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frenandjen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Xenophobia, Child abuse, War, Antisemitism, Death, Deportation, Genocide, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
rowiash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism, Cancer, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Infidelity
christyreads83's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexual content and War
Minor: Infidelity and Police brutality
bookishaddictions's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I will say, The Paris Library has reminded me that I could never learn the Dewey Decimal System 🤣🤷🏼♀️
Graphic: War, Violence, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Gun violence
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Author: Janet Skeslien Charles
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: February 2, 2021
Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
T H R E E • W O R D S
Enchanting • Unforgettable • Literary
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Paris, 1939: Odile, seems to have it all; a handsome boyfriend, an English best friend, a beloved twin, and her dream job as a librarian at the American library in Paris. And when war is declared, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapon she has - books.
Montana 1983: Widowed and alone, Odile is suffering from loneliness. Lily, a lonely teenager, soon takes a keen interest of her recluse, French neighbour. What develops is a unlikely friendship.
A story of love and friendship, of family and sacrifice, of grief and betrayal, of self-discovery and the power of literature.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Based on the true WWII story of the heroic American librarian, Miss Reeder, who created the Soldiers' Service in order to deliver books to servicemen and to Jewish readers after they were banned from entering the library, The Paris Library is a reminder of why I love historical fiction so much. It brought to life a part of history I knew nothing about, and is an ode to the essential nature of books and libraries.
The library atmosphere, the description of books, and the cast of incredible characters really immersed me into the story. The sense of 'found family' among the secondary characters was an additional bonus. It demonstrated how the library staff risked their lives to provide a small piece of normalcy to patrons, all while exploring the consequences of their choices. This novel was well researched, and the dual timeline worked, but I continually was drawn back to Paris and Odile's trials. At times there were parts of Lily's story that felt unnecessary. I also found it odd how there were only a small numbers of chapters from the perspective of secondary characters, to me this detracted from the story and felt inconsistent. And yet it was the ending which felt rushed, that left me feeling disappointed, although I adored the story as a whole.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• book lovers
• readers of historical fiction (particularly WWII)
• fans of Lilac Girls and/or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Breathing in the best smell in the world - a mélange of the mossy scent of musty books and crisp newspaper pages - I felt as if I'd come home."
"I wished I could go back to that last moment. I would say, 'You were the best mom in the world. I need you. We need you. I loved the way we watched robins and hoped for hummingbirds. I wished we had one more morning. One more hug. One more change to say I love you."
"Grief is a sea made of your own tears. Salty swells cover the dark depths you must swim at your own pace. It takes time to build stamina. Some days, my arms sliced through the water, and I felt things would be okay, the shore wasn't so far off. Then one memory, one moment would nearly drown me, and I'd be back to the beginning fighting to stay above the waves, exhausted, sinking in my own sorrow."
Graphic: Antisemitism, Bullying, and Hate crime
Moderate: War, Grief, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Child death, and Death of parent
raeannht's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
emileereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Antisemitism and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Terminal illness
acitygirlsthoughts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Bullying, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity