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The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a novel following a young librarian working in the American Library in Paris during World War II. Ms. Charles in an award-winning author, this is her second novel.

In 1939, Paris, Odile Souchet has her life on track. She’s working in her dream job at the American Library in Paris, a great boyfriend working as a cop, and a loving family. When the Nazis conquer France Odile realizes how fragile her reality is, how fast people change, how choices between bad and very bad must be made. Odile survives the war by concentrating on one thing: saving books from the Nazis.

Lily lives in a small town in Montana, she’s writing a report about France and in usual teenage chutzpah approaches her French neighbor, the “war bride”, for an interview. As Lily and Odile grow closer, the past is discovered, secrets unveil, and the two find they have more in common than they thought.

I made it no secret that I really enjoy books about books, and, of course, books about World War II. Even though my kids tell me that at this point, at least for generation Z, dads and WWII is now a meme.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is told through the eyes of two young women, living in different times. The first is in 1939-1944, where Odile’s sheltered life is being shattered, the second is in 1983, through the eyes of Lilly who is also dealing with big changes in her life, albeit not a world war.

The most interesting part of the book, for me, was the description of the American Library in Paris, where Odile works. Since Odile just started working there, we learn with her about the library, its goals, mechanizations, and the peculiar characters which work and frequent the building. I enjoyed reading about the way the staff worked during the war to continue operations, support Jewish subscribers, sending books to soldiers, and saving valued manuscripts from Nazi hands.

The romantic parts were not my cup of tea, and I thought they were out of place. Odile and her boyfriend / fiancée romp throughout Paris in abandoned, yet fully furnished apartments. I understand this point of the story, which becomes clear later on I could have done without the flowery descriptions of their love making.
But that’s just me.

I also thought Odiel’s reaction to the realization of what people close to her did to survive during the war was somewhat disproportionate. But I found it interesting the author chose to write about it, how the world Odiel thought was coming together, is still falling apart, and how people who loved her, and she loves, will do horrible things out of necessity – and for her sake.

The author worked at the American Library in Paris in 2019, and her love to the place shines through. The book concentrates on life in Paris during WWII, how the Parisians lived, and the affects the war had on them, not realizing at the time how lucky most of them were.

There are so many books out there about Paris during WWII and this one honestly felt exactly like all of the other ones I’ve read. Yes, it was interesting to read about the American Library and it kept running during the war, but boy I’m impressed that a book about WWII could be so uneventful. I understand that the author based this on a true story but I wish she has embellished it a bit more. Also, all the characters collaborating with the Nazis was not handled well. The story acknowledges that the Nazis were bad but i was surprised at the lack of consequences, or even discussion about any of this. It happened, it was acknowledged briefly, and then everyone moved on.

With the title and setting, I was excited for a new look on Paris during WWII, and instead got more of the same tropes.

THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles is a Booklover’s dream, a historical fiction novel that takes places in iconic Paris centered around the prestigious American Library there during WWII. A Library that can count Edith Wharton as one of its founders and was open to the public allowing access to books for all. As with many books we cherish themed around libraries and bookstores, the reverence and adoration of books along with their importance, comfort, knowledge, vehicle to empathy, and cultural legacy is celebrated. I lost track of the amount of amazing literary quotes and bookish odes studded like gems throughout the pages, catnip to bibliophiles everywhere. I particularly enjoyed a return to the glory of the Dewey Decimal system through protagonist Odile, who not only has memorized it, but sees and classifies the world through its numbers. Charles also introduces the concept of bookmates (your soulmate in books by sharing love for the same books). Interesting assertions and thought-provoking questions abound in the reader’s mind as a result, such as ‘Do you have a bookmate’ and ‘What would your Dewey decimal number be’?

In the same vein as the books that parody bookshop customers and regulars written by Wigtown Scottish bookseller Shaun Bythell, there is quite the varied cast of characters who patronize and staff The American Library in Paris. They are as essential to the fabric of the library as the books themselves, but unique in their various nationalities, ages, and personalities. Yet all are united in their support of the Library and its community as well as its causes, mission, and projects. In particular, Janet covered the work that the Library did during the War with the Soldiers’ Service operation (getting thousands of books into care packages with notes and magazines to Allied soldiers on the war front) and its fight to stay open to all throughout the War. The latter became increasingly difficult as Nazis raided various libraries’ collections, banned certain books from circulation, and forbade Jewish subscribers from entry. The library staff and regulars rallied behind their belief of books for all and hand delivered books to their Jewish patrons, risking arrest and evading checkpoint capture or discovery of their mission. The American Library staff and patrons also hid and sent away books to keep them safe from being stolen by the enemy. Books provided solace and bibliotherapy to Parisians as Paris was overtaken by Germans and many fled the city in streams to the safety of the country. French villagers also became refugees in their own country, escaping occupied areas to free zones. As food became scarce and bodies went hungry, readers could still devour books feeding their souls and minds as well as using books to escape to a better place.

The author worked at The American Library in Paris as a programs manager, and still splits her time between Paris and Montana today - just as the book splits its timeline between the two. She appears to be a fierce and staunch advocate of libraries and everything they can provide for communities and do for all, and I couldn’t agree more!

I know what you're thinking — not another WWII historical fiction?! But hear me out! This story that follows two young women — one a librarian in Nazi-occupied France and the other a teen in small-town Montana — is a total love letter to books, Paris, and friendship.

Sweet, sweet Lily had no clue the impact she'd have when she knocked on her neighbor Odile's door — and how she would change both of their lives for the better. Definitely a tear-jerker (aka I definitely cried toward the end and maybe a little in the middle) but that's not entirely abnormal for any book related to the horrific war that is WWII.

Read if you loved Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

A delightfully written book for book and library lovers alike. Charles' sentences are worth taking the time to read over and over again; they are both lyrical and rich with description. Several passages seemed to encapsulate perfectly what words, books, learning, knowledge, and reading mean to people who enjoy reading and sharing great stories.

This book shares the story of The American Library in Paris amid the backdrop of Nazi occupation in France. The heroics of the staff are as inspirational as they were dangerous. The story is rich with character development and historical research.

The story unfolds in Paris in the 1930's on the threshold of WWII. Odile, the main character, is too complex of a character to focus on in the span of one historical event, so Charles gives us Odile in again in 1980's in Montana. We further view the complexities of Odile's wartime realities through the eyes of Lily, her lonely, teenage neighbor who knocks on her door at just the right time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a joy. #NetGalley #ARC

The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles, is a delectable feast for lovers of books, Paris, WWII historical fiction, and novels that center on relationships. Any combination will do. This exquisite novel is a tribute to libraries, librarians and the importance of literature in our lives. Charles deftly intertwines fact and fiction to create a protagonist that we meet in Paris, as a young woman, working in the American Library. We also know her as the elder sage who befriends a teenage neighbor and her family. The Library itself becomes a character of heroic proportions, staffed by librarians of indomitable spirit, who managed to keep the doors open and the library functioning throughout the war.

Although the pacing is fast, this is a book to be savored. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Also, treat yourself to the Wikipedia article about The American Library. It is very informative and full of facts that you will appreciate having read the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a joy.

So maybe I've read too many historical fiction books with dual timelines lately and I'm just burned out. Nothing about this one grabbed my interest and I didn't really connect with the characters. But don't be swayed by my moodiness, read it for yourself as many others really enjoyed it.

This is the story of a French librarian, Odile, who works at the American Library in Paris during Nazi occupation. The staff, volunteers, and patrons at the library resist censorship, protect each other from betrayal, test their friendships, and endure incredible hardship with the help of books and writing. The international cast of “library regulars” was especially charming.

The second storyline, where a teenager named Lily befriends Odile late in her life in 1980s Minnesota, didn’t work quite as well for me. It was satisfying to read the rest of Odile’s story, but these chapters interrupted the pacing and were less compelling than the WWII-set chapters. And I found some of the “lessons” a bit too on the nose.

I’d recommend this book to library lovers and anyone looking for a different take on the WWII historical.

I truly loved "The Paris Library" by Janet Skeslien Charles. I am a big fan of historical fiction in general but I really appreciate when I learn about a new place or time. In this case, the author spent years researching the American Library in Paris and the brave librarians who worked there during WWII to keep the doors open and books in the hands of their subscribers. Though the main character is fictional, many of the others around her were real people. Odile is a young woman who has loved the ALP since she went there as a child with her beloved aunt. She goes on to study the Dewey system and is then hired at the library.

Through Odile we see how hard the struggles were during occupation, and yet the friendships that grew and love that blossomed. In a common storytelling way we also meet Odile in 1980's Montana and her friendship with a young teenage girl. She teaches Lily to always be true to her best friend and opens up about how she came to live in Montana.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I loved this book! If you love libraries, WWII historical fiction and stories about friendship, this book is for you! There is a dual timeline of the early 1940's and late 1980's, with Odile and Lily points of view.

Odile is a young woman in the 1940's who lives in Paris. She has a passion for books and works at The American Library during WWII. She makes strong friendships and finds love. The library brings books to the people who the Germans decree can no longer to go the library. Odile makes a life-changing mistake that she deals with the rest of her life.

Lily is a teenager growing up in the USA during the 1980's. Her family life is altered immensely and she finds friendship with the woman next door, Odile.

Their friendship results in learning lessons and learning to deal with the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Library is everything you would want in a historical fiction novel; it had amazing friendships, a love of reading, and a love of books. The novel was exquisite with the Paris Library as a backdrop and characters that will stick with you for a long time. With the timeline being in WWII, there was ample pain, loss of loved ones, and the abhorrent living conditions/war conditions. However, with the love of books and close friendships amidst the librarians, it was still a delight to read. These librarians were heroes in their own right keeping the library open throughout the entire war. It was their mission to keep their subscribers well-read no matter what cost. They knew that a love for reading could tamp down the pain of the war in of itself, and felt soldiers needed the literature now more than ever. Even with Nazi Occupied France, the librarians dangerously delivered the books to their Jewish subscribers, which was courageous and heroic. Based in 1940s (Paris) and 1980s (Montana), these two time lines were both enthralling. Pertaining to the characters, Odile and Lily developed an incredible friendship. It saddened me the emotional turmoil (and self-blame) that Odile endured throughout her life, but was happy to see her friendship with Lily ease some pain. I loved that the author weaved in other characters through the chapters sporadically - to obtain a quick glance in their lives that were close friends of Odile’s. Another point worth mentioning, the author’s note is a must read — as this book is based on a true story. I felt with learning of the characters being real, it added more depth to the story and an attachment to the characters. This book is another historical fiction must read, and a stunning debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy of this amazing historical fiction novel.

I can't stop thinking about The Paris Library, this is one of those stories that you want to keep reading and reading and when the last pages come, you don't even want to read it you just want to keep getting to know more and more about each character and stretching the story even longer...

This is the amazing story of Odile a woman that I really have so much respect for her, she was strong and she lived so many things that were so sad, she was trying to survive during the war by working at The American library a library that still exists and still in service, a library that has many memories and dreams that still lurking around the bookshelves.

This is where the magic begins at The American Library, where Odile meets new people, people with great stories and with different backgrounds but at the same time with so many sad and terrible situations that are bringing them together as a new family.

Odile and her friends who worked at The American library were determined to keep the library up and running during the worst days of the war. no matter what was happening all around them, no matter if the rest of the libraries already closed, they were determined to keep their faithful book subscribers by delivering books to the comfort of their own homes.. they weren't excluding anyone, they will never treat their costumers like the Nazis were so eager to do so... Odile and her friends were not ready to turn anyone down, no matter what the books were more important than the Nazis.

Odile loves her new friend so much, she is the confidant of many, she has to be careful whom she trusts or those secrets can end up in the wrong ears and hurting her friends the most, and that is exactly what destroyed everything, it wasn't the war, it was the terrible mistake of Odile to say something she wasn't supposed to. this is exactly when things started to fall apart nothing was the same after that, I cried so hard when this happened.

The story permeates between past and presents, Odile is now living in the US she has a new life, a new home and she is already building a life so far from those memories that keep hunting her but she still has many ghosts that keep lurking around her house, letters and memories that keep reminding her of terrible desitions she made.

Lily is a young neighbor living with her parents, she lost her mother at a very young age, and her life changed so drastically when her father brought a new stepmom to the house... Lily was kind and beautiful but she tended to get into trouble by doing stuff she wasn't supposed to do like sneaking around looking for things that didn't belong to her but eventually will cause her a great deal of pain that can even destroy the most amazing friendship she ever had.

Lily was a character that really brought out so much to Odile, what started as some small French lessons became more like a surviving guide for the whole family as Odile really was there to save the day, she was helping Lily's stepmother and even Lily to understand more about each other and even about life.

I don't want to get into much detail about Lily and Odile's friendship as I don't want to give anything away..

There were so many great Secondary characters that really brought so much to this story and they were also very important in Odile's and Lily's Life. Like Mary Louise, Lilys best friend, Miss Reed, Margaret Saint James, The Countess, Bisti, Buck, Boris, Remy, Paul, and many more.

One of the things that I really can't understand and that I really disliked about the war was the way the French people were treating women after the war, there were many men who participated and betrayed their country, and only the women were treated in such a disgusting way, also the way they treated the kid of these women was also a shame, you cannot put out, fire, with more fire and this is exactly what people were doing, they were behaving exactly like the Germans. No matter what you went through you never pay back with the same coin.. it was inhumane and not right and especially for the kids, they didn't deserve the treatment they got not even to see what they were doing to their mothers.. this behavior in every single book was for me so disgusting and unpardonable and no amount of excuses will ever condone what they did.

so many great things to say about the story but I'll leave it here for you to continue to discover more about this fantastic journey...

Overall The Paris Library was excellent, an amazing book, an amazing story with great characters and so many beautiful moments that will make you think and revaluate your life over and over again.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at 25%. I really wanted to like this, as the story line was promising. I do think many readers will really love this book but I struggled with the writing style. The paragraphs seemed so choppy to me! The story did not flow well and the pacing was all wrong for me. Each Lily section felt like we were reading about an 11-12 year old, not a teenager. I appreciate the research that went into this work to keep it so historically accurate but unfortunately the writing was just not for me.

Many thanks to Atria Book and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy and allowing me to post an honest review.

I love when a book has two storylines going in different eras and then a portion of the way through the book they start to intersect. Told from two prespectives, modern day (1980s) and WWII, The Paris Library really just boils down to the human need to be loved and cared for. Lily lives next door to Odile and through Lily getting to know her elderly neighbor, we learn about what it was like being a librarian in France in WWII. Beautifully researched and was quite a lovely book.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Paris Library

Author: James Skeslien Charles

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: historical fiction fans, library lovers

Publication Date: February 9, 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 16+ (Language, Antisemitism, Hitler mentions, War, Grief, Sexual content)

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

Review: Oh my goodness this book completely swept me away. I am a huge lover of anything that takes place during world war II. The story was very well plotted out and the characters are very well developed. I also felt that the world building was very well done. I was instantly hooked upon starting the book and I wasn't able to put it down until I finished it.

However, there were some moments in the book that I felt like the author could have went more into the whores of world war II and what was happening with the Jewish people, but they didn't. The book is very sweet, but it doesn't have that emphasis on not repeating the same mistakes that were made to start that war. So if you're looking for a book with heavy emphasis on the horrors of world war II, then this isn't your book. But if you're looking for a book that set during that time period and that can show you what it was like for people that were non-jewish, non Romanian, non-LGBT+, etc then this would probably be a good book for you.

Verdict: It was good, but I wished it showed more of what happened in the war.

Beautiful prose and philosophy in this lovely story of The American Library in Paris. Enchanting characters, a fraction of time in WWII captured and brought back to life. Engrossing!

Oldie is living the life she’s always wanted until the Nazis invade Paris. She does everything to help her Jewish friends but at what cost? Then years later a young girl Lily is curious about her neighbor that nobody talks to or knows anything about her. What will she discover?

Beautiful and heart wrenching all at once. I loved the dual time periods. The closer I inched towards the ending, the more I wanted. I love Odile and I want to know so much more about the gaps of her life. I didn’t always love the writing style, but Skeslien Charles sure created an admirable, dynamic character.

I love historical fiction, and was drawn to the Paris Library for its dual timeline and riveting story about the American Library in Paris (a topic I am not familiar with, but wanted to learn more about). The dual timeline really enhanced the plot, as you go along Odile's journey on how she travelled from Paris to a small town in Montana. This is juxtaposed with Lily's own story as she gets to know Odile and faces her own set of trials. I really enjoyed the book, and it was a delight to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was an insightful historical novel about WWII that explores friendship, courage, survival, and the importance of libraries and books. The characters were interesting and I found both of the duel timelines engaging. It's a powerful story that helped me learn about the American library in Paris which I previously was unfamiliar with.