles to empowering French women as librarians.

In a parallel narrative, Wendy Peterson, a librarian at the New York Public Library, becomes enthralled by Jessie's story and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about her disappearance. As Wendy delves deeper into the archives, she discovers unexpected connections to Jessie and finds herself drawn into a mystery that spans decades.

"Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of literature to inspire change. Charles brings to life the untold stories of the courageous women who risked their lives to bring comfort and hope to others during a time of great upheaval. With its rich historical detail and engaging characters, this novel is both a captivating work of fiction and a moving tribute to real-life heroes.

I love historical fiction featuring strong women ahead of their time. This book is filled with them! Anne Morgan sees a need in war torn France for all kinds of support in the many destroyed villages in the countryside. She proceeds to organize and bring that support. Jessie Carson joins the Morgan’s Cards with the intention of bringing books to the destroyed villages and establishing a library which will include a children’s section. (It was interesting to learn that French libraries did not have children’s libraries.) This book celebrates stories and their ability to bring relief in even the darkest times. It’s a winner!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I came across this book on accident. I had read this author before and thought I would give it a try. And I am so glad I did!

I love reading this type of book, a fictional tale of true historical people. This is so well done, the pain, the work, the sadness, the grief, it is all there!

I had never heard of the CARDs before, and it is fascinating. The work they did, the lives they touched, such strong people. Their characters come to life, and I want to learn more.