Le bibliotecarie di Lisbona

by Suzanne Nelson

In una città scintillante di segreti e ombre, l’amore è la scommessa più pericolosa di tutte.
1943. La seconda guerra mondiale infuria in Europa. Lisbona è una città affascinante sull’orlo del caos, che ospita spie che contrabbandano segreti letali. Tra loro ci sono Selene Delmont e Beatrice Sullivan, bibliotecarie di Boston trasformate in agenti alleati. Ufficialmente arruolate per catalogare libri proibiti, le due amiche sono agenti sotto copertura incaricate di infiltrarsi nella rete di spie dell’Asse. Ben presto, entrambe vengono coinvolte in una vorticosa spirale di inganni e bugie insieme a due degli uomini più famigerati di il console portoghese Luca Caldeira, e il letale agente doppiogiochista Gable. Mentre Selene si fa strada con il suo fascino tra sontuose sale da ballo e feste con Luca, Bea viene catapultata nell’oscuro mondo sotterraneo degli informatori di Gable. La vittoria dipende dal successo congiunto delle loro missioni, ma quando un tradimento inaspettato getta nel caos una rete di bugie accuratamente tessuta, i frutti di tutti i loro sacrifici sono messi a rischio. Mentre Selene e Bea vengono spinte al limite, la loro amicizia e i loro cuori riusciranno a sopravvivere al costo della guerra?
Ispirata a personaggi storici reali, la storia avvincente
di due giovani donne straordinarie,
del loro coraggio e del loro dolore,
e di un’amicizia che resiste alle devastazioni della guerra.
«Un romanzo storico assolutamente avvincente e impeccabilmente documentato, perfetto per i fan di Il codice Rose di Kate Quinn e L’Usignolo di Kristin Hannah.»

Kelly Rimmer
«Meticolosamente documentato con personaggi delineati in modo ricco e un’ambientazione suggestiva piena di glamour e di pericolo insieme. Una lettura obbligata per i fan
di Kate Quinn e Pam Jenoff.»

Jane Healey


Suzanne Nelson
È autrice pluripremiata di decine di libri per ragazzi, ha all’attivo numerosi articoli sulla genitorialità per il «Washington Post» e tiene laboratori di scrittura per grandi e piccoli. Ama leggere e scrivere romanzi storici. È nata nel New Jersey ed è cresciuta nella California meridionale, ha frequentato il college in Texas e ha lavorato otto anni come editor di libri per bambini a New York. Ora vive con la sua famiglia a Ridgefield, Connecticut. Le bibliotecarie di Lisbona è il suo primo romanzo per adulti.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, World War II, Portugal, Books About Books, Thriller

414 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

1943: Selene Delmont and Bea Sullivan are best friends and librarians from Boston, they are trained to be agents for the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon. Selene and Bea are here to catalogue the vast quantities of information gathered by the allies, and by night, both women are undercover agents and they can’t tell anyone and including each other.

Selene is from a wealthy family she’s beautiful and poised, Bea is bookish and lacks confidence. Both librarians are caught up in treacherous game of cat and mouse alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men, Luca Caldeira a social outcast, and Rafael Delgado an agent known as Gable. Despite Portugal and Lisbon being neutral, it’s the last gateway to Europe, full of desperate refugees and nobility, spies and double agents, a thriving black market and the top producer of wolfram and a mineral used to make ammunition.

Both Selene and Bea have night time missions and are under pressure to find out who’s the main leader of the spy ring, Selene and Luca, go to Lisbon's casinos, ballroom’s and hotels and she’s hoping to make friends with the mistresses of the underworld figures and get into their inner circle. Bea works for Colonel Fitzgerald and so does Gable and he doubts the stuffy librarian has what it takes and is shocked when he discovers she excels at deciphering codes and has a photographic memory.

I received a copy of The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson from NetGalley and Zando Projects in exchange for an honest review. Based on real people, events and what happened in Lisbon during the Second World War and the debut novel is told from the points of view of the two main characters. The reader gets an idea of the roles women played in helping the allies win and how important they were and what stopped me from giving the book a higher rating was the “romance” was a bit over the top, especially when the characters are agents and on high alert, very odd timing and it didn’t fit into the narrative. A story about friendship and secrets, survival and danger, action and intrigue, loss and heartbreak and four stars from me and well done to Ms. Nelson in having her first historical fiction novel published.

[Sonia Almeida Dias (Peixinho de Prata) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer, I must say I requested this book on Netgalley because I am portuguese, born and raised in Lisbon, and was trying to catch inconsistencies.

Well, I did find some, especially at a language level (it should have been reviewed by a native speaker, so these could have been spotted), but I also found a very good and solid story, well written, well researched, and I ended up learning many things about what it was like to live in my city 30 plus years before I was born.

The characters were compelling and we were invested in their fate, the plot had a nice pace, and I ended up enjoying myself very much.

Recommend it to all those that love historical fiction, well researched, with a dash of romance.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um romance leve, passado em plena Segunda Guerra Mundial, numa Lisboa onde coabitam espiões, tropas dos Aliados e do Eixo.

Uma leitura agradável, sem grandes clichés — aliás, até surge uma referência que não envolve pastéis de nata nem de Belém.

— Prova o pão de deus. — Selene ofereceu-lhe um bolo com cobertura de coco, o segundo da manhã. Bea só podia maravilhar-se com a segurança da amiga. Selene espreguiçou-se como um gato ao sol, transbordando um vigor despreocupado. — É delicioso.

[Katie Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I was going to absolutely love this. The premise sounded fantastic with a unique WWII POV. But it was way more romance than I was looking for. I learned a few cool things, but overall it was just an average read for me.

[Alanna Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Librarians of Lisbon
This was a debut historical fiction novel, and I really enjoyed it. This story is about two Boston librarians turned spies during World War II in Lisbon, Portugal. There is friendship, lies, coercion, and suspense. I have full video reviews on my socials if you are interested.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Vera Sopa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história de espionagem durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial passada em Lisboa e com bibliotecárias pareceu-me irresistível. Um livro mais aventureiro e esperançoso e se possível também com algum glamour e romance, o que fez deste uma escolha perfeita. E para mais, lê-se num ápice.

Selene e Beatrice são duas personagens que me convenceram, numa movimentação apoiada em factos para esta narrativa ficcional. Luca Caldeira é inspirado em Aristides de Sousa Mendes, o cônsul-geral que, contrariou as ordens e concedeu milhares de vistos a refugiados em fuga, enquanto “Gable” era um “agente-duplo” em Lisboa num país neutral que negociava volfrâmio com os aliados e o eixo. Coerente com as confusões da época já documentadas para uma empolgante leitura. Gostei muito.

[Catarina Benedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este foi, sem dúvida, um dos meus livros preferidos de 2025.
Quis lê-lo o mais devagar possível para poder aproveitar mais tempo a Bea, a Selene, o Luca e o Gable. É um livro que nos prende desde a primeira página, está muito bem escrito e mostra-nos como "Lisboa foi um raio de luz durante um dos períodos mais negros do mundo. Em tempo de guerra, o amor e a perda andavam de mãos dadas."

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading the Librarians of Lisbon. It is a fast-paced page turner with twists around each corner and an intricate plot that keeps you guessing. The main characters, Selene and Bea, are strong, brave, and clever women with complex dimension and innate differences. Selene, an astute seductress who meets her match, and Bea, a timid bookworm who learns how to tap into her own power and use her voice, provided engaging perspectives, as each chapter jumps from one woman’s POV, back to the other. I am always on the hunt for well thought out, strong female characters, and this book did not disappoint.
The setting of WWII in neutral Lisbon provides a looming mysterious tone that pushes the story along and makes you want to rush to the end to discover the fate of the two women. The delicate state of the city crawling with Nazi sympathizers disguised as Allies added delicious tension as Selene and Bea discern who they can and can’t trust, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time.
Possibly my favorite aspect of this novel was the romance, as it gave the reader slow builds and then rewarding releases. Selene and Bea’s love interests were smooth and sexy, enhancing the level of intrigue as they complicated and compromised the women’s positions as spies. With fake relationships and enemies to lovers tropes, this book will impress the romantics.
I devoured this book and strongly suggest you do as well! You will not regret it!

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slow Harlequin romance trying to be a historical novel. Save yourself the slog: read the author's note at the back to get the premise (it's a good one) and meet the people on whom some of the characters are based. In a more skillful author's hands this could have been a better book.

[Célia Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião no meu blogue, em https://wwwescrevinhados-cantarinha.b...

[Emma Tranavitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading The Librarians of Lisbon. The story following Bea and Selene during WWII working as spies in Lisbon was both fast-paced and suspenseful. The chapters rotated between their perspectives which portrayed their own experiences and missions which intertwined as the story went on. The epilogue at the end did a nice job of tying up loose ends that the story could have ended on.

The author's note at the end dives into the historical events and figures that inspired the book along with further readings to learn more which I am excited to read in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Sarah]

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get invested into this story so I DNF’ed it. The history was interesting and the premise of the story was promising, but it felt flat to me, which is sad because I love historical fiction books, especially those based on WWII. I’m really bummed about it, but perhaps I will come back to it when it is published and see if my views are still the same. On to better books!

Thanks to the publishers for the free ARC via NetGalley. All opinions and statements are my own.

[Kelly O'Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

March book club!!! The best part of this book was the Author’s Note at the end that gave details on the real people and events that inspired this story. Really struggled with how romance was woven into this - it felt pretty random and overwhelming.

[Sam (Sassyowlreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and can't wait to read it!

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent. Read!
I loved reading how librarians scoured Lisbon for books and articles and then had them sent to the US for safe keeping.
I loved the setting of Portugal because its role in WWII hadn’t really been explored before and this novel opened my eyes to all that occurred there.
I had never heard of wolfram and its importance to both sides during the war.
My favorite character was Bea because of razor sharp mind and her ability to unscramble codes, something I could never accomplish.
Thanks to NetGalley and Zando for the early copy.

[Becca Loritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read set in Lisbon in WW2. I'm not sure I've read a book set directly in Lisbon during this time period, I learned a lot about their neutrality and what that could have looked like for the people involved. It makes you think about if neutrality can really exist in situations like that and the consequences of our actions. The female characters were strong to me, and I'm a sucker for a good love interest in the midst of any historical fiction. Sometimes the intimate scenes were a little graphic for my opinion. I enjoyed this read and would read another book by this author.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

[Cheryl Sokoloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was meticulously researched. For me, I found the story a bit too “romancey”, but I really appreciate the detail.

Checkout the author’s Instagram page for videos from Portugal! Very cool. Thank you Suzanne Nelson.

I did get a copy of The Librarians of Lisbon from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than I expected. Even though it was about WWII, it wasn’t as heavy as I thought it was going to be. I also never realized Portugal’s role in the war, so it was interesting to learn about it and all the spy work that was happening. Also, it was pretty cool to read about the places in Portugal that I have visited. I could picture the city and how the characters were placed.

[Riley Gerwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly loved reading this book! It was interesting being set in Lisbon during WWII. It gave a different perspective from books I normally read set in this time period. The two main characters were strong and endured a lot and I really loved them. Would highly recommend this book when it comes out next month!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!!

[joan wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read about American librarians going to neutral Portugal to mine newspapers, periodicals, magazines, maps and manuals for information that might be helpful to the Allies. I didn’t know anything about this service so it was an eye opener to me. Even though Portugal was neutral they were the world leader in the mining of wolframite used in manufacturing munitions and armor due to its high tungsten content. As a result both Allies and Axis operatives were vying for as much as they could get in the legal and black markets.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Librarians of Lisbon is a historical fiction novel set in Lisbon, Portugal during World War II. The main characters are Boston librarians who are trained by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (precursor to CIA) and assigned to work in Lisbon. The librarians have day jobs, but are also assigned missions for which they are sworn to secrecy—unable to reveal even to each other. Nobody in Lisbon is who they seem to be. Will the women find fulfillment in their work and in romance?

I expected to LOVE this book as I enjoy the genre, setting, and subject. I enjoyed the development of the strong female characters as they accepted challenges, took risks, and experienced personal transformation and growth. However, I rated it four stars instead of five because I was about 70% through the book before it became “un-put-downable”. There were a few scenes of physical intimacy that while not gratuitous, didn’t particularly add to the story. They were detailed enough that some readers might want to be forewarned or prefer to skim through those parts. I REALLY enjoyed the historical information provided in the epilogue.

I appreciated the opportunity to read this ARC thanks to NetGalley.

[Nicky Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! I learned so much about Portugal during WWII and the story was excellent. I love when authors weave in real people into their historical fiction characters. Great twist at the end too!

[Donna Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, hard to follow, uninteresting characters

[Kate Zielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING!!! If you like WW2, historical fiction, sex, murder, espionage, spies, will they/won't they, should they/shouldn't they then you will love this book too. If I had more time in the last few weeks I would have read this in less than a week. It was a book I literally couldn't wait to come home and read. I will say it was nice having just been in Lisbon and on all these tours to get to know the history and culture of the area as the book makes a lot of reference to places, Portuguese words and phrases (which we learned while there), people that visited there or made a difference in politics, etc. So it did help to have a little knowledge beforehand of what they were referring to. It actually made it more fun to read! Highly recommend for a wonderful historical fiction novel!

[Ana Luísa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei bastante deste livro. Um universo de espiões, segredos e amantes num país "neutro" da guerra durante o governo de Salazar. Gostei como usou palavras portuguesas (try um pão de deus) foi algo único de ser ler....
Fez referência a ruas e lugares com histórica por onde passaram a Bea e Selena como café Nicola, ainda hoje aberto. Claramente houve muita pesquisa para realizar este livro. Os meus parabéns pelas notas finais, muitas personagens foram baseadas em pessoas reais que trabalhavam nas sombras para acabar com a guerra, , que infelizmente ainda hoje não tem o reconhecimento merecido. Adorava ver este livro traduzido para português.

[Faith Lavezoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a really long time to feel any sort of connection to the characters, so for the first half of the book I didn’t really care about anything that was going on. This also made the romances felt very rushed. I thought the idea of having two different spy characters with different, but intertwined stories was pretty neat. I wasn’t a big fan of how it ended though.

I listened to the audiobook of this more than I read the physical book. I think if I read more instead of listened I would have been more invested in the story.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, my historical fiction reads are around the WWII timeline, are super depressing, and are full of death and depression, so this was a bit of a different style for me. The spies in Lisbon during this time were absolutely insane - that alone was worth reading about. But throw in some romance with a hint of spice? I'm sold.

The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful and the characters were all SO good - I was left confused as to where everyone's loyalties really lay until literally the last page, and I'm usually really good at guessing twists and turns.

If you're looking for a good historical fiction read with a love story that will draw you in and (probably) make you cry, this is it.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-not quite a 5 star read as there were some things that I found lacking, but it was a very interesting story and I liked the author's note at the end on the parallels to the real people portrayed fictionally in this novel.

I really enjoyed this book and was happy to be given an early copy. This book provided a new setting for a WWII novel-Portugal-and new aspects to the spy network that I was not aware of.

Highly recommend.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to pick up this book because I was going to Portugal on vacation, and I’m glad I did.

I thought it was cool that the novel was based in Lisbon, because I personally have not read any books that take place there. I learned it was neutral during World War II, but that it was still a dangerous place with both Allied and Axis spies running around and a fascist dictator in charge.

I like historical fiction with strong female characters. I also like that the author did a lot of research, and her story was based on real people, places and events. She did a great job bringing the city to life.