Florence’s father is a bookbinder who returned home to Manchester from Jamaica with a baby for him and his mother to raise. Growing up with a father that seemed to despise everything about her from her fuzzy hair to her inquisitive nature Florence used books to feed her curiosity and fill in the space that loneliness created. After Florence’s father found her bringing shame to their family, she was thrown out with nowhere to go. When Florence intercepts her father’s mail, she found a letter requesting his expertise to restore a collection of rare books. After talking her way into the job Florence stumbles across a diary that belongs to the late lady of the house. As Florence reads the diary, she discovers there are many secrets in the house that she suspects lead to a murder that was covered up as a suicide. Now Florence is determined to find out what happened to Persephone Belfield.
I love a good historical fiction. This was a captivating story about a woman who was cast out by the only family she had ever known and found herself discovering things about herself she never knew while entering a whole new world of secrets and lies. This book starts off with a scandal but doesn’t tell you what the scandal is, so you have to patiently wait for it to be disclosed while also trying to figure out what happened to the late Lady Persephone. The path I thought the story would take was not at all where the book went, but I was very pleased by that. There were several different themes in this book from passing, LGBTQ+ representation, survival, and friendship.
Florence had such a hard time and my heart break for her, so I was glad she was able to find some sort of solace in the end. I did shed a tear or two in the end for Florence and all she had to go through. I enjoyed the mystery behind what happened to Lady Persephone. This was a very complicated story with complex characters who were all just doing what they needed to do to survive in a world that deemed them unworthy whether it was because of the color of their skin, their gender, or their sexual preference. This was a great debut novel and I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.
Content Warning: sexual assault

Thank you to Hear Our Voices for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

"The Library Thief" by Kuchenga Shenjé is a departure from my usual reading preferences as it is historical fiction, and I am more of a romance reader. However, I found myself drawn into the quite interesting narrative that unfolded.

The storyline was certainly engaging, maintaining my interest throughout as I was eagerly waiting to solve the mystery. Although the main plot was captivating, there were a few side stories that seemed tangential in the grand scheme of things. I also wondered why the title was named as such for most of the book.

I enjoyed most of the characters as they all were unique. The main character, Florence, was such a spitfire, and I was rooting for her the whole time. As the story unfolded, I became increasingly invested in the characters and what would happen to them. I also felt that the ending was pretty satisfying, which I appreciated.

Overall, "The Library Thief" was a good, solid read. For people who enjoy historical fiction and mysteries, I think they will definitely enjoy this one.

I am a sucker for historical fiction and stories involving libraries. The book starts with a scandal; although you don't immediately know what the scandal is, it's not hard to guess, given the time period and she's a woman. She intercepts what turns out to be a life-changing missive, taking Florence to Rose Hall.

Lord Belfield is just as mysterious as the library of Rose Hall. He is recently widowed, but there are rumors about how his late wife died. There was so much mystery and intrigue that I didn't know what to do with myself. This is such a multi-faceted book that is dynamic and hard-hitting. Shenjé covered a multitude of heavy-hitting topics (that are still relevant today), and she did it with grace.

The complexity of the characters kept me glued to the story. I just adored Wesley. His willingness to accept Florence and befriend her was just powerful. He was the much-needed friend who had his own secret—another heavy-hitting topic.

It was refreshing to read a historical fiction that wasn't war-based. I cannot believe this is Shenjé's debut novel. If she's doing all this with her DEBUT novel, I want to read her school papers because, my God, can she tell a story!

This book transported me to Victorian England while weaving a tale of mystery, scandal, and self-discovery against the backdrop of a remote estate and its mysterious inhabitants. Florence Granger, a young woman disowned by her father, finds herself entangled in a web of secrets as she undertakes the task of restoring Lord Francis Belfield's rare book collection at Rose Hall.

Shenjé's debut novel offers a setting reminiscent of classic Gothic mysteries (i.e., Victoria Holt) that drew me into a world filled with intrigue and tension. From the moment Florence arrives at Rose Hall, the sense of foreboding is evident, setting the stage for a compelling narrative filled with twists and turns.

The novel explores complex themes such as racism, colorism, sexual abuse, and gender identity within the confines of Victorian society. Shenjé adeptly confronts these issues, providing a thought-provoking examination of the social norms and prejudices of the time. I found it quite “uncomfortable” at times to read.

I did find myself struggling a bit with the execution of the plot. The story became overly complicated and somewhat tedious.
Still, "The Library Thief" is a captivating read with its haunting narrative and fresh take on the Victorian mystery genre.

I received an advance copy from the publisher. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a title I was invited to read. It was a little outside of my typical wheelhouse, but I said I would give it a try. The writing is solid and the concept an interesting one, although I must confess that I found it slower going than I hoped. On the whole, it wasn't for me.

The cover of this book is what drew me to the book. The story ended up being something different than I was expecting. To me it doesn’t really feel like a gothic mystery. It’s more a tale of enlightenment.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I'm so sorry but I did not enjoy this book at all. It fell so short for me.

I love historical fiction but this one just did not pull me in or hold me. I found it lacking in so many ways.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

3 stars and that is up from 2.5

love a good historic mystery so this book appealed to me for that reason. However despite the many twists and turns, especially towards the end it was very slow in parts and dragged a bit for me. The writing is excellent with very atmospheric descriptions but the plot seemed to drag and become overly complicated. There is a diverse set of characters, each with their own stories developing through the book, some very likeable, others not so likeable.

When white-passing bookbinder Florence Granger arrives on the doorstep of Rose Hall in late 1896, she finds an isolated house still in mourning. She is greeted by Wesley, an androgynous manservant, whom she befriends. The only other servant is a rather taciturn cook. Widowed Lord Belfield, a long-standing customer of Florence’s bookbinder father, keeps to his rooms at first, barely acknowledging Florence’s presence. His valuable book collection is to be sold now that the estate has fallen on difficult times, but Florence has stolen Lord Belfield’s letter to her father and pretends to have come at her father’s request. She fails to divulge that her father threw her out after finding her in flagrante delicto with her anarchist lover. Destitute and without prospects or home, Florence delays her work, melding into the enigmatic household. Lady Penelope Belfield’s half-burned diary, discovered after a break-in, leaves Florence pondering the woman’s untimely death.

This late-Victorian Gothic, with bookbinding and a love of literature at its heart, begins well. Descriptions of Florence’s work are fascinating, and her slow awakening to her mixed-race heritage is very well handled. Characters are multi-faceted and unorthodox in an atmospheric setting, but trouble for me began as the plot sidetracked. Florence learns to ride for no reason I could determine, other than to meet ostler Joseph, whose romantic relationship proves distracting. A small cast of racially and sexually diverse characters displaying so many secrets and misrepresentations in a tale of class distinction, rape, arson, theft, revenge, and possibly murder, turned a taut plot into a confusing medley that didn’t seem sure of its purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed much of the novel and would have liked more development of the cook’s part, as there are some excellent scenes, but my overall sense is that the novel is trying to be too many things and a tighter plot would be of benefit.

"The Library Thief" offers a refreshing array of diverse perspectives and characters, enriching the narrative tapestry. However, while it held promise, the plot occasionally felt contrived, detracting from its overall impact. Of interest for bibliophiles.

This might initially seem like a trope-y gothic novel- a young woman on her own, a creepy house, a found diary, a mysterious death-but it's actually more. Florence is a woman of color and she's also immoral in the view of her father because she likes women in a time when that was seen as unacceptable. She finds a sanctuary of a sort at Rose Hall but there are so many secrets there, dangerous secrets. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Good characters and atmospherics with a different sort of plot line make this a good read.

This definitely had a gothic feel, and there were moments when I definitely felt Jane Eyre vibes, but, for me, something didn't quite gel for me, and I can't put my finger on it. This is a book I should have loved. I wanted to love it. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't leave me satisfied when I finished.

I think I liked a lot of the side characters more than I liked the main character. I kind of wish this had been one of their stories and not Florence's. Persephone's story or her sister's especially.

This will be on the May 7th episode of All the Books. Here's the transcript:

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé
Florence is a 19-year-old woman in Victorian England.
She’s just been thrown out of her house by her father, a bookbinder, after he found her in a compromising position with a young man.
She has one chance to save herself: she has intercepted a letter from a client of her father’s.
He has a home library he wants to sell, but first he needs the books repaired.
Florence has learned her father’s precise bookbinding skills, so she shows up at Lord Francis Belfield’s doorstep and claims her father has sent her to complete the task.
Lord Belfield is skeptical, but after she’s proven her skills and agreed to work for a lot less money — as long as she can stay at his estate — he agrees.
Now Florence has to navigate the delicate hierarchy of Rose Hall.
She doesn’t fit in with Lord Belfied, his brutal brother, or his haughty sister-in-law,
But she’s not supposed to be the same class as the help, so she tries to distance herself from the cook and remaining servant.
Meanwhile, Florence can’t help but be intrigued by the mystery of the recent death of Lord Belfield’s wife.
She’s supposed to have drowned on a night-time walk, but that seems unlikely. Did someone push her?
Florence risks her safety as Rose Hall by sneaking around at night and reading the late Lady Persephone’s letters.
Despite herself, she also develops a close friendship with Wesley, a servant, who sneaks into her room to braid and oil her hair at night.
This is one of those books where the description includes things that don’t come up until the latter half of the book, so I’m not sure how much more to mention.
I haven’t even gotten to the eponymous library theft!
I’m not sure if I would categorize this as a mystery, though there is a strong mystery element.
It’s more focused on Florence as a character, who is discovering new things about herself and where she fits into the world.
There are lots of secrets and scandals that are revealed.
Some of the early Goodreads reviews were scandalized by this being too “woke.”
To which I would like to say, history wasn’t all straight, cis, and white.
Florence is progressive, but her reasoning and reference points are time period-specific.
The Library Thief doesn’t have a queer main character, but it is a pretty queer book overall, and the main character is a white-passing Black woman.
She doesn’t learn that until later in the book, but it is mentioned in the description, and I don’t feel like you can call that a spoiler.
I thought this was a really interesting book of historical fiction with a focus on characters who don’t usually get written about in that genre.
Content warnings: racism, racist slurs, rape, unwanted pregnancy
That’s The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé

I was intrigued by the summary describing burned books and a gothic "whodunit" but this is way too much in the romance genre.

Wow! I loved this. This book speaks on homophobia and racism but our heroine, Florence, is fighting against this.

Florence is from Jamaica, but when her father brings her back to his home, she just doesn't quite fit in. No amount of hair straightening can solve these overwhelming issues. But when she does something her father deems unforgivable, she is tossed out of the house.

She makes her way to Rose Hall to hopefully work, but winds up finding a mystery instead. This story is full of magic and love. Something that I will cherish.

Out May 7, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

A different representation of the Victorian backdrop that you are used to. Lots of twists and turns. At times I felt the plot lost its way, but I still kept reading because I wanted to find out the answers to all the questions that had been building. I feel satisfied with the wrap-up and how the story ended. It made me think and question all the characters and their motives/actions.#NetGalley #TheLibraryThief

I enjoyed the Gothic Victorian atmosphere of this debut novel; the author clearly has a reverence for literature and included plenty of nods to famous works of the genre. The Library Thief has an intriguing premise, a roster of mysterious characters who all have something to hide, and plenty of scandal in the first 100 pages, and while the writing style didn’t always work for me, I was eager to see how it all turned out. Shenjé tackles some really ambitious themes throughout, delving into racism, colorism, sexual abuse, gender identity, and more, and I appreciated the genuine exploration of issues that are not typically at the forefront of stories set in this time period, but I did find that the plot got a little lost along the way.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

According to Florence‘s father, she committed something so immortal he couldn’t have her in his house anymore.

He kicked her out, but not before she saw a letter from a man who needed his books rebound.

Florence scooped up the letter and made her way to Mr. Belfield’s estate Rose Hall.

When she arrived, Mr. Belfield refused to have her there since he had just recently been widowed and wouldn't look right..

She talked him into keeping her.

Florence really wasn’t welcomed by the household staff except for Wesley.

She made the best of her stay and the best of what Mr. Belfield offered.

She spent her days repairing books and befriending Wesley.

While she was there she found out there was more than rare books needing to be repaired.

Quite a few secrets were hiding within the walls of Rose Hall and many conniving characters. There are also some delicate subjects discussed.

The storyline and eloquent writing will pull you into this Gothic-themed book with a mystery to solve and somewhat likable characters. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love reading about libraries, old books. There is an element of mystery among old books, a specific smell. This historical fiction adds a little mystery to the mix as our main character is curious and wants to know why Lord Belfield's wife died. I love the vibe of this, the setting is beautiful. I wish it moved a little quicker, but overall, I enjoyed it.

This book was interesting. I liked the library/books setting. The writing was good and I liked all the description. I could have done without some of the graphic detail but that’s just me. Overall, I enjoyed it!