We all know how transportive stories can be, how healing magically strung together words are! Here we learn of Jessie Carson, a librarian at the NYPL who joins a group of women working in France, assisting in the rebuild of communities ravished by WWI… working merely miles from war zones, Jesse looks forward to restoring a library with focus on a children’s reading room. What she discovers when she arrives is dire, there is devastation and fear… can she do this? Can her group of friends make a difference?

I enjoyed reading about the very real Jessie “Kit” Carson and her contributions along with others. The author’s note was excellent in highlighting each of the women and their contributions, it’s obvious the research was thorough! The book references and multiple quotes throughout were a nice touch!

Although a great story, it took a while for me to get into it, a little slow in the first half. The second half picked up some steam, but very surface level. Anything of emotional value was just glazed over so I didn’t feel the full impact.

This would be a great read for those looking to learn a little about the CARDS (American Committee For Devastated France) impact during WWI and after.

I loved the author's first book, The Paris Library, a story about forgotten women in history. I anticipated the same thing with Miss Morgan's Book Brigade (yea its a mouthful) and that is what I got.

It’s near the end of the World War 1 when Jessie Carson, a 40-year-old library employee, is accepted by the daughter of JP Morgan into the CARD program. CARD - American Committee for Devastated France. I have never heard of this program before and was treated to a glimpse of women helping restore France after the war.

There are things I enjoyed about this book, mostly the lesson in the effort of American, Canadian and Australian women doing their part to restore France. The library program was used to connect with those left with nothing, the war took more then just the men. It was great to see the importance of reading and how it affected the women in France, who were left alone as a result of the war.

There were also things I struggled with, mostly this was a tell story with a number of info dumps. I had to remind myself many times that this was a 40-year-old woman while her character did not always feel like it. It was slow paced and the timeline for 1987 was sparse though finally at the end everything fit together.

All in all an informative read that I liked.

My thanks to Atria Books for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Wow! This is a must read! The historical importance of CARD is huge. For any aspiring librarians ( the importance of ) the message is even greater.
Too often we take things like being able to borrow a book from the library for granted. Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade offers, everyone who reads it, a chance to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of what a gift that very opportunity is. What a great story! I loved how it was written. I flew through it, anxiously wanting to know how things played out.
Thank You to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Janet Skeslien Charles for the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy reading this ARC.

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade
By Janet Skeslien Charles

Digital ARC from @netgalley
Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Publisher: @simonschusterca

I really enjoyed reading about the CARDs (American Committee for Devastated France or Comité Américan pour les Régions Dévastées de France). This was a volunteer group of women working to assist the recovery of France during and after World War I.

Jessie “Kit” Carson was a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library @nypl and takes a leave of absence when recruited by Anne Morgan (the daughter of JP Morgan and cofounder of the CARDs) to come to France and help build libraries, and more specifically children’s libraries, which France didn’t have. Libraries in France were meant for the “elite” only and the materials were kept locked and only brought out to patrons when specifically requested. No browsing the stacks!

Over time story hours and “roving story hours” are brought to the communities. The CARDs headquarters creates a small borrowing library. Eventually Kit and the CARDs purchase and repurpose ambulances as bookmobiles!

In 1987 Wendy Peterson is working at the NYPL and stumbles across the CARDs and Kit in the archives and works to bring their work into the public sphere.

This book had one of the most straightforward and succinct explanation of how WWI started I’ve ever read, and exposed me to yet another aspect of the war in France and those who helped in the war zone.

Kit built a library in a small town and then was invited to help design and build one in Paris that would be for everyone, as it should be.

This book shows the necessity of books and reading in all places and times, and libraries continue to adapt and change, remaining relevant even in the “digital age.” They ensure the access to information remains open and free to anyone

Please support your public libraries!

#bookreview #missmorgansbookbrigade #janetskesliencharles #advancedreaderscopy

I really enjoyed Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. The story was very well written and I was surprised at the end to read how much of the story and characters were true. I like that Kit was a good strong character. She had a small romance but it wasn't a huge theme of the book and it never took away from her work. I liked that Kit had moments of challenges and grief but she kept fighting. I compared this book to The Women by Kristin Hannah. The books are about different wars but have a similar theme. I was very excited to read The Women but didn't finish the book because I was disappointed at the detailed injuries. This is the book that I wanted from Kristin Hannah. A strong female character lead about the impacts the women had on war.

There’s something so resonant for me in a book about books and those who love them. Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade tells the story of Jessie ‘Kit’ Carson a real librarian who travelled from New York to war torn France to offer healing through books to a devastated people. While primarily a children’s librarian Kit revives the spirits of those she meets young and old in this really heartwarming historical fiction. Much like in her previous historical bibliophile’s novel The Paris Library, Janet Skeslein Charles manages to take a very heavy subject of war and suffering and create a really positive, uplifting story.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel to review.

I was looking forward to reading this novel as I had thoroughly enjoyed The Paris Library. I was not disappointed.

The ladies of CARD were some of the best characters I have read in a long time. Knowing that they were real people just increased my enjoyment of the story.

The novel is an account of a terrible time in history but told in a way that highlights the resilience of humans and our ability to help when needed. It is a shame that our memories are so short and we keep repeating the same actions that devastated so many lives.

The novel is written in two timelines which fit together well and were easy to distinguish and be engrossed in.

I will absolutely look for more from this author.

This is a book I really wanted to like as I do enjoy historical fiction. A book centered around libraries? Count me in. Unfortunately, I could not connect to this one and stay interested. This was a DNF for me.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this eARC!

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a love letter to librarians and libraries everywhere. Base on true historical figures and events, this story follows Jessie Carson, an American librarian who revolutionized French libraries during and after the First World War. Miss Morgan’s Boom Brigade is perfect for fans of books about books, the power of literature, strong women ahead of their time, friendships and how a country heals after war or extreme loss. This title is also perfect for readers of The Giver of Stars, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, The Paris Library, The Reading List and The Glass Château.

Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library in 1918 to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. This is a group of international women focused on helping to rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the war front. Jessie strives to establish something the French have not seen - children's libraries - turning ambulances into bookmobiles and begins the training of the first French female librarians. Wendy, a New York Public Library librarian and aspiring writer stumbles across a reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, Wendy becomes consumed with learning Jessie's fate. During Wendy's research, she discovers that she and Jessie have more in common than their work at New York's library.

MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE is story that quickly captivated my interest. I haven't read many novels set at the tail end of WWI, if any at all, so this was a refreshing and interesting read.

MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE is told in two timelines and in two perspectives: Jessie's POV in 1918 and Wendy's POV in 1987. Both main characters are well developed, strong, and courageous women with a love of libraries and reading. Wendy and Jessie are both invoking change in their own ways.

I preferred Jessie's timeline that was set in 1918 in the last few months of WWI. Jessie's story was both harrowing and inspiring as she shared her love of reading in the devastated towns surrounding Blérancourt. It was lovely to see how Jessie's love of reading and stories raised spirits and provided hope to all those that she touched, inspiring readers through such a tragic and difficult experience in history. I also liked seeing how all the women involved in the CARD contributed to the people and the towns that had been devastated by war.
Wendy's timeline is also well developed and interesting as she researches about the life and changes Jessie provoked during wartime in France as well as the resounding after effects of these initiatives. I really loved how Wendy shone a light on women's wartime contribution. I loved how this story ended on such a positive note - it was so heartwarming.

I enjoyed that the author chose to share about each woman who inspired the characters within this story, this was such a nice touch.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster Canada, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.</i>

A lovely fictionalization of the true events of Jessie Carson's life. She went to France during the first world war as a librarian. While there she turns old ambulances in to bookmobiles! Oh how I loved bookmobile day when I was a child. Such a fantastic invention! She also trains the first French female librarians, all while just miles from the front line.
We learn of Carson's life through NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson in 1987. The story alternates between both timelines as Wendy researches Jessie Carson's fascinating life.
A tribute to books and knowledge, the power to effect change, and the resilience and courage of the women behind the front lines.
Fantastic!

Thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book! Unfortunately, this was a rare DNF for me. I'm a fan of Pip Williams and I liked Jojo Moyes's Giver of Stars, so I thought this would be a shoe-in. It's a historical fiction about a children's librarian who establishes bookmobiles in war-torn France. I liked the author's note and thought the idea was interesting. However, I found the book incredibly hard to read because of how heavily it relies on telling and how little it actually shows. The first forty pages are laden with rich opportunity for world-building but most of this is done through dense pages of exposition with no sensory details or action at all. I thought this would be better marketed as a young adult book for this reason, because I couldn't visualize anything and the overly simplistic narration made me feel too frustrated to learn much about Jessie Carson.

Thanks you NetGalley for the ARC of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. I really enjoyed this book based on a true story about the CARDS during the War. Jessie “Kit” Carson was the heroine of the story, delivering books to small villages., and encouraging children’s literature, all while navigating the front lines during World War 1. The author’s extensive notes were well worth reading.

My first read by this author and it was an extremely interesting book. It took me a bit to get fully into the story but then the plot gripped me and I couldn't wait to see what happened to everyone in the book. I liked the way it dealt with different generations. As the story unfolded, I learned so much about the group of women in this book. Their grit, determination and perserverence were something to definitely write about. I have a new respect for a group of women I didn't even know existed. Definitely a book worth picking up and reading, you will not be disappointed.

3.5

I don’t know that I’m the target audience for this one. Respectfully, I feel like my mom, my aunts and their friends would eat this up! I did like it, but I didn’t find myself connecting with the story or the characters as much as I thought I would. I felt that Wendy and Kit’s voices were incredibly similar and I wish there had been more of a clear separation but I think it was the writing style. I will recommend this to a lot of people and I think they’ll love it- it just wasn’t for me and that’s ok!

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

Library lovers and book aficionados will thrill at the descriptions of the first female librarians in France, the establishment of the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD) library at Blerancourt (40 miles from the front) and the incredible work they undertook during WWI.  They will also love the book quotations used by our main character Jesse “Kit” Carson and the library that exists in her mind.

The title of this novel should have been “Jesse Carson’s Book Brigade.”  I understand that the library is a result of the Morgan name, finances, and their founding of CARD that allowed the libraries to be established, but without Jesse the library simply would not have existed and this story does focus on Jesse.  Overall, I feel the book would have been stronger had the narrative stayed with Jesse and either didn’t have a dual timeline or was simply framed at beginning and end with Wendy’s perspective.  I found the sections told in 1987 (by Wendy in New York) detracted from the rest of the novel, though perhaps if Roberto and the love interest angle had been left out, this timeline would have felt more relevant.

That said, the historical context of the story outweighs the novel’s detractions.  For the most part I enjoyed this novel.  I loved the French WWI setting and seeing how CARD exhibited fortitude and bravery.  Filled with strong female characters who are struggling to survive during a time of heartbreak and unknowns, this novel highlights their hard work and camaraderie.  Indeed, they saved countless lives and brought relief to help the French survive through sheer determination.  Many of the characters in the WWI timeline are based on real people who were skillfully brought to life by the author.  I really enjoyed Kit and especially Marcelle who was incredibly endearing with her zest for life and determination to drive and join the CARDs even though her mother wanted Marcelle’s help with her siblings.

This is the first I have heard of CARD and their role in shaping the recovery of the French during the war.  A fascinating piece of history that I can’t wait to learn more about.

Thank you Netgalley and @atriabooks books for this egalley. All opinions are my own.

Historical Fiction.

This one is a bit out of my comfort zone. I don’t usually read historical fiction nor lean towards World War One books. Something about this one drew me in.

Personally as soon as I read the synopsis and that this was a book through the eyes of a librarian I was instantly hooked. It talks about the CARD program during WW1 where women were the forefront of the library system.

Give me books about books and I am sold. Give me books where strong women lead and I am most definitely sold!

I enjoyed this read mostly because I learned a lot. Carson’s determination on educating children during such a devastating time was truly admirable, I enjoyed experiencing her being dropped into unfamiliar territory and trying to find her bearings, as a reader it felt like we were along for the albeit bumpy ride.

The author did 10 years of extensive research for this novel and it is a love letter to readers everywhere and a testament to the importance of written word during devastating times.

If you are a lover of historical works, with dual timelines and a lot of interesting information this may be a winner for you!

Based on the true bravery of Jessie "Kit" Carson and the women during wartime, Charles captured beautifully how life shifts and evolves and how hope remains alive. It recognized fragility, and expressed how to overcome the reality of war and beaurocracy.

I loved Kit's journey! Her resistance and resilience are undeniably worthy of praise. Jessie and Mary's lifelong friendship was reflected throughout the novel, and I loved their support for one another. Morgan is a badass lady.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I'm willingly leaving a review
The description is a bit dramatic "Then she disappears.". She doesn't. It's not a mystery, nor a suspense. Move on. I wasn't too impressed by Jessie at first; she's the poster girl for a defeatist. I was wondering if she'd make a good CARD (Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées). But as the story rolls out, she becomes her own woman and you see the difference in her stance, her attitude, her every day life. The back-and-forth between Jessie and Wendy is fun; she's writing THIS book while doing a writer's course and the flow is easy between the two lives. It's pretty much positive until the author/professor says she's writing a fairy tale; so at ~85%-95% you get all the complaints from the CARD members. LOL. The one point I did not like, for sure, was acknowledging Jessie Carson's former boss, Winnifred Smythe, who, in my opinion, wasn't there for the good cause but for herself and to crush Jessie's work as she was getting a lot of love from colleagues and reporters. Worth reading all the author's notes.

In 1918 Jessie Carson, takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library (NYPL) and is posted to Northen France to work for the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD). Debutante Miss Anne Morgan, youngest daughter of millionaire J. P. Morgan, along with her lifelong friend, Mrs Anne Murray Dike have devoted their energies and funds to rebuilding the regions of France devastated by war – damage to property and agriculture 100%. In this dual timeline novel protagonist Wendy Peterson stumbles across references to Jessie’s work, in 1987, in the research department of the NYPL, whilst photographing documents to preserve for posterity. Charles styles Wendy as the author of this novel and her description of Wendy’s work must bear similarities to her own experience in unearthing and researching lost material.

This is a beautifully crafted novel of generosity of spirit, kindness and care for families who were left with nothing after the Nazis rampaged through their homeland. Charles’ diverse characterisations bring to light the enormous differences in how ordinary families coped in these horrific times. CARD and its dedicated workers brought in the necessities of life —Jessie Carson brought light, through a love of books. This a gorgeous tribute to literature, and shines a light on how vital it is to preserve what our predecessors thought and did and wished for. We must build on their dreams, not consign their hopes to dusty shelves. Having enjoyed The Paris Library, I can happily recommend this novel as written with equal compassion and sensitivity. Kudos to Charles for bringing to light another story of the forgotten women of the wars. In a market flooded with WWII novels, this one is a gem.