The Paris Library: A Novel

I put books on my kindle that I call "knock offs" or what used to be called paper backs; books read for leisure and then given away and never read again. After reading a knock off I typically remove it from my kindle, but I did not remove this book because I want to read it again. I loved this story. I admit that I also love libraries and books. The story and the characters are compelling because it is based on true stories of survival, compassion, personal growth and quiet resistance against an enemy intent on destruction, not just of books but also culture, history and the people who want to know the truth. It reminds me of more recent stories of curators who stayed behind in Iraq to save artifacts and protect the museums. Some died. Some survived. It is easy to forget these stories of human passion and commitment to something, or someone, loved and cherished. We often forget about those who quietly go about protecting our culture and history while maintaining continuity for the community and the individual. They become the quiet heroes. The dual stories demonstrate the conflicting perspectives between youth and age that are only reconciled by compassion and understanding. History is often considered boring and forgettable but history, large or small scale, is what shapes us and often seems to repeat itself. Books and libraries remind us that language, culture, government, fantasy, and dreams of the future change; that change is inevitable. We learn from change. Books and libraries help us to do that.

I rarely read secular fiction. This isn't because I'm a prude, although some examples certainly do go heavy on the content I don't think I should read. No, it is simply that I'm picky about what I read, Christian and secular, and the latter tends to disappoint. But The Paris Library did the exact opposite. As noted, it's perfect for book lovers, of which I am one. It's also a well-written, rich, and unique book, period.First off, the portrayal of the American Library in Paris (ALP) is spot-on. From the front doors to the Afterlife, the Library is every bookworm's dream encapsulated in the written word. The books are a big part of that, but more, it's because the Library provides a home and community for Odile and her fellow librarians and subscribers. A great workplace will provide both, and those are rare today. I had one once, in a writing/tutoring center, and so visiting the ALP felt like coming home in more ways than one. This also helped me root even harder for Odile and the others as they worked to save books and bring literature, and hope, to subscribers who couldn't come any longer.As with any great book, the characters pop off the page. Odile is my favorite, partly because we're both bookworms but mostly because she is so human. She could be considered a World War II heroine, which fiction has plenty of these days. To consider her such would not be out of line at all. At the same time, she makes horrible mistakes and misinformed choices. She erects walls of unforgiveness and hides behind elegance and an attempt at perfection, like real people do, like I admit I do sometimes. You root for her precisely because she is imperfect, because she either walks among you or lives in your mirror.I didn't identify as much with Lily, but she was a breath of fresh air amid the heaviness of the rest of the book. She deals with some heavy stuff, and Janet Charles does a great job exploring those issues. Yet, Lily embodies what it meant to be a typical teen in the 1980s. I especially enjoyed her time period because I was born at the end of the decade and enjoyed seeing it through the eyes of teens and adults. Yet, I also enjoyed Lily for the ways in which she wasn't typical, or the ways she set herself apart and made a life for herself in small ways. The scene with the dove gray beret touched me in an odd but appreciated way, and I loved watching her relationship with Eleanor grow.The other characters are wonderful, too, especially the women. Margaret, Miss Reeder, Eleanor, Brenda...they each have their own stories and somehow, they all fit together, even when you wonder how or if they should. The male characters, too, are more fleshed out than I usually see in a novel like this. Pryce-Jones and Nerciat are funny, annoying, and comforting in their presence by turns. Boris provides a great perspective on WWII because he's already lived through the Russian Revolution. Remy provides gravitas and grounds the story in the reality of war without the overbearing sense you sometimes get from books like this. And I loved the twists with both Paul and Papa Joubert.Finally, I appreciated how Janet Charles probed some of the lesser-known aspects of World War II, such as, of course, the saving and banning of books, the "crow letters," and the way people from different countries came together to fight on the home front. I appreciated her approach to Nazi and civilian relations through Margaret and Dr. Fuchs, because again, that exploration isn't common. Most of all, I applaud Janet for presenting World War II through the lens of, "This is what it's really like to live through war as a civilian. It blows your life apart, and yet you keep going."I did question the constant shifts in POV, and whether certain POVs needed to be in the book. That is, a person's POV would be given once, and then you'd never see it again. I really wanted the story to focus only on Odile and Lily, and perhaps more of their inter-generational, international friendship. The end got a little tedious too, since Odile went back over information readers already knew and circled back to the first time she met Lily. I wasn't sure I needed to see it again, although I understand the choice.Overall then, The Paris Library is a solid, rich 4.5 that gets my definite recommendation. I'll be looking for more books like this, from all time periods. Book lovers unite!

This book was easy to start and stay with. Certainly a cast of characters you quickly get to know and fall right into their stories

I loved everything about this book. Since I love reading I related to Odile’s passion for books and the setting in the library. Her history in France before and during the 2nd World War was enlightening. Within Odile and Lily’s story one could experience the human conditions in Paris leading up to the German occupation and the violence and trauma endured by the French. Juxtaposed withLily’s coming of age story in the 1980’s and Odile’s role in their friendship, what could have been an odd coupling, was rendered beautifully by the author.This is a heartwarming book that will leave you enriched over time.

What was difficult was the mixing of Odile’s life into her childhood and her adulthood. This could have been handled much more smoothly. And the character Paul behaved completely out of character— and thus was tossed from the novel—at a time when Odile would have known better. But the writing about the library in Paris: superb!!!!

Read this book for my book club. I loved it. Great discussion for a book club.

I read this book over a week. Didn’t want to read it too quickly so I could enjoy it and all the characters. It is about Odile based in Paris and in the future 1980’s in Montana. Well written, research is excellent. I read a lot of WW2 books and this is at the top of my list. Very enjoyable. Definitely recommend.

A great Read. Based on fact , I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it if you love books and France !

This is the low quality equivalent of the series Emily in Paris .This novel is supposed to describe life in Paris during WW2 but it is full of inconsistencies and the style is very poor. Full of clichés like the smell of croissants which is supposed to pervade Paris.What a disappointment !

Product with good quality and packing, duration of delivery was very short and am really happy for the product.The paris library is one of the most recommended books in my list and its worth the time i have spend on it.

裏表紙に書かれている推薦の言葉通りです。Kindleでなく紙の本にしてよかったです。寝る前に読むようにしています。読み終わるのが惜しいような(今80％ぐらい読了)朝まで読みたいような小説です。第二次世界大戦中のパリで実際にあった出来事を基に書かれています。多言語に翻訳されているようですが、原書を選んでよかったです。映画のように情景が浮かびます。巻末にBOOK CLUBのためのDISCUSSION QUESTIONSやENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB等の付録があります。私の町にはBOOK CLUBはないですが、本好きの誰かと一緒に読めたらもっといいのにと思います。