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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
This book was delightful! It was a great story of Paris during the war, with a special tribute to the library, books and readers. There are love stories, incredible friendships, betrayal and deception, tragedies of war, and the bonds of family. Even some French lessons thrown in. As a bonus we spent time in the mid-80s with a teenager (similar age to me over the same time period) in a small town so remote from France.
While the novel included some expected developments I was definitely caught off guard with some of the twists. I really enjoyed the time I spent with The Paris Library.
While the novel included some expected developments I was definitely caught off guard with some of the twists. I really enjoyed the time I spent with The Paris Library.
On the brink of WWII, when Odile Souchet is hired as a librarian at the English speaking American Library in Paris, she enters a world of thinkers, book lovers, and activists ready to protect of everyone's right to read. There are librarians, trustees, and subscribers, some real, some fictional, all adding richness to the story. For instance, the Director of the ALP, Miss Reeder, a real character, was the force behind the Soldiers' Service which sent books to soldiers. When other libraries had been ransacked and closed by the invaders, she faced the Nazi “Book Protector” to keep the library open and defied the Bibliotheksschutz by secretly delivering books to Jewish subscribers who had been barred from the library by the Nazis. At home, Odile's parents are still reliving the losses of WWI, but her twin brother, Remy, has been supporting the refugees from the Spanish Civil War, and then he enlists in the French Army. Fast forward to 1983-4 in Froid, Montana, where Lily, a teenager, has interjected her self into Odile Gustafson's life, her reclusive neighbor, so she can interview her for a school project. Both have suffered loss, and felt the impact of their decisions, but the multigenerational bonds they form, allows for resolution of past events, and for new doors to open. The use of the dewey decimal system in the chapter heading sets the theme of each chapter, and books titles highlight specific events. There are several storylines in both time periods, and the ending ties the bow on the complete package.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, though all thoughts are my own.
I am always drawn to books that feature libraries or bookstores, and this sounded like my kind of book.
This was told mostly in the viewpoint of Odile, who was a young French woman who talks of her time during the late 1930s to the mid 1940s when her country was occupied by Germany.
The other main viewpoint is Lilly from about 1983 to 1988 who has spent her whole life in Montana, tragically loses her mother as a teenager and finds herself drawn to her neighbor Odile who quickly becomes someone she enjoys spending time with.
I enjoyed both of these characters who each had their own hardships, realized the importance of owning up to their mistakes, and navigating uncertain times.
I also enjoyed scenes in the American Library of Paris, particularly many of the patrons and the books consumed. My heart hurt for many of the patrons who weren't allowed to visit the Library when the Nazis stepped in to control not only who could visit but what kind of material could be distributed.
My heart hurt for so many of the victims mentioned being targeted by the Nazis and how so many people were pitted against each other while France was forcefully occupied.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author in the future.
Trigger warnings: occupied France, war, death of family, antisemitism, mention of interment camps, violence, abuse, cheating, unlawful arrests
I am always drawn to books that feature libraries or bookstores, and this sounded like my kind of book.
This was told mostly in the viewpoint of Odile, who was a young French woman who talks of her time during the late 1930s to the mid 1940s when her country was occupied by Germany.
The other main viewpoint is Lilly from about 1983 to 1988 who has spent her whole life in Montana, tragically loses her mother as a teenager and finds herself drawn to her neighbor Odile who quickly becomes someone she enjoys spending time with.
I enjoyed both of these characters who each had their own hardships, realized the importance of owning up to their mistakes, and navigating uncertain times.
I also enjoyed scenes in the American Library of Paris, particularly many of the patrons and the books consumed. My heart hurt for many of the patrons who weren't allowed to visit the Library when the Nazis stepped in to control not only who could visit but what kind of material could be distributed.
My heart hurt for so many of the victims mentioned being targeted by the Nazis and how so many people were pitted against each other while France was forcefully occupied.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author in the future.
Trigger warnings: occupied France, war, death of family, antisemitism, mention of interment camps, violence, abuse, cheating, unlawful arrests
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes