The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

3/5 Stars

A high percentage of the books I enjoy reading are historical fiction. I become immersed in the historical context and details of the characters and appreciate the deep and thorough research often found among their pages. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is my most recent historical fiction read which centers around the American Library in Paris during World War II and the courageous librarians who bravely sought to keep books in the hands of their subscribers even in the midst of the Nazi occupation of Paris. Themes of friendship, love, family, betrayal, consequence and heroism are woven throughout.

Odile Souchet, the protagonist, literally has it all including her dream job at the American Library in Paris. Her love of books and reading runs so deep that she has the Dewey Decimal system memorized. (Side note: I appreciated the many references to the Dewey Decimal system throughout the novel. They brought a sense of nostalgia.) But when the Nazis occupy Paris, Odile, and her fellow librarians, join the Resistance movement and fight it with their weapon of choice: books. The story follows Odile’s life during World War II, but also flashes forward to the 1980s and her relationship with a young girl turned teenager named Lily and the unlikely connection of Odile’s past to Lily’s present. Their friendship forms at just the moment that they both need it and a beautiful relationship builds.

I liked this book, and in fact I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It was interesting to read about the libraries in Nazi occupied territories during World War II. This is a little known bit of history that was brought more alive among the novel’s pages. I did, however, feel that the novel lacked the deeper level of research that I have come to know and love in many historical fiction novels that I have read prior. At times, I felt it moved too quickly and lacked the detail and background information needed to make it completely captivating. The Paris Library is a good and interesting read, but more depth in the research would have made it amazing.