The Paris Library is a phenomenal historical fiction read. Odile is a wonderful main character, with increasing depth and vulnerability. The story takes place in WW2, however, it is a unique and interesting perspective. There is heartache, love, and a great plot to fall in love with.

I have read a lot of books set in the war, but this one is set apart because of its focus on the American Library during this time. I can’t wait to go out and find some of the titles mentioned in the book.
It has all the hallmarks of a good story, love, romance, betrayal and of course the added backdrop of Paris and books. It revels in the diverse characters which permeate the story and the Library and draws you into their world. And what a grim world it was at times. The backdrop of WW2 rumbles on throughout the novel, but intertwines cleverly with Odile’s present. Listen wisely to the lessons she teaches , they are as relevant today as they were then.

This is a fantastic read, revealing a side to wartime Paris that I had never heard about before. Told through multiple voices in 1st and 3rd person this never misses a beat and remains coherent and clear throughout. Touching, moving and involving in equal measure, a definite page turner.

A moving tale with an ending that I didn’t see coming. Full of life and love and history the two threads blended together perfectly. I would have preferred more time on the ending

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Rating ***** 5/5
A skilfully, well researched, unusual novel mostly based in The Paris Library in WWII interlaced with characters in Froid, Montana in the 1980s. The common denominator is Odile, whose great love of the library sees her through the war and then settling in Montana.
Years later, befriending Lily, a young teenager who is suffering the loss of her mother, Odile’s life through the war is slowly revealed: her family, friends, the hardships, the losses, love. Experiences which shaped Odile and enable her to help Lily, whose angst is truly felt.
The staff of The Paris Library and their sacrifices and danger they were exposed to in keeping it open for their readers, some of whom had lost the freedom of using it during the occupation left a strong impression on me.
Ms Charles captured and developed both the characters and their experiences during the war and after and deservedly achieves top rating and recommendation.
Thank you to Ms Charles, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Paris Library in return I have given an honest and unbiased review.

Really enjoyed this book. Thought the story was really engrossing the whole way through. A very enjoyable read. Highly recommend.

This is another book from NetGalley set in Paris during the German occupation and Montana decades later it tells the story of a Librarian and that of a young girl who lives next door to her when she moves to . I had started to read it just before the lockdown started so it was particularly interesting reading about how the Parisians coped during the occupation. I would say it is not my usual type of book but like The Book Thief, this is a book that draws you in and gives you the feeling of what it was like to be in Paris during the occupation.
I would probably describe it as a coming of age book, one in which we see two girls come of age, but in different eras. A delightful book, highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book and even more so when I found that it was based on truth.

I loved how Odile and Lily interacted. Both characters had heavy weights on their shoulders and lots of growth to make.

Parisian Odile was a great character and loved finding out about the library, the librarians and the interactions between the subscribers and the people who worked there. I loved how she grew up in time and was so sad and how the character ended up.

Lily was great, she was in a strange time growing up and Odile was her therapist in a matter of speaking. I was glad she brought Odile out of her shell in more modern times.

This is a must-read and great information about Wartime Paris.

This was such a beautiful book.
It's always such a pleasure when a book has well rounded, realistic characters and both of the main characters, Odile and Lily were really brought to life.
Historical fiction can sometimes be a bit twee, but this story, based on the real American Library in Paris during the second world war felt realistic, both in terms of the way the characters and places were described, but also the pain and heartbreak they went through, as well as multiple moral quandaries.
I loved that the story jumped back and forth between Odile's memories of her time in Paris during WW2 and her relationship with Lily in later years.
These two characters were decades apart in age, but both had experienced loss and needed something from each other and the love and relationship they had was believable and heartwarming.

What a fabulous read, just perfect for bookworms, like myself, who believe that a day without reading, is a day wasted!! This is based upon the true accounts of the librarians who worked at The Paris Library during the Nazi occupation of that great city.
It has a dual timeline, Paris from 1939 onwards, and then Froid, in Montana, USA, in the early 1980's. The central character is Odile Souchet, unmarried, who has just started work at the library, and through her, we meet many glorious and eccentric readers, or subscribers to the books within. These subscribers support the work of the library, and we are introduced to the wartime work of this building and staff. I didn't know that boxes of books were sent to the troops engaged in fighting, so they had something to read and relax with, but we are told that Paris is a city of readers. Later in the book, there are frantic efforts to move books to save them from being destroyed by the Germans, and the library is forced to deny entrance to its Jewish readers , which necessitates them having to do stealthy home deliveries!!
The second timeline is where we next meet Odile, now Mrs Gustafson, in Froid, where she is known as ' the War Bride', she has been widowed, and her only son has been killed in Vietnam.
Running through this story, is the sense of shame, guilt and regret, on the part of Odile. The reasons for this are gradually divulged by the introduction of a young girl, Lily, who boldly knocks on Odile's door and asks for help in her school project on France. When we find out what shocking events have led to Odile running away from France, it reminded me , quite forcibly of an expression used by my Gran, think before you leap in! Odile is hasty in her words and deeds, and ends up with so many regrets, yet finds acceptance by befriending Lily and her family, which leads to being more welcomed by the wider community of Froid.
A thoughtful read, and a reminder of how ordinary citizens were treated in Nazi occupied France. Books are important, they set us free, via our imagination, and especially in these uncertain times of Coronavirus isolation. The perfect book to read in these circumstances, we are all fighting an enemy.
I gave this a four star rating, have already recommended it to my online book group, and will post a review to Goodreads today.

What an incredible insight into life under Nazi rule. I loved this book! Gripping, and totally enthralling, you follow the life of Odile, a young French girl working at the American Library in Paris during the 1940s. The story is told from the 1940s and the 1980s, with Odile’s experiences of life under the Nazis the mainstay of the story. Odile’s story and that of the characters she meets is told with such authenticity, and does not flinch from the more upsetting aspects of the occupation. I was delighted to read that the book’s characters are based on real people of this time period who were working in the American Library. This gives the book such depth and really brings their stories to life. The added bonus for a book lover is that the story is set in a library! A brilliant, brilliant read!

The Paris Library is such a joy to read , and is set in two timelines and places Paris during WWII and Montana USA in the 80's .Odile loves books and is delighted to be given a job at The American Library in Paris it tells the story of Odile and her colleagues based on real events and real people this is a compelling read about friendship and family and courage during the war and afterwards .I knew nothing about The American Library in Paris so it was very interesting to read about it .I loved this book made even better by knowing that the characters were real people .Many thanks to the Publishers the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I usually enjoy books set during the WWII, and so when I read the description of this book I was very keen to read this. However, sadly this for me was a very average book. The main thing that let this book down in my opinion was the plot. We are introduced to our two main characters, Odile and Lily. The story of Odile is mainly set during the war, but the narrative jumps between 1940's wartime Paris where we see Odile as a young girl, and 1980's Montana, where Odile is much older and her friendship with her young neighbour Lily. The Odile we are introduced to in Paris in 1938 begins a job in an American library in Paris. We learn she has real love of books, quoting passages from some of her favourite texts as they lend themselves to certain situations she finds herself in, as well as knowing the Dewey system off by heart - again quoting this to herself at certain times around certain topics and subjects. We learn that Odile has a twin brother, Remy, who is desperate to go off and fight for his country during the war. Odile then lives her days in Paris, worrying and waiting for her brother's safe return, and whilst working at the library under her father's disapproval, she begins to see the changes in life and in Paris as the war develops, in particular for Jewish friends of hers. The story as already mentioned, jumps between this story in Paris and later life in Montana. Whilst the latter story focuses more on young Lily wanting to find out more about Odile's previous life in Paris and Oldile helping Lily deal with the many emotions and situations she faces as she grows up, I did not feel a great connection between these two stories; whilst they were obviously linked, I did not feel one tale supported the other in encouraging the reader to find out more. The two stories for me could have happened separately from one another, and had nothing lost or added to their tale. Whilst the book was generally written well, the plot did sometimes rely a little too much on narrative and jumped forward at certain points. This for me did not help to hold my whole interest in the events of the story and I subsequently did not feel a great empathy to many of the main characters. Although some of the events in the book were based on real life stories, I found the way the story was told and narrative put together, it was a very average book which in turn became quite a 'slow' read, struggling to keep my complete engagement at times. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sorry, on this occasion this book was not a great read.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles:
The novel beings in France, at the start of World War 2, and we are introduced to Odile Souchet, a young French woman who is obsessed with books and the Dewey Decimal System. Odile works at the American Library in Paris, and at first she seems to have everything she could possibly want in life - the love of a man, a beloved twin, and many book loving friends. But when War threatens to destroy everything, Odile’s world suddenly becomes very dangerous indeed.
The novel is split between 1939 and 1983. In the present day chapters, Lily, a lonely teenager, befriends an old French woman who lives next door. As the girl gets to know her elderly neighbour, she discovers the old woman has a past full of secrets, and slowly this past is brought back to life.
The Paris Library is wonderfully evocative of wartime Europe, and intricately researched. The story was inspired by the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, and I found it to be deeply moving, informative and ultimately life-affirming.

The Paris Library is based in Paris during WWII.

It follows the story of Odile, her family, her friends and how all of those around her are effected by the war.

The story was beautifully written, the characters relatable, the quotes from other books are on point and relevant throughout the story.

This book was honestly a delight to read. I enjoyed every word, didn't rush through it and was truly sad when it was over.

Its a perfect book to read on a relaxing weekend.

This book is based around the main character Odile and is set in two time periods, WW2 and the 80’s. I loved this book and finding out about Odile at two different ages and times in her life. This was a different aspect of WW2 that I hadn’t heard about before and I found it fascinating to read and learn about through Odile’s eyes. It is a story of relationships and resilience in the face of terror and hardship and the pitfalls and highs of human nature. Thoroughly recommend.

Loved it- the story, characters and writing style. It was interesting learning about the ALP. The book was definitely a twist to the usual historical fiction stories. This focused on the library and patrons. The librarians risked their lives to get books to people who were no longer allowed at the library. I ended up googling to see actual pics of the ALP. I never even knew it existed. My favorite part of the book were the characters. I loved reading about Odile. I liked how it alternated between Paris during WWII and Wyoming in the 1980s. Odile, her coworkers and some of the library subscribers were like a family. Would have enjoyed finding out what happened to Paul, Odile's family, Margaret and Bitsi. I can't believe how good of friends Odile's mom became with the Mistress. Lily was lucky to have found Odile. Oldie helped her through difficult times. Odile and Lily were exactly what each other needs. It's hard to believe that Odile was still a mystery to all her neighbors after living there so long. Lily and that beret. Did she ever take it off?? Ellie ended up being a friend for Lily. I'm pretty sure Ellie wouldn't have survived motherhood without Lily's help. Can't imagine what what Odile felt when she found out what happened to Margaret. Especially when she realized who was behind it. I felt horrible for Margaret. She was a wonderful friend to Odile.

Definitely recommend the book. The people at the ALP had a love for books. The story was beautifully written. Odile was a mystery and I loved finding out why she left France. I was sad when the book was over, because I wanted to keep reading about Odile and Lily. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from John Murray Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I do like a dual narrative. So Lily is an American teenager in the 1980s struggling with her mother's death and father's new marriage. She takes an interest in her secretive widowed neighbour Odille. She asks Odille about her life in Paris and Odille agrees to tell her about working at the American Library during the war. While Lily's imagination runs away with her Odille becomes a grandmother figure remembering her own difficult younger years, trying to atone for past mistakes.

I really enjoyed this. Both main characters are interesting and complicated. For me the frustrating part was the ending as Lily got a finale to her story but Odille didn't seem to. Her past and her future still remain unsettled

Wow. Set in Paris during its occupation the staff of the American Library Paris carry on supplying books to its patrons of all nations and religions. Their lives intertwine and they support each other. Alongside the narrative the second story of a young girl growing up in America, making an unlikely friendship with the French war widow accross the street. Age with wisdom is imparted to the young girl as the two stories unfold. You become invested in both narrative and feel like they are friends and you are reading a very personal diary. Very poignant and brings two very different daily lives to life. It made me want to find out what happened next as I turned every page.

For library-lovers everywhere

Sometimes a book just chimes with the times. Set mostly in Nazi-occupied Paris, it shows all sides of humanity: selfishness, pulling together, compassion, fear, kindness and a lot of love, just as we're seeing amid coronavirus.
We first meet Odile as she applies for a job in the titular library, her dream job. Then we meet her in as an older woman in Froid, Montana, 1983. Her journey has been a hard one. read it and be inspired. Most of all, treasure your local library!