The Paris Library connects right to the heart of any reader, those of us who love books, and anyone who can appreciate the bonds made by sharing books. The story takes place in Paris in WWII and then in Montana during the 1980s. The storyline weaves back and forth between the two timelines so that we get to know Odile as a young woman and then as an older widow. The subscribers that we meet due to the American Library in Paris grow to be characters we learn to love. Lily, her family and friends also become familiar, but in my opinion not as endearing as those in the WWII time.

If you are a historical fiction fan, especially a WWII fan, this account of how books helped save people, give them hope during a dark time, and connect a group of people as family will give you a new perspective of the kindness and also the hatred in people. It’s definitely worth reading.

2.5 stars // This book took me forever to get through because I just could not get into it. The premise on paper sounds like such a win for me -- set in Paris during WWII, one foot in the past and one in the present, an unlikely friendship, secrets, the whole nine yards. But the pacing was just a bit to slow for me. I would have preferred smaller chunks of time in either past or present, but each felt too long and then all of the sudden we were in the opposite. Overall, it was okay. Still give it a try if you enjoy WWII historical fiction!

This takes place in a library in Paris during the Nazi invasion of France. The characters, from the new librarian (whose father doesn't want her working), to the head librarian, are the kind I want to read about in every book I read. During the invasion the team of librarians and volunteers work tirelessly to save the books that the Nazi's deem abominations to their ways.

Some of the similarities to other WWII books is, obviously, the Nazi invasion, the secrecy of the Resistance movement, and the hard life the citizens of Paris, and other areas of Europe, had during this time. What isn't in the book is a main character in a concentration camp being tortured, starved, and covered in lice. One of the secondary characters, the young librarian's' twin brother, is captured and put into a POW camp. And one of the patrons of the library is taken by the Nazi's and put into a concentration camp.

I have never heard of the author, but I did enjoy this book. I will be looking for other books by her. If you love the library like I do (I work for one!), and enjoy WWII Historical Fiction books, pick this one up. It is one that I will be buying for my collection.

If you’re a lover of all things historical fiction with settings in WWII, this book is up your alley. I think the author did a beautiful job at sucking you into the story and getting you engaged with the characters.

The Paris Library is a different take on World War II in France. To be honest, it never occurred to me that the library would have such an impact during war time.

I really appreciated the research that the author did to bring to light how the library helped their subscribers and and the people fighting on the front lines.

I loved the characters of the library and getting to see how they interacted with each other. This book told of the hardships that everyone had to go through during this time, but it also talked about love and family and friendship.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a fiction book that is set during WW2 in Paris and 1980's in Montana. This is not a story that is heavy in war details. This is a story more about people and the impact of the war on their lives and relationships.

The story also has two main characters which chapters alternate with Lily or Odile as the main character.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I definitely felt more connect to the modern day storyline and I felt like the last few chapters really bumped up my rating.

Note: I listened to this book. I felt like the audio was a bit confusing with the alternating POV and timelines.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

What an engaging read to all!! Protect the books!!!!!!

I really liked this and I believe everyone else will too. It has great history weaved into the story line while bringing the present into the story line as well. Would definitely purchase for a friend to read.

I received this ARC novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel alternates between 1980s Montana and 1940's Paris. Lily is a lonely adolescent who doesn't fit in and longs for adventure. Her curiosity is piqued by her elderly reclusive French neighbor, who nobody in the town has much to do with.

Slowly, Lily and Odile her neighbor form a bond, which is strengthened when Lily has a life altering event. Slowly, through chapter flashbacks, we learn about Odile, a young woman who is thrilled to land her dream job at the American Library in Paris. We see Paris, the occupation and after events through her eyes, eventually learning why she ended up alone in a one horse town in the mid west.

This book kept me guessing. I thought I had the plot figured out but was happily mistaken. This novel kept me up late at night, wanting to know what happened next. The novel is remarkable in that it sheds light on the fact that human emotions are indeed multifaceted and very complex and that words spoken in anger or haste oftentimes have significant unintended consequences.

Bravo!

I love the historical fiction genre because I learn so much about different time periods and countries. I had never heard of the American Library in Paris and enjoyed these characters, who loved the library and books (as do I) and worked surreptitiously to get books to the Jewish patrons were were banned from the library by the Nazis. A very good read.

I love reading and learning of World War II and I love books and libraries - so I was very excited to read The Paris Library.

In this book we have Odile, a young Parisian woman who sets out to get herself a job at the American Library in Paris just before the start of WWII. She meets a fascinating cast of characters at the library, making friends and falling in love as the years pass and the Nazis infiltrated Paris.

We also meet young Lily in Montana in the 1980s. Lily lives next-door to Odile and sets out to uncover secrets from Odile’s past as the two become unexpected friends.

I felt we were giving conflicting information about Odile’s family; in one chapter her family is poor, and in the next her family employs a maid and a cook. Many parts of the novel felt stilted for me as well and the writing and dialogue did not always seem to flow smoothly. I also was very disappointed to see that the Vel D’Hiv RoundUp of 1942 was not mentioned and that year in fact was completely skipped in this book. It would have been interesting to get the authors take on those events from a Parisian perspective, and I’m not sure how the mass arrest and deportation of over 13000 Jews would have been unnoticed.

All in all, a good book and I appreciated all the literary quotes and Dewy Decimal education, as well as the references to true events and people, but this book somehow just did not vibe with me as most other historical fiction novels seem to.

Have you ever read that one book that just hit you right in the heart? It felt like it was written for you? This is exactly how I felt when I was reading The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. It felt like Janet looked deep into my heart and took my thoughts and love for books, reading, and libraries and put them in the story.

The Paris Library is based on the true story of the heroic librarians and volunteers at the American Library in Paris during World War II. During the war, their bravery and strength kept the library open and out of harms way. It is also a story of friendship, family, and love. I instantly fell in love with Odile and Lily. I lived through their struggles and triumphs with them. I related to both of them and it pulled at my heartstrings. I cried with them, I laughed with them, I learned with them, I celebrated with them. The lessons that they both learn through life applies to all of us and will resonate.

There were several quotes and passages in this book that I absolutely loved, but there were a few that really hit home. My favorite passage is, "The Library is my haven. I can always find a corner of the stacks to call my own, to read and dream. I want to make sure everyone has that chance, most especially the people who feel different and need a place to call home." This...this is everything.

#netgalley #theparislibrary

I really, really enjoyed this book. The author states that her “goal in writing the book was to share this little-known chapter of World War II history and to capture the voices of the courageous librarians who defied the Nazis in order to help subscribers and to share a love of literature”. I believe she did this very well. There were characters that you loved, some that you didn’t love, and some that you thought you loved and then realized that you didn’t know them at all. Life lessons were taught to a character who needed them and the timing was just right for others that needed saving. You never know what is going on in someone else’s life or what words of yours will be more powerful than you realized, and that you cannot take them back. If you love libraries, books, and reading, I would highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars. I love World War II stories. The story was written well and enjoyable. The reason it didn’t get a higher rating is because it didn’t have anything that stands out from other WWII books. I enjoyed it and would suggest to anyone who likes this era of books. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review

Well, I certainly zoomed through this book. An engaging story that takes place during WWII in Paris as well as the 1980’s in Froid, Montana. At its heart this book centres around The American Library in Paris- never knew about this library, so interesting to learn about. We meet Odile, who is ecstatic to get a job at the library. The war breaks out, but the library manages to remain open and going as far as to deliver books to the people who have been banned from going there by the Germans. This of course includes Jews. Initially they also sent books to the front line for soldiers.

The present day story finds Odile in Montana, living alone after the death of her husband and son. She befriends her next door neighbour, a young girl named Lily. It was a lovely friendship that ultimately was beneficial to both of them.

Of course as an avid reader, I loved the name dropping when it came to books. Most of the books named seemed to be American or British novels. Not sure why Odile, who is French, never read a French book.

When Odile has her interview at the library, she arrives late. Loved this line:
“ Sorry to be late. I was early, and I opened a book..”

Most of the library workers and some of the patrons were all based on real people. The book is based on a true event, so was very interesting in that respect.
What I feel was missing was more of a sense of fear. The Germans had taken over Paris- they were all taking a risk, they were all under scrutiny, yet there was a nonchalance about it all. Maybe they were all just super brave, but I expected to feel more fear on their behalf.

Words are a powerful weapon- they can be destructive as we saw in the book or they can also elevate us and bring us hope.
Books and libraries are a uniting force. Today libraries are still avenues to social gatherings. They still draw people in. Hurray for books and librarians!
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This was such a wonderful read. I loved learning about the American library in Paris. I can't believe it took me so long to read this.

I really wanted to love this book based on the storyline and time period, but it was just too slow moving for my taste. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Library (Atria Books, fiction) is set in Paris on the brink of World War II, when circulating certain books and documents could get you killed. Based on the true story of one heroic librarian at the American Library in Paris who continued to serve her patrons in harrowing circumstances, this page-turner brings history to light. It is also supremely bookish. As Odile, the main character, tells us, “I loved Paris, a city with secrets. Like book covers, some leather, some cloth, each Parisian door led to an unexpected world.”

I enjoyed this book, but felt the ending for Odile to be lacking. I was hoping for more and was left unsatisfied. The story in itself was well done.
It was told in multiple pov, as well as different times, but was easy to follow and keep track of the characters.

A good read. Interesting to learn about the American Library of Paris and the real life characters that worked there during ww2. Odile was a good lens to bring those characters to life. Her journey from youth to maturity kept my attention. Her connection with young Lily was lovely. There were threads of some of the ww2 era characters and incidents that I was left wanting to know more about.

I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction and was thrilled to get the approval for this book. The premise for this story and what it was based on was very intriguing but some parts of the book were too slow moving. The beginning with the character development and movement in the story was strong but mid - way started to be less engaging. I almost put down the book at least once in the middle. I stuck it out and finished the book and I am glad that I did. I think there was appropriate closure with hearing what happened to all the characters as well as the two intertwined stories. Overall I feel this was a good book but would most likely not recommend this as their first taste of historical fiction.