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A review by astrireads
The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood
4.0
"The Royal Librarian" was the first book I've read written by Daisy Wood and I am eager to read more.
This book is a historical fiction novel alternately switching between the story of Sophie's time in 1930s Vienna facing the invasion of the Nazis and her fleeing to Windsor and securing a position as a royal librarian in Windsor Castle; and that of Lacey in 2022 America who discovered that her grandmother was born in Austria and had a sister, and her mission to uncover the story behind that.
The characters and settings were vividly written, and it seamlessly merged with real-life ones. I appreciated reading and learning about the history of WWII, Windsor Castle, and the job of a royal librarian through the lens of a historical fiction novel. I felt like Sophie was a real-life character and I was more invested in her experience than Lacey, and I would have loved to read more about her life afterwards. I also wished there wasn't any love story added from Lacey's side - I felt it was too typical but I still enjoyed reading about it.
SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT
The part when Adele didn't know her mother is born in Austria bothers me, I mean I have looked at my mom's passport. It just doesn't make sense to me. If only her granddaughters didn't know, it would have made more sense.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it for historical fiction lovers!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This book is a historical fiction novel alternately switching between the story of Sophie's time in 1930s Vienna facing the invasion of the Nazis and her fleeing to Windsor and securing a position as a royal librarian in Windsor Castle; and that of Lacey in 2022 America who discovered that her grandmother was born in Austria and had a sister, and her mission to uncover the story behind that.
The characters and settings were vividly written, and it seamlessly merged with real-life ones. I appreciated reading and learning about the history of WWII, Windsor Castle, and the job of a royal librarian through the lens of a historical fiction novel. I felt like Sophie was a real-life character and I was more invested in her experience than Lacey, and I would have loved to read more about her life afterwards. I also wished there wasn't any love story added from Lacey's side - I felt it was too typical but I still enjoyed reading about it.
SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT
The part when Adele didn't know her mother is born in Austria bothers me, I mean I have looked at my mom's passport. It just doesn't make sense to me. If only her granddaughters didn't know, it would have made more sense.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it for historical fiction lovers!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!