Reviews

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this dual-timeline story set in WWII Paris and 1980s Montana. It was not what I expected it to be, but it was still a creative story. I really liked all of the references to Dewey Decimal Numbers and all the intertextuality sprinkled throughout the book. And there were so many good quotes about libraries and reading and books. That was fun. This is based on a true story of librarians who fought to keep the American Library in Paris open while under German Occupation.

Odile's story is heartbreaking but inspiring, and I loved that she is able to pay it forward by helping Lily, her neighbor, learn the lessons she learned too late. I liked that we went back and forth from the 1940s to the 1980s and back, and while most of the story was told from Odile's and Lily's POV, we did get a few other characters. I think I would have liked more of that. The pacing was a little odd, where it moved fast in some places and slow in others.

nicolel0922's review against another edition

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5.0

I normally read books but this one I listened too. Having someone read it with a French accent made it come alive! Great story.

jl27's review against another edition

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4.0

Writing gets 3 stars; story itself gets 4. I don't usually rate my books this way, but I really liked the overall story and how the parts came together. It wasn't super well-written, but that didn't cause me to DNF this one, which I must say is quite rare.