The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a historical fiction set in the Paris American Library during World War II. The story is about the love and escapism of books during hard times, and the choices and secrets we keep. This book captures the library and the community it creates, really well while highlighting the power of books. The author, Charles heard this story secondhand when she was working for the Paris American Library making flyers, and became enamored with the story of community and survival. The story is well written and you can feel the history while reading it. The narrative has burst of excitement, and some bits of lull. I did feel Charles stuck a little too close to history at times, their’s some deaths that I just wasn’t impacted by, and I felt I should be. Not to sat the novel did not have emotional scenes but I thought the two main deaths could have more impact on the reader. I would compare this novel to Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pierce and Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly Hall. I read the advanced reader’s copy of The Paris Library thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was published on February 9 2021.

The Plot: Odile has a passion for reading and the Dewey Decimal system. She’s a french girl that has learned to speak english through books, and has frequented the Paris American Library all her life, and now wants the go for her dream job of working for it in 1939. She gets the job, where she is surrounded by books and fellow book lovers, it is the greatest year of her life. She has her dream job and her dream beau a Paris police officer, then the war hits and changes everything. We jump forward and meet Odile 44 years in the future living in Montana as a bitter old woman. We learn how a woman so full of life can live all alone. She meets Lilly a girl who reminds her of her yourself, she tells her story as a warning of choices. What happened to Odile in Paris from 1939 to 1944.

What I Like: The love and genius of the Dewey Decimal system to categorize library books. I like that the Dewey Decimal device is used by Odile to categorize her life. I learned lots, that the French soldiers could still send mail, and weren’t treated great but not too bad as soldiers go. The people who had it worst are the women that dated Nazi soldier, no matter their reasons, had there head shaved and were beaten. I loved the friendships between Odile and Margaret and Odile and her brother’s fiancé. The love of books and the library. There’s a lot of book discussions that I found interesting, I’m adding There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston to my TBR, because of Odile affection for it, and the passages used in the book. The scene where Odile puts together where Paul, her beau, was really taking her to be alone. The final twist was a good one.

What I Disliked: It took the book a little too long to start connecting the 1939 story to 1983 story, I ended up liking it but it took a while to get there. There is two deaths in this book and I did not feel them like I should have, I was kind of shocked that there wasn’t any lead up to them.

Recommendations: I will recommend The Paris Library, it is a good historical fiction that highlights the importance of books. The dramatic scenes are good and have some an intensity. If you love books about survivors of World War II then you will like this book. I rated The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles 4 out of 5 stars.