The Paris Library
Ratings10
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings10
Average rating4.2
Based on the true World War II story of the American Library in Paris, an unforgettable novel about the power of books and the bonds of friendship—and the ordinary heroes who can be found in the most perilous times and the quietest places. Paris, 1939. Young, ambitious, and tempestuous, Odile Souchet has it all: Paul, her handsome police officer beau; Margaret, her best friend from England; Remy, her twin brother who she adores; and a dream job at the American Library in Paris, working alongside the library’s legendary director, Dorothy Reeder. When World War II breaks out, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear—including her beloved library. After the Nazi army marches into the City of Light and declares a war on words, Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance with the best weapons they have: books. Again and again, they risk their lives to help their fellow Jewish readers, but by war’s end, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal. Montana, 1983. Odile’s solitary existence in gossipy small-town Montana is unexpectedly interrupted by her neighbor Lily, a lonely teenager craving adventure. As Lily uncovers more about Odile’s mysterious past, they find they share not only a love of language but also the same lethal jealousy. Odile helps Lily navigate the troubled waters of adolescence by always recommending the right book at the right time, never suspecting that Lily will be the one to help her reckon with her own terrible secret. Based on the true story of the American Library in Paris, The Paris Library is a mesmerizing and captivating novel about the people and the books that make us who we are, for good and for bad, and the courage it takes to forgive.
Reviews with the most likes.
Amazing to think this was based on a true story. The risks the librarians took to deliver books and keep the library open during the war! I read this in two parts. First of all I read the 1940s chapters through to the end and then went back and read Lily's story in the 1980s.
This historical fiction book is set in Paris with a library at the center of its story. What's not to love?
Odile lands her dream job at the American Library in Paris, where she forms bonds with her coworkers that are just as strong as those with her family, especially her bond with Margaret. Not long after her career as a librarian begins, Germany invades and occupies France, changing the lives of everyone in Paris. Germany demands that the library no longer all Jews to enter or check out books, so the librarians decide to risk their own safety to deliver books to their Jewish subscribers. During the course of the occupation, Odile falls in love, loses her brother to a German prison camp, gains and loses friends, and resists the Germans in what little ways she can.
Odile is a character who experiences a believable character arc, beginning as a naïve policeman's daughter who does not recognize much of the evil occurring around her. After tragedy touches her friends and family, she opens her eyes to the reality of the situation and decides to fight against the injustices. Her fight does not go as she plans, though. The version of Odile presented later in her life is much stronger and wise, but there is still some unresolved emotions she is dealing with.
The secondary characters add a lot to this story. The other library workers are a sort of “found family” for Odile. They have different nationalities and backgrounds that bring some context and depth to the historical aspects of this book. Margaret, Odile's British friend, becomes an important part of Odile's development, making her an essential character.
The pacing of the story is a bit slow at the beginning, but it picks up in the second half when more conflict is introduced. The transitions from the past to the present time in the 1980s is fairly smooth. Some of the details of Lily's story in that present timeline seem unnecessary and slow the pace, but the importance of Lily's and Odile's storyline becomes apparent in the end.
I would definitely recommend this historical fiction novel to any fan of the genre, especially fans of the WWII era. The unique setting of the library makes it feel a bit different from other WWII fiction books. The many literary quotes in the book and the obvious love of books and reading make this book especially appealing to bookworms like myself.
