Earlier this year, I read Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, my introduction to books by Janet Skeslien Charles. However, The Paris Library is a better-known book by this author and I’ve seen many more people talk about it. I know I promised this review earlier this week, but I had some technical issues on my other blog and therefore writing posts took the backburner. Oh well. Anyway, after reading the other book by this author, I was very curious for this one and I thought the week of Liberation Day would be a good time to read this novel. Was it as good as many readers say?

About the book

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Published by Atria Books on February 9, 2021
Pages: 353
ISBN: 9781982134198
Genres: Adult, Historical fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife. 
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.

My review

To be honest, my expectations were quite high. This book is more popular than Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade and this always sets some standards for me. However, this book definitely has its flaws, even though the extended research the author has done to tell that story was clearly noticeable. I therefore expected the same for The Paris Library. I was wondering how both timelines – of course there is a dual timeline narrative – would fit together. Moreover, I again was expecting lots of research and a story based on facts.

As you may already know, I enjoy reading historical fiction novels. Most of them have a dual timeline narrative, in which I find the timeline in the past much more interesting than the second timeline. This is no different here. We alternately follow Odile in WOII Paris and Lily in a 1983 small town in Montana. I was wondering how both timelines would be connected, but we’ll find out eventually. Odile is a free-spirited woman who lands her dream job in the American Library in Paris not long before WOII breaks out. Her parents however are very conservative and rather see her getting married. Her dad therefore invites potential candidates on a weekly basis. Odile hates this and sees the library as her sanctuary. Along with her twin brother Remi that is, but he seems to have secrets of his own. However, Odile loves the library and makes tons of friends. Eventually war hits their doorstep as well. Throughout nearly the entire novel, Odile seems a bit out of this world and would believe that nothing could happen to her. I find this remarkable for a librarian and not in a good way. On the other hand, this innocence is quite endearing, even though betrayal happens right under her nose. She has to make choices that still haunt her all those decades later. And that’s were Lily comes in.

To be honest, I was quite annoyed by Lily. I wasn’t expecting a teenager to be a main character in this novel, and I therefore was a bitt taken off-guard. Ofcourse I would have known this if I reread the blurb before reading this book. However, I did not. Lily is very intrigued by her distant neighbour with the huge walls around her who seems to be avoided by the entire town and lives quite a lonely life. A school assignment gives her the chance to get in touch with Odile and the unexpected happens. Lily and Odile become friends and where the library was Odile’s sanctuary, Odile is Lily’s. However, something happens which tests their friendship. But maybe, maybe this is the much needed catalysator for Odile. However, I wasn’t too intrigued by Lily’s storyline, and I think it’s quite unnecessary. Even though it really showcases the consequences choices made in history could have all this time later.

As stated before, I expected some extended research to be done by this author. This was indeed the case, as you are able to read in the acknowledgements. Again, this novel is based on an existing library and on real people who worked there and lived in Paris at the time. This made the plot of this book believable. It’s hard to reveal more about this because historical fiction is hard to review since these novels are based on through events in history. I still was intrigued by this novel, even though it took me a while. As expected, I was more intrigued by the timeline in the past and thought the timeline in 1983 was quite unnecessary. Fortunately, it didn’t feel like a filler this time like it does in Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, but it still took me out of Odile’s story. However, the switching back and forth between those timelines and characters has been handled well. The pacing was a bit off, even though it’s logical in view of the historical events and context.

I understand why The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is such a popular book. It’s a book about books, but also about history, betrayal, and facing consequences about choices made. I was more intrigued by the timeline in the past, but no surprises here. It took me a while however, because this book needed a lot of build up it seems. However, at one point I was fully intrigued and couldn’t put it down. The author has done extensive research and this shows. If you want to read a book about books set in a dark historical time, then this might be your novel.