This one started out slowly for me, and gradually pulled me in until I couldn’t put it down. If you are a fan of WW2 historical fiction this one should definitely be on your TBR! 

For the most part The Paris Library revolves around the American Library in Paris, and the people who worked there and frequented it during WW2. But it also takes place in a small town in Montana in the early 80’s. Our main character, Odile, is the link between the two times and places. Odile was a librarian at the American Library during the war, married a US soldier at the end of the war, and subsequently moved to her husband’s home in Montana, where she is still referred to as the “war bride” decades later. Lily, her teenage neighbor, and Odile strike up an unexpected friendship that helps both of them navigate through the past (Odile), and the present (Lily). 

This isn’t a rapid novel of war passion, intrigue, and Résistance, but one of how everyday Parisians navigated the war, and the choices they made doing so. All of the characters are well-rounded human beings, with their good sides and flaws, and all make mistakes, even when they are trying to do good. I really enjoyed learning more about the American Library, and all of the important duties the library performed during the war, and how the author weaves both fictional characters and real-life characters together in the narrative. Odile is a complicated character whose actions often go against her kind nature, as she does not always think before she speaks. Lily is similar, she bottles her feelings up inside, and it is really heartwarming to see how the teen and the older woman help each other work through their lives, choices, and trauma immensely. 

I would absolutely love to see this novel made into a TV series that would do the author’s character development justice (and maybe even explore what happens after the novel finishes). Also, Paris will always be my home, even if I haven’t lived in France for over 15 years now, and Janet Skeslien Charles loves Paris in the same way I do, so reading this book warmed my heart so much.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.