nancyt 's review for:

The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes

4.0

dark informative inspiring reflective sad 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

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This one has three storylines, each featuring a strong female character and ultimately focused on the dangers of censorship. 

We meet Althea, an American writer, as she travels to Germany as part of an exchange program. She’s in Berlin in 1933 and things are heating up politically. At first, she is sympathetic to her German hosts until she sees the much darker side of their actions.

Then we meet Hannah in Paris a few years later. She’s German, trying to escape the war. However, Paris isn’t far enough away and the darkness creeps into her life there as well. She loves books and works at the German Library of Burned Books.

And finally, there is Vivian in New York in 1944. She recently lost her husband at war and a senator is threatening her program to send books to the men at war in Europe. She mounts a campaign to keep the program going, organizing a big event to get public sentiment on her side

The three women’s stories and lives interconnect, they are all trying to make a difference amidst the chaos of WWII. I did enjoy this one, but I struggled a bit to keep the timelines straight - maybe because I listened to this an audiobook?  But I think even reading it might have been a bit confusing as it was not in any chronological order.