A story of finding your path in life even as the world collapses around you. Of learning when to speak and when to keep quiet and the consequences of action. Plus a celebration of libraries and the devoted librarians that will risk their lives for them.

I loved this book from beginning to end. I liked it because the characters weren’t written as perfect people. They made mistakes that made for a good story. I will recommend this book for my library!

I'm sort of torn here. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the Paris story line and everything I learned about the American Library in Paris. The characters were believable and both likable and hated at times. Charles did a great job of showing the ambiguity of surviving during that time period. As a librarian I loved seeing the resilience and determination of the library workers!

Then there was the Montana story line. I understand why it was told in this way and I appreciate the effort, but there was just something missing for me here. I can't quite put my finger on it. I did, however, love that we were able to get a glimpse of Odile's pain and regret in the end...and we found out that Lily saved her life just as much as she saved Lily's.

Overall, this was definitely worth the read and I will be recommending it in our library!

3.5 stars
The Paris Library was an enjoyable read, full of feelings, interesting characters and one of my favourite settings for a book: a library! I was happy to know that the inspiration for this novel came from reality and that most characters existed.
However, I felt something was missing and the 80's timeline with Lily didn't add much to the story in my opinion. I would have prefered if Odile's character and timeline were more developed as well as the overall struggles of surviving during World War II while being able to keep working at the American Library in Paris.

A wonderful read, especially for librarians. Based on a true story about the American Library in Paris during World War II. Reminded me a bit of Orphan Train because it wove the past with the present. There is a also a bit of mystery added, who is writing the mysterious letters about the people in the library to the police?

I highly recommend, I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! From the very beginning to the end, it was interesting and engaging. The characters are well imagined, and the pacing is spot on.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are nicely developed and the story was interesting. Well written. I will be looking for other books by this author.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This is my own opinion.

3 ½  stars – It was a slow start for me, but I couldn’t put it down after a few chapters.

Shifting between 1939 Paris and 1984 Montana, the story tells the tale of Odile Souchet. Odile works in the American Library in Paris during the World War II German invasion of France. The novel follows her relationships with family, friends, and colleagues as she struggles to keep the library and the lives of those she loves.

Pros: Well-developed characters, descriptive writing
Cons:  Too many references to the Dewey Decimal System; writing was a little cloying at times.

Recommended for those who liked All The Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale.

Amazing writing. I loved the story. The parts of the story seen from a young girls viewpoint (in Montana) were very effective.

As a librarian I do appreciate this book even more! Beautifully written book covers WWII residance story connected to librarians and power books. Although the story develops steady, it picks up fairly quickly. I could not get enough of this book! I read it in 24 hrs!!!

I enjoyed The Paris Library, although it was a little slow in the beginning, after the first couple chapters it picked up and held my attention. The story line moved smoothly and had some unexpected twists I really enjoyed. I especially enjoyed the two different viewpoints, one Odile's time working with the resistance and one from Lily many years later as she begins uncovering Odile's story from long ago. This is a great intellectual book that anyone who really takes pleasure from reading could enjoy and relate to this novel and at the same time, tells a very important story inspired from events of one of the world's darkest periods in human history.

This book was received as an ARC from Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I so loved this book from beginning to end. The library was part of a resistance and books were used as weapons but books could also uncover some secrets that could make or break your well-being. That is the case for Odile as she joins the resistance fighting in World War II. Then 50 years later Lily finds the old scriptures Odile has kept during the war and later finds out Lily has a connection with Odile and realized she is more involved with this resistance than for what she knows. This was a powerful historical fiction novel that I could not get enough of. I know our community will appreciate the power in books this book demonstrated.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.