24hourlibrary 's review for:

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

4.0

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Drawing from painstaking research and hours of observation and interviews, Orlean unravels the story of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library Fire with sensory and detail-driven prose. Each chapter, headed by clever book lists in card catalog fashion, takes on a new pieces of either the fire itself or any number of contextual topics, such as the life of alleged arsonist Harry Peak, current American library affairs, and the history of LAPL. Orlean sometimes gets lost in the weeds of contextual details and a heavier hand in editing may have ultimately benefited the book, but there’s no doubt in Orlean’s ability to paint a picture for her reader. In addition to a strong ability to depict setting, Orlean also has a great skill for translating people into the page with sharp and meaningful observations. Library lovers will rejoice at her reverence and enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at LAPL without feeling a loss of the magic of books and libraries. Often quotable, “The Library Book” is a book lover’s book if somewhat disorganized and unfocused, where readers are sure to see themselves on the page