I have always been fascinated by the Morgan Library and Museum and try to visit at least once a year. I wrongly assumed that all of those literary treasures were amassed by JP Morgan himself. I had no idea he had a personal librarian until overhearing a docent mention it one day while I was visiting. So, I had to read The Personal Librarian to find out more about the fascinating Belle.

What Belle accomplished was astonishing, even for our present times, but to think about the time she lived in and the societal constraints she was able to overcome make her even more extraordinary. Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray do a wonderful job of transporting us back into the time in which Belle lived and giving us a glimpse into her life, her struggles, her accomplishments. It was such a tantalizing story that I have also ordered the only non-fiction version of Belle's life that I could find. The Personal Librarian was a wonderful, transporting read.

A satisfying historical read imagining the life of Belle de la Costa Greene, Fascinating on two fronts. Her job as J. P. Morgan's librarian and the skills she brought to the table while accruing magnificent books and art. The second front is her passing and how that impacted her way of life in such a visible role in society. The authors bring her to life through the history of early New York with the description of clothing, places and events. The suspense of being found out for the color she was born always lingers on the outskirts of her seemingly fabulous life.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I really appreciate historical fiction writers who work to uncover hidden history in a way that appeals to readers, and this is exactly what Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have done. This work is based on the real life of Bella Da Costa Greene, who was the personal librarian of J.P. Morgan, and Greene eventually transitioned the library for public use. She also happened to be a black woman who passed off as white in order to escape racism and pursue a career.

I found the writing to be pretty tight up to a certain point, the death of J.P Morgan, and then, I felt that the writers were really just trying to hurry through and conclude everything. I really didn't like and found it unbelievable how they tied up the relationship between Belle and Anne, Morgan's daughter, but other than that, I did enjoy the book. I think good historical fiction makes you want to learn more about the actuality of the period/people covered, and I found that I would like to learn more about this remarkable woman who forged a career despite being a black woman.

I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the Pierpont Morgan Library and how it came to be. I didn't even know that the Pierpont Morgan Library existed until I read this book.

I went in to The Personal Librarian without knowing anything about Belle da Costa Greene as an historical figure. I found Belle's story on how she became such a powerful figure in the rare art and book world as a white-passing Black woman fascinating. The book is very well-researched - at least from what I can tell from the internet search rabbit-hole I fell into wondering about the events and people featured. I could have done without the emphasis on Belle's romantic relationships though. I would have much rather had more drama from Belle's career rise - navigating New York (and global) high society, discovery of the rare books and artwork, and the competition and barriers she overcame to acquire them for example.

This work of historical fiction is an interesting account of the family, career, and personal life of J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian. Belle da Costa Greene is able to and chooses to pass as white, as can and do her brother, sisters, and mother. The father, a black civil rights advocate, lives a life separate and apart from them. The references and insight into the suffragette movement, segregation and civil rights, and life of the American upper class, wealthy investors, and financiers during this period is well portrayed.

#NetGalley #ThePersonalLibrarian

J.P. Morgan's personal librarian was a white-passing Black woman? I love historical fiction because I always learn so much about history while being entertained. This was an intriguing book that had me hooked from the start. Now I need to go visit the Morgan Library. A perfect book for book clubs.

The Personal Librarian is and was a winner!
Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray have provided a compelling tale of JP Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene. Benedict's novels have all won my admiration, but I commend her for working on this with Murray.
The story flows from Belle, whose most difficult task is to always appear as something she is not. It was a compelling read, beautifully crafted by the authors, who made sure her image and her reality both came through for the reader.
Belle was an incredible woman, doing a magnificent job of building an extensive private collection at Morgan's behest.
Morgan demanded her devotion to his library, but often to him as well. Her success was all the more magnificent in that she was female, single, raised in a poor family while working with the richest in society, and hiding a secret--her race. Her failure to comport herself in a manner acceptable to Morgan would have cost her position. Discovery of her secret in any of her social interactions would also have consequences. Belle's vibrant personality sometimes made those steps a challenge.
Belle managed to become one of the most admired women of her time, all the while having to play the part that kept her employed and successful. I would nervously turn pages when I was afraid she had made a mistake she might not survive, and happily turn pages when I was cheering her progress.
A magnificent read!

There is a beauty in this book that can never be weighed by a review. It's about perseverance, racism, family, and everything in between. It's an inspirational story that cannot be tied down by the words thrown in for the book. It is a magnificent story that brings us back to a generation where strong racial opposition is extremely prevalent and it illuminates us to the structure of what once was. A truly beautiful work of literature!

QUICK TAKE: I had read a few articles about Belle da Costa Greene, a Black woman who passed as white when she took a job as JP Morgan's "personal librarian", a job that helped oversee Morgan's vast collection of books, manuscripts and artwork, and was looking forward to this book. A little down-the-middle, but ultimately a fine, enjoyable read.

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

I really loved this book! I was hooked so quickly into the intriguing and little known story of Bella da Costa Greene/ Marion Greener.

This historical fiction is loosely based on the real story of Bella- the personal librarian for J.P. Morgan. Bella is powerful, stylish, witty, and incredibly intelligent. She rises to a position of authority that was unheard of for a young woman in the early 20th century. Bella is the daughter of the first black graduate of Harvard University and a passionate advocate for civil rights. When her father leaves their family, Bella’s mother moves the family to New York City and decides that they will pass as white. Bella carefully creates an identity of a white woman in the high society art/literary world that she eventually becomes an integral leader in.

I did so much googling is this incredible story when I finished the book. I won’t give too much away and urge you to check it out! Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for this advanced readers copy.

This book is a historical fictionalize account of Belle da Costa Green, who was JP Morgan's assistant in his private library, located in New York City. The authors have written a book filled with historical fact, garnered with fictionalized conversations and thoughts. Very well crafted, this book will appeal to those who enjoy reading historical fiction, and women's fiction. I would actually rate this book as 4.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, who happened to be a woman of color who "passed" as white. Belle Greene had unprecedented freedom in shaping Morgan's classical library, from attending and purchasing items at auctions to challenging the magnate himself.
I would be interested to know how and when it was discovered that Belle da Costa Greene was actually Marian Greener.

I am a huge historical fiction fan. I love learning about new time periods and historical figures. So, I was immediately drawn to The Personal Librarian. I don’t know much about JP Morgan other than his wealth. I definitely didn’t know he had a curated library of books and art and I certainly didn’t know he had a librarian to manage and curate it.

Belle da Costa Greene was that woman. She was a light skinned Black woman whose mother made the choice for their family to pass as white in the early 1900’s. Her father was against that choice as he was the first Black Harvard graduate and fought for equality, which ultimately cost Belle’s parents their marriage.

This book highlights the work Belle went through to keep her secret safe while mingling with the most powerful people in the US during that time. Not only that, but she was facing off against men in a time when women rarely held many jobs, let alone ones requiring them to bid at auctions with thousands of their employer’s dollars.

I was fascinated by Belle’s life and I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a fascinating work of historical fiction based on the life of Belle da Costa Greene, personal librarian for J.P. Morgan.

Belle, born Marion Greener is a lighter skinned black woman, who passes for a white woman of Portuguese descent. If she had not passed and lived her life as a white woman, she would not have become J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, although she was highly qualified.

This story was very interesting from the start. After reading The Vanishing Half, I was intrigued by the concept of passing and was very interested to learn that this story is about a real woman who did pass, overcame challenges and thrived in a high profile job. This story left me wanting to learn more about Belle and others who were passing as white during this time period.

I also really liked Belle as a character in this novel. She was definitely brave and was passionate about her work. She was also kind and cared deeply about her family. She certainly seems like a strong and admirable woman.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It definitely transported me to a time and place in history that I did not already know much about.

Belle la Costa Greene was J.P. Morgan's personal librarian (as well as his rare books and art collector) who went on to run The Morgan Library after his death. She is known for converting it into the public serving institution he always planned.
I never know that her story included that as a person who passed as white, she used her racial ambiguity to pursue work, connections, and living that would have been denied. The author does a fantastic job conveying the emotional turmoil and guilt that she has with this, but also her ambition too. Greene has become a new role model for me (especially as I'm pursuing a library science and information technology degree). Fantastic book! I'm looking forward to having a physical copy of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC for an exchange of my honest review.

This book was so enjoyable! It was just what I needed to hold my attention and help me out of my reading slump. I mean, who knew that the J.P. Morgan's Personal Librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, was a Black woman from Washington, D.C. who spent her life passing as a white woman? 😳🤷🏽‍♀️ I had no idea. ⁣⁣
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Belle became a prominent figure in the art world at home and abroad, gaining respect among peers worldwide for her contributions. Aside from being J.P. Morgan's personal librarian she was beyond instrumental in helping build one of the most exquisite art, rare books and manuscript collections for The Pierpont Morgan Library. She was a force but was forever trapped between two worlds, being Black but passing as a white woman. Belle often struggled with her identity. ⁣⁣
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"...should I abandon my false identity and launch into the fight for equality. I feel like there is no real place for me inside my father's world or in the white one and I am adrift."⁣⁣
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Her father's world... he was the first Black graduate of Harvard College and a prominent educator, diplomat, and racial justice activist.⁣⁣
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I listened to the audiobook which was narrated to perfection by Robin Miles. She makes the story & characters come to life quite vividly. There were so many nuggets in story which made me look for more information on Belle da Costa Greene. I love historical fiction. I always learn something new!

As a special collection librarian, I was SO EXCITED to see a book about Belle da Costa Greene coming out but something about it fell flat for me. Perhaps I know too much about the real Belle that a novelization of her life felt trivial. That said, I will absolutely recommend this to people! It's a good introduction to Greene's life and the origins of the Morgan Library (one of my favorite places in NYC) and a solid read in itself.

I have enjoyed Marie Benedict's books before; she writes about historical women whose influence may have been overlooked during their lives. This book was about J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Green, who helped him procure valuable manuscripts and artwork for his collection which is now the Morgan Library and Museum, a place I'd like to visit in Manhattan. Belle's influence wasn't necessarily overlooked - she was actually famous in the art and book world for her knowledge and prowess in procuring rare pieces for the Morgan collection. But Belle had a big secret. Though light-skinned, she was an African-American who posed as a white woman. Though her qualifications and passion for the position made her invaluable to Morgan, she would not have been welcome in the position if her true heritage was known. This book, told from her point of view, gives insight into how difficult it would be to keep such a secret while living an astonishing life as a public figure.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I have purchased it for our library, and I recommend it to everyone who will listen. This is a unique and fascinating book about the woman who was the librarian for J.P. Morgan at the turn of the 20th century. The historically based narrative is compelling on its own, and the authors bring the historical figures to life with deep character development, showing them as complex and human individuals. But the novel goes beyond just the story of an accomplished librarian. It's also about race and identity and the personal and professional implications of a black woman who takes on a white identity. I think that this novel is both solidly grounded in history and the social issues of its day, but it also speaks to a modern audience about race, class, culture, and gender - how those markers of our identities set boundaries but also how those boundaries can be broken. This theme emerges not only in the main character, Belle De Costa Greene, but in minor characters throughout the book as well. This is bound to be one of the best books coming out this summer!