Wow - this is the kind of book I fall in love with. Poignant, sad, hopeful, populated with beautifully-crafted characters, and based on the truth.

The American Library in Paris is the setting for this story, set during WW2. One of the main characters Odile, is a librarian, and soon comes to experience life under German rule; with Jewish subscribers banned from the building, Odile becomes one of a number of staff who risk their own lives delivering books to these valued friends. Odile's relationships with others are fascinating - Margaret, wife of the US ambassador, cosseted and wealthy who comes to volunteer her time; Paul, a policeman, a prospective suitor offered up by Odile's father who does actually fulfil the role; Miss Reeder, the formidable library directress, and many many more...

Move to a more contemporary narrative, where Lily, an American schoolgirl, lives on the same street as the reclusive older Odile - gradually they build a close friendship and the stories of Odile's past are shared and become lessons in life for Lily.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - I fell in love with the characters, cared so deeply about what they were going through, and am clinging to the memory of it!

Based on the true story of the American Library in Paris during World War II, this is the fictional story of Odile - a French girl who works at the library at that time and Lily - an American teenager growing g up in America during the 1980s.
It is very thought provoking but a good read. Would definitely recommend it.

Set in Paris during the Second World War, and in 1980s America, the book follows Odile - in the earlier period, a 20-something girl in Paris during the occupation, and in the latter, an old woman.
Ostensibly, the book is about how the American Library in Paris was kept open during World War 2, and much of this part of the book is based on fact, with many real people included. But the book is really about growing up, coping with hardship and relationships.
Initially, the Paris section was much more compelling than the American section, but the American narrative developed as connections were made between the two time periods and Odile's history unfolded.
A good read, with historical fact neatly interwoven with the fictional characters.

Truly a beautiful novel on love and survival during occupied france. I love historical fiction and the way the author weaves between the two protagonists is one of my favourite things in a story. Great for hist fic fans.

I quite enjoyed this book, although it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. It is set in Paris during the 2nd WW and is based on a true story. Some of the characters actually existed. The story of the American Library and how they managed to survive the Nazi occupation is really interesting. The problem I had was that I didn't like the style of writing. I found it quite flat and a bit of a chore to read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I have read alot of WW2 fiction and I loved reading this story - a different take. It was beautifully told and I absolutely loved the book of Odile and her journey. The second line of story telling around Lily was also moving and beautiful. I highly recommend.

Beautifully written and sympathetically observed, this wonderful story documents the bravery of the librarians in the American Library in Paris during WWII. Odille, a young librarian whose story is told in two different timelines, learns about love, trust and friendship during the German occupation of Paris. She is brave yet impulsive, thoughtful yet thoughtless, capable of great loyalty yet quick to judge. The characterisation and sureness of place is so well written you can imagine yoursel there. I didn't want it to end.

What an excellent book. One of those books that actually leaves you feeling privileged to have read it. Based around the work of those in Paris, during the Second World War; Their mission, to preserve the library and ensure its books remained available to all - even though that meant danger to some.
This story is told in two halves. One of our main characters is revealed to us during the war and again in the 80’s. I particularly liked how, when we picked up with her in the 80’s, it was never revealed what had happened in her life towards the end of the war; so nothing was spoiled in the telling.
This is a story based around true events and it is very moving to read. I loved how the book ended, (without giving anything away) as it started with our two main characters.
Just a great book, very well worth reading.

I really enjoyed this book! Odile is a teenager living in Paris in 1939. She lands the job of her dreams in the American Library, but when war arrives the library struggles to stay open. As an act of resistance Odile and her librarian friends take books to their devoted Jewish readers who are not allowed to visit the the library. The people at the library become family to Odile and there are some wonderful character storylines throughout this book.

Fast forward forty years, Lily lives in Montana in the 1980’s and is a neighbour to an older reclusive Odile who mentors Lily, teaching her French. A strong bond develops between the two women which encourages Odile to re-engage with life. What led Odie to leave Paris and live a reclusive life in America? You’ll need to read this book to find out!

This is a wonderful book based on a true story. The writer has researched her subject well and has written a gripping novel. I received a free copy of this book, a favourable review was not required and all opinions expressed here are my own.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t get into it at all. Supposedly based, in part, in Paris during WWII, but the Americanisms really niggled me; e.g. the use of ‘precinct’ rather than la gendarmerie, there’s no way a French would call it a precinct.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I wasn't entirely sure about this book initially, but it really pulled me in very quickly. It's a love letter to libraries, specifically the American Library in Paris. The role the library played in WWII seemed improbable, a metaphor for the importance of reading in a chaotic, dangerous world, so it was wonderful to read the afterword and see how much of this was based on fact.

I loved Odile - we meet her as a young woman starting out on her career as a librarian, falling in love, managing friendships, with the background of occupied Paris in WWII. Janet Skeslien Charles doesn't flinch from portraying the difficulties - hunger, threat of arrest - and the more subtle difficulties of surviving emotionally in an occupied city where betrayal becomes an act of survival.

Mirroring this is Odile's friendship with a young girl in MidWest America. She uses her experiences to guide and inspire her.

The American Library itself becomes a character, a sanctuary, a community. It is everything a library should be. And I loved the way books are used - and when I book I know and love was namechecked I felt thrilled, as if I had a personal relationship with the writer, and could also see how perfectly they fitted the plot. That means I've generated a whole new reading list...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

It's a good thing.

Odile, as a teenager living in Paris in 1939, gets her dream job - in the American Library. Her love of books shines through, and the people she meets in the Library become like family to her, all different ages and Nationalities. As the war progresses the Library struggles to stay open but everyone is determined it will. The story goes between wartime Paris, and 1980s Montana. An older Odile meets teenage Lily, who wants to know all about Paris and Odiles life there. Odile teaches her French and passes on her love of books.

This book is based on the real Library and the amazing people who worked there. It gives a very believable insight in to wartime Paris, the deprivations they suffered, and also their resilience.
I really enjoyed this book, so well written, and lovely to have such strong female characters. It has also obviously been well researched, and it was nice to find out what happened to the real people after the war ended. At times the split between the war years and Montana seemed a bit disjointed but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would give this 4.5*

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC in return for an honest review.

An amazing story based on true life events. Tells about the war in Paris from a completely different perspective, of loves found and lost and the mistakes people made as a direct effect of the war. Very moving giving insight into lives of the characters

What a treat of a book. It has everything, love, hate, war, history, books! I couldn't put it down. I received it as an advance reader's copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review and an delighted to give it a clear 5 stars. One of the best books I've read this year
Set in Paris in the American Library (which I hadn't heard of, but now can't wait to visit as it still exists) the book is a fictional story based on fact. The fiction refers to some of the individuals rather than the wartime events.
It's one of the most realistic stories of life in that time that I have ever read, but it does not dwell on the actual war time atrocities. There are of course emotions, relationships and the very brutal realities of living in an occupied country.
The story alternates between wartime Pairs and the present day (which is actually the 1980's). The voices that of a young woman /girl in Paris and the present day voice is that of another of similar age in the States. The tensions in the book, the difficulty of categorising life into clear sections as books can be categorised, are familiar. The way your actions in life impact on both your own future and that of others are themes which run throughout.
I couldn't put this book down, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

War time novel set in a Paris library - should have had me hooked but it didn’t. I’m sure others may like it but it didn’t hold my interest enough to finish it

Just before the outbreak of WW2, Odile gets a job in the American Library in Paris. The book tells the story of what happened to the library and its staff during the war, interspersed with 1980s Montana and a young girl - Lily- who starts talking to her reclusive, elderly French neighbour.

The start was a little slow, but it was worth persevering. It's a really interesting story, although the parallel narratives didn't always help as they sometimes broke up a thread a bit too much. By the end though, it came together better than I'd been expecting when Lily was first introduced. I expect this book to be very popular!

A fantastic and delightful book.....which allows the reader to to find out about a little known chapter of WW2. The author writes with compassion and this allows you to become immersed in the Paris Library.
Beautiful writing, strong female characters and an addictive storyline which you never want to end. Even the harrowing scenes are written in a empathetic style.
A must for fans of WW2 and books!
Could not put it down!

Brilliant book that had me hooked from the beginning. It evoked the time and gave an unusual perspective from an endearing librarian. The way the book moved from the war to the 80s to show how the war and what happened shaped the main character's life and how it led to a teenager neighbour growing as a person kept me hooked. I had never heard of the American Library in Paris before but the book contained a brief history of the library and some of the characters I met in the book who worked there n real life. Highly recommend this riveting story.

I am always drawn to books about the second world war, and I have always loved war films. I was excited to be given the opportunity to read and review this lovely book.
I can understand why the author recognised what that there was a good novel to be written about the American Library in occupied Paris. I was charmed by the way she included the books classification numbers and so many wonderful literary works into the story. Split between two timelines, we meet librarian Odile in 1939 in Paris, and in the 1980s in Montana, where she meets a teenager called Lily, who needed a friend and some books in her life. . This took a little bit of getting used to, but it provided a way of adding reflection and the longer term impact of what happened in Paris during the war.
Based on a true story, the author introduces us to some amazing characters who are based on people who really worked in the library. Her research was clearly extensive and detailed. It would be hard to leave any of it out, but it made the first quarter of the book quite factual, as we got to know the characters and their stories. Saying this, I really liked them all.
Thank you to Janet Skeslien Charles, the publishers, and #NetGalley for the early copy. It has made me want to return to Paris and find the American Library. I will certainly be recommending this book. I would have give in a 4.5 if possible.

What a captivating story this was. I became enthralled in the story of the American Library in Paris really quickly. It is really well written and evokes the life and times of Paris during World War Two, so much so that I felt I was there and could see through their eyes. I loved the additional story running through the book too, of Odile and Lily, it gave another perspective of seeing things from the more recent time, looking at the past in the present. Brilliant.

I felt I knew the characters in the story personally, they were so well portrayed. The way they were woven into the backdrop of Nazi occupied Paris was very personal and I became very involved in their story. Odile was probably my favourite but I loved them all and wanted them to succeed and survive.

It takes a good storyteller to take the facts and weave a story around actual people and places and make a fascinating story. However, Janet Skeslien Charles has definitely succeeded in doing just that. I struggled to put it down. I cannot recommend reading this book highly enough, you really will not regret reading it.