Belle Greene: A Novel of America’s Most Famous Librarian Paperback – September 19, 2023

A good read. The dialog is fiction but the events are not. A tale of a talented young woman who had to supress her true identity in order to contribute to and share in the benefits of a "white" society. This is the 100th Anniversary of the Morgan Library of which Belle Greene was the first Librarian. No spoiler, there was no happy ending, in fact quite shocking and infruriating. A good read to understand ancient art, high society, and past political choices which still influence life today; the Civil War still has not ended.

Fascinating biography of Belle Greene. The author is very responsible with respect to the facts without letting the book get dry and boring.

Belle Greene reads like an extensive biography of an extraordinary woman who loved books as a child and worked her way up to a senior position at magnate J.P. Morgan's personal library, eventually earning more money than any other woman in the United States. Belle's estranged father was a black activist, but his wife and children bore no visible signs of their African American heritage. Since the kind of job she dreamed of wouldn't have been possible for a black woman in early 1900s America, Belle and her siblings agreed to live their lives in the white community, vowing never to have children who might reveal their racial background and always fearing how their father might react.The author has obviously done extensive research to portray Belle Greene as the remarkably ambitious and intelligent woman she was, and hers is quite a story. It's a long book (480 pages)--too long, I felt. Although the details were often fascinating, I would have preferred fewer minutiae about each auction where Belle represented the Morgan Library, less detail about clothing, building design, and European travel, more focus on what made Belle great, and less melodrama. However, the book is definitely an admirable accomplishment by the French author and her able translator.

The first chapter was a heart grabber.

The story of Belle Greene is amazing... and true. I learned a lot about the history of art, of manuscripts, of finance, of racial segregation, and on and on. Meanwhile, it was also FUN and interesting and well-written. I highly recommend.

Belle Green's story, told with such style and vividness, gallops along. It's a compelling read that plays out like a wonderful movie. LaPierre has done exhaustive research, but instead of slowing the story down, the nuances and details of sight, sound, texture, etc. made me feel as if I were there. Belle's life itself is extraordinary as she was intimately involved with some of the most powerful men of her time. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at some of the people and events we've only heard about is fascinating. I think you'll find this book hard to put down.

I thought this book was perfectly okay. I'm not quite sure what just didn't hit me exactly right? I think it was too long. I just felt like there was too much description. You can tell the author did thorough research which is so great! I don't think I would have even guessed this book was translated! I do appreciate this book for introducing me to a woman in history I did not know about before!

Wow.Read this book.It's hard to believe there haven't been dozens of books written about this extraordinary woman! A woman so far ahead of her time, who broke almost every gender and racial barrier in existence during a very straitlaced time in our history. A scholar, a sophisticated wheeler and dealer, a society butterfly, a woman who wasn't afraid to face down the legendarily ferocious J.P. Morgan--and win.This book is clever and romantic and thrilling and dazzling. It needs to be a film, pronto.But in the meantime, read!

Belle Greene is an interesting “story”, but I found the amount of detail too much fro my taste. Some friends read this book very quickly, but I got bogged down. Still worth reading.

Loved the book, specially as it was based on facts

A true and powerful account of a woman's determination, against a racist system, that still sadly, remains to this very day!