I found this slow going. Although the setting is interesting, the writing was a little too twee and obvious in places.

Personally this book was written for me! I love WWII, libraries and historical fiction. I really really enjoyed this book based on a true story in Paris during WWII. This story really caught my attention and I couldn't get through it quick enough. Well written with super characters. I have thought about this book often since I finished. A sign of a good book.

Thank you NetGalley.

Like most readers, I am a library junkie and so felt completely swept up by this historical recreation of the American Library in Paris during the war. Although a lot of research has clearly gone into this novel Janet Skeslien Charles's skill is in wearing it lightly. She leads with her army of charming characters and their experiences of Paris during the Occupation, by turns harrowing and heartbreaking, yet ultimately offering hope through the sheer concerted human spirit on offer. Great use is also made of the Dewey Decimal System and I wonder if I will ever be able to look at library shelves without thinking of how cleverly JSC deployed her fictional ones!

I never expected to be so engrossed about a story that revolved around a library but this had me gripped from the start .It's told in two strands one from just before the start of WW2 follows Odile a young French woman desperate for a job in the American Library in Paris ,the second set in Montana in the early 1980's follows Lily an American teenager and it transpires Odiles' next door neighbour.
The Odile story is fiction the setting is fact, many of her colleagues in the library are the real people who worked there during the war and struggled under the Nazi occupation.They kept the library open maintaining it as a haven for their subscribers/members sending books to soldiers and as the Nazi persecution of the jews increased they hand delivered books to them despite the penalties they would suffer if caught .They were the light in the darkness of war and occupation.
Odile wise in some ways painfully naive in others, encounters love friendship and betrayal and consequences of her words and actions she could never have imagined.
Interspersed with this we meet Lily living next door to Odile in a small town in the American midwest she is entranced by the mysterious warbride the now much older Odile as Odile guides her through the death of her mother ,teenage heartbreak and tries to show her how her actions and words have consequences, none more so than when Lilys' prying into Odiles past uncovers a dark secret.
I can't go into the plot anymore without spoiling a terrific tale that unfolds superbly, the real life events and characters have been meticulously researched and the result is a beautifully told tale of a dark and horrific time in French history and quiet heroism in unimaginable circumstances..Highly recommended.

this is a wonderful evocation of a time and a historic place I never knew of in Paris - and that's what is most valuable - I was intrigued to know why we were hearing about the older Odile after we'd witnessed her in Paris before WW2 going for library job ... and then we spring into a young girl decades later, in the USA - and realise it's Odile again next door. frankly I didn't like the first-person voice of the young Odile or the young girl telling us the story of her own troubles with bullies at school, and meeting up with the older woman next door ... i skipped to the end ahead of reading the middle, just to see - and discovered a summary of the history of the real library in Paris- and its story is amazing and heartfelt and, in a way, made it all more readable - it is a bit plodding except that you realise after you know context and its authenticity, that you are hearing about an important moment in european history - so it's worth all the detail and research. on balance, really fine ...

This story is a captivating and magical experience of two females experiencing turbulent times and deep friendships. France 1939 and our young passionate protagonist Odile balances the beginnings of a new career in the Paris library against German occupation. Extensively researched, deeply moving and displaying a gift for and love of, books across the generations. This author illustrates aspects of Dewey index, quotes from literature and a unique story of a group of people struggling to give readership to casualties of war. We are then taken to Montana where Lily our second heroine is struggling with bereavement, puberty and a burning curiosity about the ageing reclusive Mrs Gustafson who lives next door. How our Parisian Odile ended her life on the other side of the world and the unique friendship and shared heartbreaking stories of this old woman and young girl slowly reveal a deeply moving story on every level. A rewarding experience retelling of a life lived through love loss and war and using all those experiences to help a young motherless girl move through inexperience and bereavement to self awareness, knowledge , education and a love of all things French. Well written, meticulously researched in fine detail, and slowly revealing to the reader on every page a love of literature, displays of heroism, and the ability of people from vastly different countries, lifestyles and backgrounds to form unusual and lasting friendships. A five star read that lingers in the memory long after the story reaches its conclusion and the book regretfully is closed. This ARC from NetGalley and the publisher was really appreciated in that my life came to a standstill as I savoured every aspect of this story.
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This was an engaging read. It was a little slow to get started but I did start to get into it. It had some varied characters and was well written.

I would rate this book as 3.5 stars. I enjoyed much of the story, but parts of it really dragged, I found myself checking what percentage I had read, and how far I still had to read, something I rarely do.
The central character, the young Odile, is not a likeable person. She swings between generous gestures of help for people who are almost strangers, and downright nastiness to people who are supposed to be her closest friends. She has little warmth about her, and seems to care much more about the precious books and the library, than people. I did not warm to her at all.
The older Odile is a real enigma, and it was intriguing to guess how she came to be in Montana, USA in later life and peacetime.. Her relationship with the young Lily and her family was interesting, but also puzzling. Swinging between extreme closeness then outright rejection, she seems to revert to the attitudes of her younger self at this point.
The information about the American Library in Paris was fascinating, I had no idea this existed, and that was what kept me reading. However the author’s description of the German occupation of Paris did not convince me nearly as much as other WW11 novels have done.
There was too much of Odile’s story that was glossed over, or no explanation offered for, and the ending felt very rushed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I wish I could have liked it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This book is a real gem. In telling the story of staff and members of The American Library in Paris during World War II, the author creates a web of words which you cannot prevent being drawn into. Told by Odile in Paris during the war years, and Lily in America in the 1980s you are given a story which tells how events of the past reflect into our present day lives to a greater or lesser extent.
This book is one of the best I have read in a long time, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to other readers.

“The book carried me to another world, to a place that let me forget”

Alternating between war time Paris and 1980’s America The Paris Bookshop tells the tale of Odile a new librarian at the American Library in Paris through the years of the Second World War and Lily, a lonely teenager, who lives next to Odile in 1980’s Montana and befriends her.

A beautiful tale of the power of books and friendship in times of trouble I found myself unable to put this book down and devoured it in one sitting. The description of the changing landscape of Paris as the war progresses and the impact on relationships really resonated as did a number of quotes around the power of reading.

A really enjoyable read with a strong story running through it. Odelle survived the war and is brought out of "hibernation" by a young girl living next door and through both eyes the story of the American Library in Paris unfolds bringing with it some great tales.
The book is well written and flows very well and I strongly recommend it.

Gave up long before the statutory 10% mark, partly because the flipping plot hadn't even started yet, but mostly because the style was so paper-thin – girly, twee and bland – it was almost painful.

Having worked as a library assistant I was particularly drawn to the subject of this book. Initially set in Paris 1939, Just before the Nazi invasion, Odile has a comfortable lifestyle, an obsession with books and the order they give, the job she’s always wanted, working for the American library, a handsome police officer as her fiancé, life Is turned upside down as the ramifications of WW2 take effect. I understand that love of the Dewey classification system, everything having its own place on the shelf. An escape of real life and a place for the vulnerable “The Library is my haven. I can always find a corner of the stacks to call my own, to read and dream. I want to make sure everyone has that chance, most especially the people who feel different and need a place to call home.”

Community begins to pull together to ensure the life of the library and it’s occupants is maintained through the unsettling years of WW2.

Skip forward to Lily, a hormonal teenager in Montana USA, her mother with health issues, her father sheltering her from the worst. Looking for attention she befriends her neighbour Odile and the story begins to unravel.

Not a bad read, a little romanticised I felt but of interest to those who love historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Two Roads publishers for an ARC of this book

Many friendships have been sealed over the power of books, many lives have been enriched and many days have been brightened. In times of hardship, a library is a beacon of hope. Odile and her friends discover life in wartime has consequences that can last a lifetime. Their confidence & courage shine through every heartache & triumph.

A poignant and truly uplifting story told from two time periods, with determined & independent female characters at the forefront. The librarians of Paris made a difference to its citizens and this novel helps shine a light on this. Told through the tenacious voices of 1940’s and the 1980’s characters, this book will fill you full of hope.

An engaging and very enjoyable novel that would sit comfortably on the Paris Library's own shelves. Delicately and gracefully written and worth every second that it takes to absorb the scenes and characters so painstakingly described. Do please read this book, it deserves our attention!

I discovered the addenda when reaching the end of the book. It is likely I would have enjoyed this novel even more if I had read them first.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author and really enjoyed her writing style.
What a fabulous beautifully crafted piece I was intrigued from the very beginning can highly recommend this book.

I love a book that has a good, historical basis and that is certainly the case with "The Paris Library". This is a story of people of different nationalities, backgrounds and religions struggling to survive the Nazi occupation of Paris. There is also a linked coming of age story interwoven with the earlier tale, with Odile the library assistant being the common character. Some of the actions of people in WW2 were reprehensible and disgusting, but it also brought out the good in a lot of other people.
A lovely book which merits reading.

History has a tremendous knack of repeating itself, reminding us of humanities foibles and how the past fundamentally affects the future, for a book blog, it would be an understatement to say that books are important. For us, they are the fabric of life and ‘the Paris library’ is a book that carries that message. A journey that begins in Paris at the heart of the second world war, during the height of the cold war in 1980's America.

Odile Souchet is a young Parisian girl obsessed with books, literature, and libraries. In 1939 she's offered a job at the (real-life) American Library of Paris. A thriving community of subscribers, book lovers, and studious bookish staff, she’s in her element. Away from work, her twin brother is embroiled in the political upheaval of pre-war Europe and eventually signs up as war breaks-out. Odile’s father is a police commissioner and is constantly seeking a suitor for his daughter.

In 1980's America, Lily is a young teenager who’s mother dies suddenly. Seeking some sort of matriarchal comfort, she forms a kinship with her neighbour Odile, a Parisian exile who has lived in the states since the end of the second world war.

At its core, this is a fictional story (based on true accounts) of the American Library of Paris during the terror of second world war. As the paranoia, espionage, insecurity and terror of Hitlers third Reich descends on Paris, the library subscribers seek comfort in books, with Odile and the staff battle to keep the library open, fighting anti-antisemitism, and the personal battles at the heart of Parisian wartime life. The bulk of this book is told through Odile's eyes, and how the war affects her family, her friends, and relationships. Life in 1980's America is mentioned fleetingly and although entertaining, the real heart of this book, are books themselves, and Odile's passion for literature, the history of the American Library in Paris, and as a historical document accounting life during the second world war, its a fascinating, entertaining, heartfelt, and important piece of writing. Meticulously researched, the prose is frighteningly good and an immediate comparison would be ‘house of dolls’ by Ka-tzetnik 135633

The Paris Library is a gentle and moving book. It is a two-parter, skipping backward and forward between wartime Paris and 1980s America. It describes the life of Odile, a young french woman who joins the workforce of the American Library in Paris, just before France and then Paris is occupied by the Germans, and later in time with her relationship an American teenager, Lily, who is a neighbour. I particularly enjoyed the group of bohemian characters who occupied the staff and subscribers of the library.

I enjoyed the way that the book flowed back and forth between the two times, and how through both the first-hand narration and probing of Lily we got to hear the story of Odile and why she settled in the US rather than stay in Paris with her fiance. The final ending that describes the events of the meeting between Odile and Lily was particularly powerful.

I enjoyed this book and the changing time periods and the cross over between Lily and Odile’s lives 50 years apart.

An interesting angle of the different nationalities living through occupied Paris.

Thanks for letting me review this book.