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A review by fadingapple
The Paris Library: A Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5 stars
I really enjoyed this for the most part, but it also wasn't the greatest historical fiction I've ever read. Enjoyable but not incredible.
My favorite part: how the focus was on those in Paris during the Occupation, not on the war itself. So many historical fiction novels set in WW2 focus on the camps and the war - which are important stories to tell for sure! - but it was refreshing to get the perspective of others that struggled differently. Plus, as a book lover, I adored the background of the library.
My least favorite part: I can't quite put my finger on it, but really....so much of the conflict seemed...petty? Margaret seriously couldn't have been that out of tune with her actions, right? Odile wasn't that naive either, was she? It just....life goes on during war, absolutely - but something just didn't fully click for me and I'm not fully sure how to verbalize it. Oh, and the whole scene at the end with the men and the woman and....I understand the anger and resentment and that there had to be a reason she left but that seemed incredibly drastic by comparison...(I'm being extremely vague on purpose to avoid spoilers).
I think it was a well constructed story with the split between 1944 and 1984 Odile, I think it just lacked some amount of realism with some of the characters. Maybe it was just me not clicking, too.
I really enjoyed this for the most part, but it also wasn't the greatest historical fiction I've ever read. Enjoyable but not incredible.
My favorite part: how the focus was on those in Paris during the Occupation, not on the war itself. So many historical fiction novels set in WW2 focus on the camps and the war - which are important stories to tell for sure! - but it was refreshing to get the perspective of others that struggled differently. Plus, as a book lover, I adored the background of the library.
My least favorite part: I can't quite put my finger on it, but really....so much of the conflict seemed...petty? Margaret seriously couldn't have been that out of tune with her actions, right? Odile wasn't that naive either, was she? It just....life goes on during war, absolutely - but something just didn't fully click for me and I'm not fully sure how to verbalize it. Oh, and the whole scene at the end with the men and the woman and....I understand the anger and resentment and that there had to be a reason she left but that seemed incredibly drastic by comparison...(I'm being extremely vague on purpose to avoid spoilers).
I think it was a well constructed story with the split between 1944 and 1984 Odile, I think it just lacked some amount of realism with some of the characters. Maybe it was just me not clicking, too.