Read if you: Want a gripping read about a woman caught between two worlds. If Gilded Age fiction is your thing, this is definitely one you should read!

Marie Benedict is one of my favorite authors, so I was intrigued to see how her collaboration with a co-author, Victoria Christopher Murray, would turn out. I'm not always a fan of books written by multiple authors--but this works perfectly. No awkwardness or sudden shifts at all. Take time to read their authors' notes at the end; well worth the read.

Librarians/booksellers: This is likely an automatic purchase for your historical fiction patrons/customers.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the early 1900s, Belle da Costa Greene is a librarian at Princeton University. She is approached by a patron of the university who is related to J.P. Morgan. He thinks Belle would be perfect for the new position of personal librarian for the Pierpont Morgan Library. Morgan wants someone to build and manage his collection. Belle gets the job and starts to create one of the most outstanding collections in the United States. Belle has a secret - she is actually a light-skinned Black woman passing as white. If this fact ever got out, she and her entire family would be disgraced, and end up in poverty, since Belle helped support her family.

Belle travels in high society circles, and makes regular trips to England to auctions, where she bids and wins even more outstanding collectibles for the Pierpont Morgan Library. Benedict and Murray paint a wonderful picture of rare books and collectibles, living in and absorbing the rarified atmosphere of Gilded Age society.

I’ve been a fan of all of Marie’s books. They are perfect book discussion books. Well written and well researched. With this book she has collaborated with a octopi a Christopher Murray and it is a winning combination. The story of Belle da Costa Greene, pulls you in immediately. The Black American woman who changes her name, renounces her heritage and passes herself off as white to become the personal librarian of JP Morgan. Thanks to Belle’s knowledge and shrewd negotiating skills, she helps build a world-class collection. Yet she must keep her identity a secret. Strong and formidable; Belle is vulnerable . A wonderful look at a piece of history is brought to light.

I love how Marie Benedict brings real people to life in fictional settings and this book was no exception. An intriguing fictional re-telling of the life of Belle da Costa Green/Belle Marion Greener, personal librarian to J.P. Morgan. Totally enjoyed reading this.

In 2007, Heidi Ardizzone wrote the definitive - and excellent - biography of Bella da Costa Greene, An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene’s Journey from Prejudice to Privilege. Now, Marie Benedict (author of The Other Einstein, Carnegie’s Maid, Lady Clementine, and other biographical novels) and Victoria Christopher Murray have written a novel based on the remarkable life of J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian. Belle’s father, Richard Greener, was the first African American graduate of Harvard College, and her mother was from an elite, mixed race family. After settling in Washington, D.C. and then Philadelphia, the Greeners found life to be better in New York City, further from segregation and Jim Crow, when Richard was invited to serve on the Grant Monument Association there. Because of their light skin, they were able to live in a white neighborhood and live as white people. Richard, who was dedicated to working for equality and civil rights for African Americans, loved his family but was happy to be asked to serve in President McKinley’s diplomatic corps, where he could live as the black man he was proud to be. And Belle’s mother, who stayed in New York, changed her and the children’s last name to Greene, as it sounded more “white.” Belle worked with Morgan’s nephew, Junius Morgan, when they both worked at the Princeton library, and in 1905 when J. P. Decided to hire a librarian for his own growing collection, Junius encouraged Belle to apply. J. P. Was immediately taken with the striking, self-confident 26 year-old, and hired her on the spot. Belle became responsible for building his collection, and went to auctions and estates throughout Europe to seek the very best rare books and manuscripts. She associated with other collectors and lovers of fine art and books, including Bernard Berenson (with whom she had an affair), the Vanderbilts, the Wideners, and others. But always passing as white. (She was afraid to marry and have children, fearing that her black heritage might be exposed.) Hers was a wonderful life - indeed, a life of great accomplishment and rare privilege - and also a life of extreme devotion to her work and to Morgan, though she also had to devote herself to keeping her family and background completely secret, so it was also a sad, even heart-breaking life. Benedict and Murray have succeeded in making her life and its imposed singularity become vividly - and sometimes painfully - real to their readers.

This was a very interesting look at early libraries & how one strong & unforgettable librarian helped preserve history, & in doing so, made history.

Lovely story about a delightful woman. She keeps her secrets tight and manages to be achieve an extremely high level of career success. Stomping that glass ceiling to dust. I love "secret" histories like this.

The Peronal Librarian will appeal to anyone getting their first professional job, “faking it ‘til they make it.” The late nineteenth century glimpse of life in a J. P. Morgan world contrasted with that of a more typical New York family offers a unique insight. The story seen through the eyes of a young woman finding her position in a man’s profession while hiding a secret she dare not reveal gives the story an element of suspense.

This intriguing book is the fictional retelling of the life of Marion Greener who became the personal librarian for JP Morgan. I love how Benedict brings historical figures to life and, in this particular case I am glad she collaborated so she could give the story an own voices side. Interesting perspective from a character who has to pass as white.

An interesting and informative story of Belle da Costa Green and Belle Marion Greener -- one person, two names. Belle is hired to be J.P. Marogan's personal librarian. She must hide her true identity by pretending to be white when in reality she is considered colored by the rules of her time. She navigates this by walking a narrow path, never letting her guard down.
With her knowledge, skill over years of negotiating with art dealers, she builds Mr. Morgan's private library. But Belle's goal is to have the library made public, not limited in scope. Belle travels to Europe to purchase art, ancient books.
Read this historical novel while learning about race relations and the times of the early 20th century.

Marie Benedict has done it again with the help of Victoria Christopher Murray! They have woven a beautiful story detailing the life of an important woman that many have not known. As Belle da Costa Greene hides in plain sight, she lives a life where she does not quite fit in with any group she encounters: wealthy patrons, art and manuscript dealers, white aristocracy. Yet she builds her reputation and dazzles them all with her intellect, wit, and deep commitment to building the Piermont Morgan Library's collection and acclaim. She holds a secret that would ruin her professionally, personally and her legacy--always fearful of being found out for who she is. Belle sacrifices greatly to hid her secret and to support her family. Even today, Belle's life and position would be difficult, Bendict and Murray deftly allow us see life though Belle's eyes and hear in the early 1900s when much more was at stake. JP Morgan, his family, world, and friends come alive on these guilded pages. Not only do we learn of the amazing intellect, craft, and dedication to the Morgan Library that Belle demonstrates, we learn much of society as a whole and how all should be treated as equals.

This is the story of Belle da Costa Greene J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. The story of her rise to success and relationship with Morgan are fascinating. It is amazing what she managed to do as a woman in the male dominated world of wealth, rare manuscripts and fine art. But there is more to her story. She was born Belle Marion Greener, daughter of the first black man to graduate from Harvard. Because of increasing racism and Jim Crow laws she hides her race in order to make her way in the world of academia and literati. The authors do a good job of showing her precarious situation and what she sacrifices and gains. There is a lot to discuss in this story.

Fascinating story of a personal librarian to J.P.Morgan who owns many very expensive paintings, books. How Belle developed her relationships and became his most treasured librarian. Belle struggles with being black and hides it. Based on many facts this was a sad and heartening at the same time. Loved it. Historical

I always enjoy behind the scenes looks at historical libraries, but this was particularly interesting. The details about how Belle learned about art history and rare books, and how she learned to negotiate with well-known dealers were fascinating. The book had more depth than the usual historical fiction, with the tension that Belle felt at having to conceal her race. This would be a good companion read to The Vanishing Half.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this digital ARC via NetGalley. JP Morgan is a recognized brand in financial services, but beyond that I was ignorant of the important role he played during the 1907 financial crisis. I was vaguely aware there is a Morgan library in New York City, but never gave any thought as to who might have helped to manage the collection. When this book became available on NetGalley and I read the summary, I was hooked, and the story was fascinating and well-written. Discovering that it was authored by two women was just as interesting and added a lot of authority to the story, co-authored by a Caucasian researcher and writer of historical fiction and an African American contemporary author. They've written characters with a lot of depth and which are true to historical fact. I love it and as a result will be seeking out more works by both authors. Highly recommended.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest to review.

Since there's no need to summarize the book - that's found easily enough - and will just get to the matter. I've always appreciated the author's brand of historical fiction, how she creates a vivid imagination (always meticulously researched) of the lives of important women who haven't received their due. As a librarian I was immediately attracted to this one - and yes, it is my favorite so far. The characters were all fascinating in their own right and I'm ashamed to admit that I had never heard of Bella da Costa Greene, so it was a real discovery. Learning more about the time period, the life circumstances of the seriously real haves vs. have nots, racial dynamics, or what it must've been like to make a decision as to whether or not to pass and what the repercussions might be on each side of the coin. A winner of a read.

An intriguing look behind the scenes at one of America's most well-known names. This book gives life to the woman running JP Morgan's library for a new generation. Well written and thoroughly detailed, I enjoyed the story immensely.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray misses the mark for me. Benedict has made a career of writing about admirable women such as Mrs. Einstein, Mrs. Churchill, and Mrs. Christie. In this book, she has collaborated with another writer to provide a look into the story of a woman whose whole life is nothing but deception. Worse, this woman feels she deserves to experience a “grand passion with a man” even if it is someone else’s husband. Try as I might, I find this book and this person wanting. I agree that this is a “little-known story,” but I do not find it “remarkable.” In this case, the man behind the woman is also not admirable but a serial philanderer.

This historical fiction explains the charade put on by Belle Marion Greener as she passes for white to work for J.P. Morgan as his personal librarian for his collection of rare books and such for the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City.

Heather Marie Benedict left her litigator career in New York City to focus on writing novels. Her first novel, The Chrysalis, prompted her to write full-time. As Marie Benedict, she has written historical fiction about famous women including The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Other Einstein, Carnegie's Maid, The Only Woman in the Room, and Lady Clementine. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine novels including The Ex Files; Too Little, Too Late; and Lady Jasmine. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 7, 2021.

I would like to thank the Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

As a librarian and as someone who loves the history of libraries, I was surprised that I had never heard of Belle da Costa Greene. The Personal Librarian is a highly entertaining and informative look at her life and her struggle to keep her real identity hidden. Belle, a Black woman pushed to live as a white woman by her mother, has to deal with issues of identity, race, and gender as she becomes JP Morgan's personal librarian. The attention to detail in this novel is incredible, and I found myself unable to put it down. You don't have to be a librarian to love this novel - I highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advance e-copy.

This is an amazing book, especially because I am a Librarian. I liked that Marie Benedict co authored the book with Victoria Christopher Murray. Her explanation in the author's note increased my respect for her. I learned so much about JP Morgan, his library and his personal librarian. My all time favorite books are those which I learn something and this is one of those books. I will recommend it to others, but it will have a following because of Ms. Benedict.