A review by blogginboutbooks
The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong

4.0

When it comes to dual-timeline novels, I'm generally more interested in the past story than the present one. This wasn't the case with THE WAR LIBRARIAN. Both the past (WWI) timeline and the "present" (1976) one were intriguing in their own way. Emmaline's story is interesting because I didn't know about war librarians and the important job they did during WWI. It's also compelling due to her determination to fight racism in the hospital and to battle government censorship over controversial reading material. Her romance with Nicholas was the least interesting bit for me, but it was still sweet. As for Kathleen, her story about being one of the first woman to be admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy is full of tension and conflict. It's easy to sympathize with her as she struggles to prove herself to men who don't want her there and show it through cruel pranks, hazing, and even assault. Her story intertwines with Emmaline's in a way that is a bit predictable, but still compelling. Although THE WAR LIBRARIAN starts slowly and feels overly long, I found it engaging overall. I liked the characters, was interested in what was going to happen, and learned things I didn't know about the role of books during wartime. For the most part, I enjoyed the novel.

I listened to THE WAR LIBRARIAN on audio. It worked well in this medium, although I liked the narration of Emmaline's story more than that of Kathleen's. The latter's voice had a bit of a nasal/whiny tone to it which didn't seem accurate for the character. Mostly, it's a smooth listen, though, making it easy to get caught up in the story.