Janet Skeslien Charles reminds us of the city’s evergreen appeal and unbounded potential for stories with The Paris Library , which tells of the very real, very beloved American Library in Paris and the role it played during World War II ... What makes The Paris Library such a tender read is Charles’ firsthand experience at the American Library, where she was the programs manager. This is where she first discovered the stories of the brave librarians who fought the Germans with nothing more than books. Her meticulous research brings these figures to life with Odile as their narrator. Furthermore, Charles’ Montana roots help shine light on the small-town life that Lily can’t wait to escape. Together the two storylines provide wonderful insight into relationships and friendships that transcend time and place.
A fascinating tale, based on true events and historical characters, most notably Directress Dorothy Reeder. The prose contains many memorable quotes about books and libraries. An extraordinary story of friendship, love, sacrifice, betrayal and forgiveness, the novel makes one realise things are often not what they seem. This could be just one more in the recent influx of novels about Paris, but it is so very much more! A true gem for all historical fiction readers.
Chapters alternate between Odile in Paris, where readers get to know Boris, the Russian head librarian, eccentric patron Professor Cohen, and Odile’s twin brother, Rémy, who enlists in the French army. In Montana, Lily relies on Odile for guidance through family and friend trouble, though she senses Odile is keeping a secret. Charles brings her experience working at the American Library in Paris to this novel inspired by real people, that is a love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship.
... well-plotted and richly populated ... Inevitably, Odile’s story is more engrossing ... A little more drama would have made the Nazi horrors—and Odile’s dilemmas--more vivid.
World War II Paris during the German occupation forms the setting for an intelligent and sensuously rich novel of a young woman's coming-of-age ... While the chapters featuring Lily are snappy and often amusing, especially as she begins to adopt Parisian airs, they play a distinctly secondary role to those concerning Odile's life during the war. Structurally, the novel sometimes sags: Charles tends to move into the points of view of secondary characters, which leads to some repetition. But the author has a clear affection for both Paris and the American Library, where she worked as a programs manager in 2010, and she integrates the stories of many of the real-life employees and patrons of the library into the story with finesse, earning the novel its own place in the pantheon of World War II fiction. A novel tailor-made for those who cherish books and libraries.
A delightful chronicle of a woman’s life in WWII-era Paris and rural 1980s Montana ... Charles’s richly detailed plot incorporates historical figures from the American Library and highlights the perils of occupied Paris. Historical fiction fans will be drawn to the realistic narrative and the bond of friendship forged between a widow and a lonely young girl.
