Bibliotekarka z Saint-Malo

by Mario Escobar, Patrycja Zarawska (Translator)

Taki list mógł napisać tylko ktoś, kto kocha książki miłością bez granic.

Jocelyn Ferrec, bibliotekarka i pasjonatka literatury, boryka się z samotnością po tym, jak jej ukochany mąż Antoine wyruszył na front. Nie mija wiele czasu, kiedy kobieta staje w obliczu kolejnego dramatu. Latem 1940 roku do Saint-Malo wkraczają wojska niemieckie, a ich brutalne prześladowania mają dotyczyć także biblioteki, w której pracuje Jocelyn.

Niemiecki kapitan Hermann von Choltiz otrzymuje odgórny nakaz zniszczenia wszelkich wywrotowych książek w Saint-Malo. Utrudnia to fakt, że jest on wielkim miłośnikiem literatury ze słabością do wspaniałej bibliotecznej kolekcji Jocelyn. Między tą dwójką nawiązuje się zupełnie nierealna przyjaźń. Książki ich łączą, jednak wojna dzieli.

Swoje przeżycia Jocelyn opisuje w liście do słynnego pisarza Marcela Zoli, którego książki zajmują szczególne miejsce w jej sercu i księgozbiorze. Rozpoczyna przepiękną korespondencję o przepełnionym tragicznym szaleństwem świecie, w którym zmuszona jest żyć, ale w którym miłość jest w stanie pokonać nawet wojnę.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Books About Books, World War II, France, Historical, Audiobook

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Mario Escobar Golderos has a degree in History, with an advanced studies diploma in Modern History. He has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate, in addition to being a contributing columnist in various publications. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar has delved into the depths of church history, the different sectarian groups that have struggled therein, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. He specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans. Books

Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.

Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia

Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en produndidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.

Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.

Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.

Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)

www.marioescobar.es
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Escobar/e...
http://www.sagamisionverne.es/

Reviews

[Claudia Alzraa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a person with a love of literature, a Master’s in Library and Information Studies, and a Francophile who is living 3 hours from Saint-Malo (and has been to many of the corresponding cities in the text), I was so excited to read this book! But I just didn’t get it.

It didn’t fit with the description at all. She was a librarian and consistently wanted to protect her books which were being burned and confiscated by the Germans -- that’s really the extent that books play in this.

The letters she’s writing the author are the “chapters” in the book which also don’t make sense. This was seemingly unnecessary - the chapters read fine without being letters. And so often the author writes, “That’s why I’m writing you this letter,” to remind readers of this fact when it would read far better as just her first-person point of view of her experience. It is completely unbelievable that she would be writing a letter to a stranger she admires when people around her are exploding. Come on…

And yet another WWII story where we have another woman falling for a Nazi Soldier. Listen, I believe in redemption, I believe in all people being treated with respect, but I believe Nazis deserve zero sympathy. And it’s exhausting that this is the second book in a row where we see this trope and have to sympathize with the enemy -- the same enemy who murdered Jews, gays, disabled people, and gypsies for simply existing. No, thanks. A real Nazi hero is Schindler; getting people falsified papers right as the war ends and you realize you’re losing is not a Nazi hero for me.

This woman literally risks her lives and the lives of others for books. I love books, believe me. I think books are the most powerful weapons in the world. But I would not put lives on the line for paper. And I don’t think doing so makes you admirable or a hero of Saint-Malo. Do you know what would have been more heroic? A woman who sold rare books for fake papers to save Jews.

About 30% into this book, I considered putting it down because I was not hooked. The war started and it got more interesting, but I still was left thinking: what’s the point?

Descriptions were really well written, characters were interesting enough, aspects of the story were captivating, Saint-Malo seems wonderful, but I don’t understand the point of this story. Not at all.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jocelyn and Antoine Ferrec have just been married, they plan to go to Paris for their honeymoon and stay at an expensive hotel. Caught up in the excitement of their wedding day, they hadn’t heard the terrible news and the German army invaded Poland. The couple are worried, they have their future all planned, and hope Antoine will be exempt from being called up. Unfortunately this isn’t the case, all able bodied French men are deployed to defend France from the mighty German army and they didn’t stand a chance.

Jocelyn's a librarian, she loves her job and she continues to work and nervously waits for news about her husband. Jocelyn writes letters to a famous author, Marcel Zola, to protect the people and books and town she loves. The streets of Saint-Malo are full of German soldiers, Jocelyn’s allocated a German officer to live in her house, Adolf Bauman and he’s a member of the SS. The German’s have a long list of banned books, all libraries will be inspected by the Nazi's, and unsuitable books burnt, rare and expensive copies are to be given to the Germans. This makes Jocelyn furious, no way is she handing over the libraries precious legacy of books, to be sent to Germany and she hides some. At home Adolf Bauman is making her life miserable, she spends most of her time at work and eventually she receives a letter and Antoine's a prisoner of war in Germany.

Jocelyn continues to write her letters, she risks being arrested, and she’s determined to help free France and becomes involved in the resistance. What I liked about Jocelyn is she has a big heart, she loves Antoine, her friends, books and the library. The Librarian of Saint-Malo describes life in the coastal town during WW II, the uncertainty, food shortages, deportation of Jewish people, arrests, reprisals, the weeks of allied bombing and the immense damage it caused.

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, I found the story being based around Jocelyn’s writing letters to a famous author at times little confusing and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The wartime experiences of Jocelyn Ferrec, a librarian in the city of Saint-Malo in France. Written as letters by Jocelyn to an author she likes, Marcel Zola. They don’t always read like letters so I found this aspect of the book distracting. In the authors note at the end of the book, it’s revealed that some of the characters are real, which added to the authenticity of the story. The experiences of people under occupation, resistance, collaboration etc was well explored.

[SuperWendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this was terrible. Quite honestly I have no idea why I kept listening to it. In my defense it was short and I needed something to keep me company while exercising and driving my commute.

A ton of tell over show. The dialogue, when not stilted, makes the characters sound like dime-store philosophers. We have a villain who not only monologues, but it sounds like he's reading said monologues straight from a history book. And in case all of this wasn't annoying enough this is a "not like other Germans" historical fiction novel. That's right! The heroine ends up developing feelings for a Nazi officer who firmly believes in Hitler's "vision" until he no longer, conveniently, does.

But just in case you're not horrified enough? There's the heroine's BFF, a Jewish bookseller who gets deported to Dachau, only to escape and come back to town to have the heroine ask him to help rescue the Nazi officer she's developed feelings for and to help care for the injured Nazi soldiers the local Catholic hospital dumped at her doorstep because there's no more room at the inn.

The only thing that kept me lighting everything on fire is that the "romance" does not have a happy ending. Praise be to all the saints.

I think the whole point of this novel was to show how war is bad, killing is wrong, and that we should never lose sight of our humanity. I don't know - color me wacky - but when one party in the war is herding innocents into concentration camps for extermination and terrorizing civilians I'm not so concerned about losing sight of the enemy's humanity.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mario Escobar has beautifully captured the essence of an everyday person who is driven to do extraordinary things in the face of danger. Jocelyn Ferrac is Saint-Malo’s librarian who describes the brutal WW2 German occupation of her small coastal village through letters penned to a famous author. Driven by her love of books, she faces the German commander head on as he attempts to purge her library and destroy ‘potential subversive writings.’

I loved Jocelyn’s insight when she declared, “We work so hard to accumulate things, to achieve, to triumph; but the real victory is always and only love, in giving yourself away and expecting nothing in return, in forgiving and making the world a better place.” Escobar reminds us that love doesn’t always have to make sense. Love doesn’t see ‘sides,’ it sees hearts. He also reminds us that love has incredible power. We see how it moved Jocelyn to hide/protect her books, her co-worker, and the boy in her basement. It influenced Hermann’s movements as a result of the object of his affection.

Based on a true account, Escobar reminds us that “books are our legacy, the signal to light the path for future generations.” Jocelyn firmly believed that if the Nazis destroyed the books within the library, they would have won the war because her future countrymen wouldn’t know who they were or what they were doing. Fighting tuberculosis, saddened by too many losses, and dealing with confusing affections, this heroine sets it all aside and faces up to the enemy with unfeigned love for her people, her country and her books. A superb unique account of how WW2 affected ordinary citizens and how it drove one librarian to record the German occupation through letters. This historical fiction is a must read.

I was gifted this book by Mario Escobar, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Publishes June 1, 2021

[Scott Rezer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different, bitter-sweet, kind of story, one that explores the human spirit, illustrating the things men and women will do to survive when tragedy rages all around them and they feel powerless to stop it. Or nearly powerless. A fictional story that could be true, only the names and circumstances are different. Sometimes, even the smallest thing within our grasp swells our heart with hope, even if it is to survive just one more day. Sometimes, it is a librarian simply trying to hold back the darkness by saving one book at a time when all else feels hopeless and lost. All those who survived the horror of World War II are heroes, especially those who fought against the unrivaled evil of Nazi Germany. This is a fictional story of one of those unknown heroes. A librarian of all people, who tried to preserve something of the world she knew and loved, when she saw everything falling into darkness and destruction. Is a book so important? Yes. For they are reminders of who we once were in moment in time, something that can never be retrieved. Books are a window to our past, and perhaps, even our future. They are our lifeblood. This is a book that reminds of a history all too swiftly leeching from our memory and needs to be preserved. Whole-heartedly recommended! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[lexi🤍 · Rating 4 out of 5]

And just like that, my June TBR has been completed.

I’m very sad I did not get a happy ending, I was really, really hoping for one.

Historical fiction that centers around WW2 never fails to enthrall me with details of fictional characters based off of real people. According to the author, Mario Escobar, Jocelyn and Antoine were based off of a real couple who’s story he heard in Spain. Crazy right? It warms my heart (cheesy, I know I’m sorry) to know that this couple’s true story was inspiration for a novel like this.

In some ways, this book reminded me of The Nightingale, but really only in the aspect of a Frenchwoman falling for a German soldier during the war. Antoine’s death HURT. A LOT. I was rooting for him to survive. I was rooting for everyone to survive but war is never kind to those who suffer through it.

Conclusively, my heart is sad. Again. But this book was amazing.

[Lucia Nieto Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela de Mario, basada en la Segunda guerra Mundial, esta claro que tenia que leerla , y como todos sus libros una lectura corta, agil y amena, con una ambientación y una temtica que me encanta.

La historia comienza con nuestros protagonistas que al poco de casarse e instalarse en Saint Malo, comienza la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y el marido de Jocelyn tendra que irse al frente, dejandola sola.

Jocelyn trabaja en como bibliotecaria en Saint Malo, haciendonos saber que su pasion son los libros y que hara lo que sea necesario para que no se pierdan ni sean destruidos por los nazis.

Vivirá muchas historias, incluso llegara a enamorarse del enemigo, una historia muy dura pero muy recomendable, si te gusta la epoca y si te gusta sobretodo leer.

Como ya he dicho es una novela corta que se lee en un suspiro graicas a la pluma de Mario, ademas siendo los capitulos cortitos.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a good historical fiction about a librarian in a small coastal French town during WWII and her determination to protect the town's library and all of the books within.

Jocelyn and Antoine are childhood sweethearts. Shortly after they marry Antoine gets drafted in the Army, leaving Jocelyn to fend for herself. When France falls to Germany, their coastal town is occupied by the Nazi Army and Jocelyn is forced to house a cruel SS officer in her home. The officer takes an immediate dislike to Jocelyn and her unwillingness to cower under his authority and strikes out by confiscating and destroying books in her library. Another German officer tries his best to protect Jocelyn and the library, with mixed results.

Antoine is injured and taken as a prisoner of war. He is eventually released and returns home, but is gravely ill and never fully recovers. Jocelyn attempts to hide books and tries to resist the Nazis, but most of her efforts, and those of other townspeople, fail.

This book was a bit of a disappointment. The story moved slowly and was pretty bleak. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. There were several different plot lines that were added to the book at different times, but none of them were fully developed and ended abruptly. It's like the author didn't know what story he wanted to tell. It would have been better to stick to one or two main points, and do those well, rather than scattering several different half-formed plotlines throughout the book.

For a WWII historical fiction, the violence is thankfully not too explicit, nor is there much of it. There are a few instances of atrocities described, but not in vivid details. I found the relationship with Jocelyn and both German officers confusing. There weren't enough details about why one officer hated her and another loved her to be convincing. From the few, brief interactions she had with them, you wouldn't expect those heightened feelings. It was like a bad YA Romance where upon two character's first meeting they are either immediately madly in love or decide to be mortal enemies. It didn't make sense and was not compelling. The writing itself wasn't bad, but the story moved too slowly for me. So many issues didn't seem to have much of a point and I never really knew where the book was going.

I received a complimentary book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are my own.

[Katherine Reay]

I was honored to be able to read this for endorsement:

In The Librarian of Saint-Malo, Escobar brings us another poignant tale of sacrifice, love, and and loss amidst the pain of war. The seaside town of Saint-Malo comes to life in rich detail and complexity under German occupation, as do the books — full of great ideas and the best of humanity — the young librarian seeks to save. This sweeping story gives us a glimpse into the past with a firm eye towards hope in our future.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Books and War

I have read almost all of Mario Escobar's books. I really like his style of writing. He always writes about faraway places in time of war. His characters are the everyday working person and always fitting in the story told.

Jocelyn loved books and she loved her job as a librarian. She hated the war. Books are the only thing in her life that was stable and grounded her. After her husband went to war to fight she was left alone in her apartment and her books were her life. Then the German's invaded her town. There was one German soldier that wanted her and her library destroyed and one that protected her.

She wrote her story in letters to a favorite author of hers she had never met in hopes he would take them and write up her account of the events during the war. Much of the book is in letters written by Jocelyn.

This book tells the story of Jocelyn, her husband Antoine, and the library that she fought so hard to protect with all the banned books hidden within. The characters were true to life as was the descriptions of the town and the war.

What would happen to her library , will it be destroyed? Will she be Survive? Will the allies arrive and save the town?

This was a good read and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Mario Escobar, Thomas Nelson-Fiction, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

[Karla Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love all stories about libraries, war and characters who are tested to the limits to survive. I found this book touched on these themes but I never connected too deeply with the characters, the tragedies or the emotion. The story wasn't unusual if you've read enough WWII books although the town on Saint-Mello was interesting to learn about.
I kept asking myself what was missing and why I was sometimes bored. I'm not sure but I think if the characters had been written with a deeper POV, I would have been more worried or cared more for their welfare. As it was, it felt like a floating along story, with some interesting turns but nothing surprising.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so bad I did not know it could get worse with each page and yet it did. The characters were so flat that were practically caricatures, the motivations for everyone was insta love, insta hate, insta bravery. The plot was littered with plot holes and characters appeared without making any sense at various points. The main character had tuberculosis one day and woke up completely healed the next.

Not to mention the novel included the "not like other nazis" stereotype of a good nazi pitted against an evil gestapo officers. It was so bad I'd be laughing if it wasn't so horrific to keep writing sympathetic nazis. Ugh.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro que tenía todo el potencial de ser algo (a mi criterio): espectacular, y terminó con un final vago, sin sentido y sumamente precipitado.

Y no me malinterpreten, pero aquí no encontré lo emotivo que me pareció 'Canción de cuna de Auschwitz', ni lo espectacular de 'Antes de septiembre'. Yo amo los libros de Mario Escobar pero este es por mucho, el más bajito de todos los que he leído de él.

Lo primero que llama la atención de este libro es su sinopsis porque precisamente se parece demasiado a la sinopsis de 'La luz que no puedes ver'. Ya por ese motivo, decidí leerlo porque me picó la curiosidad.

En este libro tenemos a una protagonista femenina, Jocelyn, la guardiana de la Biblioteca de Saint-Malo y la mujer más estresante que he leído este año, y luego está un protagonista masculino, Hermann von Choltitz, capitán de autoridades alemanas y el hombre que se enamora así de la nada y que levanta todas las alarmas, porque ni conoce a la persona que dice amar, pero oigan: ¡QUE ÉL ESTÁ ENAMORADO!

Porque sí, porque debe haber algo de dramita en esta historia, además, se habla de libros, joyas incunables que quieren ser destruidas por los nazis, pero... ¡nunca especifican que títulos son! Lo más interesante de todo el libro fue Marcel Zola, el personaje que menos relevancia tuvo y del que me hubiese gustado saber más.

En resumen, es un libro que se lee rápido, tiene sus partes bonitas, pero está muy lejos de llegar al nivel de 'La luz que no puedes ver'. Ojalá se animen a leerlo...

[Sarcastic Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Trudno mi aktualnie ubrać w słowa emocje, które towarzyszą mnie po skończeniu tej książki. Brakowało mi bardzo w moim życiu historii, które chwycą mnie za serce, wywołają we mnie jakieś emocje. Nie powiem, bo zdarzało się, że zżywałam się z bohaterami, ale nie przeżywałam ich losów aż tak bardzo. Wszystko zmieniło się jednak, gdy zaczęłam się coraz bardziej zagłębiać w historię Jocelyn Ferrec, która muszę przyznać początkowo trochę mnie nudziła. Z czasem jednak zaczęłam odczuwać coraz to więcej uczuć, niestety, ale w tym wypadku z przewagi dominują te negatywne. "Bibliotekarka z Saint–Malo" nie jest historią prostą, ponieważ losy głównej bohaterki są tragiczne, ale pokazuje wiele wartości, które przede wszystkim powinny się liczyć w życiu każdego człowieka. Historia Jocelyn przypomina nam między innymi o tym jak ważna jest miłość oraz przyjaźń, a także samozaparcia i to, że możemy dokonać wiele. Pani Ferrec to naprawdę silna kobieta, ponieważ przeżyła w swoim życiu naprawdę wiele, ale mimo to nigdy się nie poddała. "Bibliotekarka z Saint–Malo" skupia się także wokół tego co podczas II wojny światowej dotknęło kulturę, książki, które stały się towarem, a to co w sobie mają zostało zamienione na wartość pieniężną. Kultura przestała się liczyć, liczyło się już jedynie to, że można będzie się na niej wzbogacić. Czuję, że to będzie jedna z tych pozycji, do których wrócę jeszcze nie raz i nie dwa.

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many of the author's books. They are incredible. Incredible sounds like such a lame word to use to describe the author's books though, they are just that great and I highly recommend all of them.
World War II historical fiction inspired by true events. Many of the characters are also based on actual people just with the names changed.
There are thousands of WWII books, and this is one of them but no matter how many I read I find deep satisfaction in them because I love history and always learn something new about this subject as each book seems to cover a different angle of the war and it's going on's.
Saint-Malo, France: August 1939: With her husband away at war against the Germans, French wife Jocelyn is meticulously dedicated to her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo. She encourages others to find comfort in the books as their librarian when they're not in shelters as the bombs rain down.
As with all wars there is a madman in charge, Hitler who commands his puppets to do his dirty work. They feel so powerful abusing commoners and kidnapping the Jews. They think nothing of abusing women and children. There really are a lot of heartbreaking scenes in the book, but it's all based on fact and is something we should never forget as we honor those who gave their lives in one way or another during the war or just helping others out around them.
Librarian Joycelyn writes letters of her life to an author of her ordinary life before and after the Nazi occupation so though she may not escape the terror her letters will, and others may know how she fought for all and the importance of her library.
It also broke my heart to read of the brutality she faces many times over by the Nazis as she tries to protect the books banned by the Germans. These books faced being ripped up, bombing and fire.
The author really brings these troubling times to life as we see terror but also so much bravery despite knowing what they would face. Excellent!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[Ketelen Lefkovich · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me way longer than it should to finish, and I considered dropping this book several times during the second half. It is not entirely bad, but it is certainly not that good.

The thing is, I feel like there hasn't been a good fiction book about World War II in years. On the back of the Librarian of Saint-Malo there is a comparison with All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale and honestly nope. Just no. These two books carry so much depth within them, and so much character development, plus beautiful, even lyrical at times, writing. The Librarian of Saint-Malo has none of this.

The writing is very simple. Several short sentences with maybe and even excessive use of punctuation (full stop). I can only describe it as being "stiff", I felt very indifferent to everything. The main character (our librarian) is recounting the events of her life through letters addressed to a famous writer in the hopes that he will write her story. At times you could even forget that you're reading letters and that made this literary style seem kind of unnecessary because the chapters work out fine without being letters.

I found it all moved too fast and there wasn't enough build-up or development in order for me to care about it. I didn't care about the main character, I felt like I barely knew her. And there is some weird stuff too, she is a librarian and is a lover of books. Great. I do too. That doesn't mean that in the middle of a war (and specifically world war II at that) I would look at a pile of books that burned accidentally and think to myself "to me it was like looking at the corpses of the children I didn't have". I seriously cannot believe this sentence. This was very problematic of the author and I understand the general point of the novel which is to comment on how easily it is for us as a society to lose knowledge stored in books, especially under a regimen that was actively censoring books and burning them, but that sentence is simply not the way to look at it. It feels like she cares about books more than people in a disturbing way.

Another thing that bothered me immensely was that the MC ends up falling in love with a Nazi. Again I understand some of the points the author was trying to convey here, meaning not all Germans were bad during the war etc etc. But truly, it would take a much longer book (mine is 300 pages long) and much more craft in the writing to convey this meaning in a proper way. The man she falls for ends up also, conveniently, to stop believing in Hitler's "vision". No, no no.

Overall, this was a quick read, the writing was very easy to digest. I was interested for the most part of it, but this was definitely nothing special, and full of some gross mistakes. I'll settle for a two-star rating and hope to forget this one soon.

↠ 2 stars✨

[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book of bravery and strong female power. Yes, there were good Germans during WW II.

[Shreshtha Mehta (intriguedonlybybooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝐌𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬."
Saint-Malo is a small village in France. It was a heart-wrenching story which revolves around Jocelyn Ferrac who is a librarian in Saint-Malo. She describes various events that took place during WWII in the form of letters to her favourite author. The day she got married to Antoine, the Germans attacked Poland and plunged the world into a merciless war. The characters in the story felt so real and I could feel as if all the characters are a part of my life. After their marriage, Jocelyn comes to know that she has tuberculosis and due to war, Antoine is called up to go for the war.

"𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝."
I could relate with Jocelyn to a great extent because she stood strong throughout the novel. Her husband, Antoine ws called up to fight but she was no less because when Germans were destroying French literature completely while on the other hand we have Jocelyn who tries her level best to preserve the French literature. She is one of those strong female protagonists who will never give up.

I was never into historical fiction but recently I have fallen in love with historical fiction and I would love to read more books from this genre. It took me a couple of days to finish this book and without any doubt this is one of the best books set during the time of WWII. It was definitely a thought provoking novel and I highly recommend this.

[Emma Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness! Where to begin…
This was a slow start because I didn’t quite understand the way that it was written as diary entries/letters from Jocelyn. Once that fully sunk in and the plot started moving so fast, I could not put it down. I pretty much read it in two evenings after that.

First of all Jocelyn- I loved her character. It was so refreshing and relieving to read about a female being a female. Not some super woman who is able to do everything, who is as strong as men and doesn’t ever cry- not a fearless fighter, unbreakable, and not reliant on anyone but herself. I have read so many books where the female lead makes me feel so weak because she is able to do everything without breaking. Jocelyn needed her husband to lift her up. She couldn’t make it through hard times without having someone there beside her, someone to lean on when she was limping through it all. She needed times to break down and cry, even when people were watching. She needed guidance, and couldn’t keep faith on her own. She needed someone else to be physically able and tough because she was not able to be. And she wasn’t afraid to admit to her needs. Which makes her all the more brave, and strong, and real in my eyes. I could relate to her so well, I can’t describe it.

Honestly, this book impacted me so much that I don’t know how I’ll ever describe it adequately. But I will try.

The story was gut-wrenching. I know it is only one example of how people lived during the war, but it put in to my perspective how blessed I am. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live through those things. I don’t know how I could hold on to hope.

Hope and faith were huge themes throughout the book. Jocelyn would give up, then find something that would renew her spirit for a while. Slowly, she made revelations about life that would keep her desiring to live. For a while, I was discouraged as she searched for answers through her Enlightenment worldview because I knew that she would get no where and continue in the same cycle. But I am of the opinion that this is the exact point Mario Escobar was intending to make.

As the war wore on and their situations worsened, Jocelyn wrote more and more about her faith in God. At first she said it was nonexistent, or at least she was indifferent to Him. But with the ebb and flow of her hope and faith she would either blame Him or pray to Him. Slowly, praying became her more frequent reaction. She also became connected and worked with the town’s priest, and he so gently acknowledged God’s goodness and encouraged her to see Him differently, not accusing Him of causing the pain she had seen. Also, the people she was closest to in her life dropped hints of faith here and there. All this influenced her more than she knew, I think. By the end (what a whammy of an end by the way! 😩) she gave God the glory and indicated that she was aware that He had a purpose for her, and everything worked for good because of Him.

Purpose was another big theme. In Jocelyn’s world and with the worldview commonly held, humans as a whole weren’t more than coincidence. Their lives on earth were all they had and so they had to make them something big or leave a mark if they wanted to be worth anything. I feel like this is the commonly held worldview of many today- which is why I think this book meant so much to me.

Jocelyn struggled between not feeling like her life mattered, and feeling like she was living for something and some reason. She dedicated herself to preserving the valuable books she had, thinking maybe she was meant to keep history alive for future generations- not let the stories go to waste and be forgotten when they had much we could learn from. She often claimed fate was the reason behind everything that happened, and struggled to accept it without understanding if it was for the best.

With all her questions, love was something Jocelyn never doubted. She knew that it is the only thing that could conquer evil, so she never stopped loving. And she only became more sure of its power as her life went on.

By the end, everything she had learned along the way about hope, faith, life, and love came together in a final revelation that it was God behind it all. Everything made sense with Him, and everything mattered.

She mattered. She had a purpose with Him- which came in the form of preserving words of life and love and faith and hope.

Wow. This is really long, folks. I am sorry! But I just wanted to share with you an extent of what I gathered from this book. Mario Escobar wrote a beautiful story, most reading it can see that. However, it is fiction (no matter how real it seemed). But I saw beyond, thank to the Holy Spirit, to the true story within it- God is our reason for hope, faith, life, and love. He is always good. If we believe that, we will be free.

I hope this review helps you read The Librarian of Saint-Malo and see the truth for yourself!

[Clau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un 2.5 ⭐️ en realidad.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poruszająca powieść historyczna o miłości do literatury, o poświęceniu, a także o… paleniu i zakazywaniu książek. Opowieść, której przesłanie rezonuje w nas współczesnych.

Z bijącym z przejęcia sercem, ze łzami wzruszenia pochłania się „Bibliotekarkę z Saint-Malo”, której historia, chociaż fikcyjna, wydarzyła się przecież naprawdę. Setki, tysiące razy, powtarza się, tak jak długo kręcą się koła ludzkich dziejów. W powieści Escobara niszczycielami słowa są nazistowscy okupanci, gotowi zdeptać i spalić dziedzictwo kulturowe całego świata, o ile będzie taka potrzeba. Ale przed nimi i po nich zakazywali, palili i uciszali inni, bo słowa – jak powtarza bohaterka powieści – mają moc, a każda opowieść rodzi się na nowo w rękach kolejnego czytelnika. Niepodważalną moc, która daje i odbiera życie. Trudno uwierzyć, że nawet współcześnie, istnieją miejsca, które zakazują książek, istnieją też ludzie, którzy rzucają je na stosy, by podpalać w szale zniszczenia. Niby szokujące, a jednak boleśnie prawdziwe i niezmienne.

„Bibliotekarka z Saint-Malo” jest wspaniałą, napisaną z wyczuciem i wrażliwością opowieścią o ostatnim bastionie zbudowanym z miłości do literatury. Literatury, która może dzielić, ale także łączyć, co pokazuje przewrotnie Mario Escobar. Przypomina też, że słowa trwają i trwać będą, bez względu na to, ile zapłonie stosów. Warto sięgnąć po powieść Mario Escobara, bo tak jak przed laty „Złodziejka książek” Markusa Zusaka, tak i „Bibliotekarka z Saint-Malo” przypomina o tym, co tak ważne, a o czym nie można zapomnieć.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Strong Woman Risks her Life to Protect Her Library


SUMMARY

Librarian Jocelyn marries police sergeant Antoine Ferrec on Sept. 1, 1939, the same day the Germans invade Poland to begin WWII. Shortly after their marriage, Antoine is sent to the front. When the Germans invade France and Saint Malo Jocelyn Ferrec risks everything to save the library where she works.

REVIEW
THE LIBRARIAN OF SAINT-MALO is an intriguing and moving historical fiction novel. It’s a story of dedication, and perserverence.

The story of Jocelyn's efforts is told via her letters to the famous writer Marcel Zola, whom she hopes will preserve her experiences during the war. While an interesting, this letter writing approach didn't feel realistic or necessary. Despite that, the writing is skillfully descriptive and the book is a quick read. Jocelyn’s character is well-developed, strong and full of resilience.

Author Mario Escobar has written numerous books about the inquisition, reformation and religion. THE LIBRARIAN OF SAINT-MALO came from a visit Escobar made to Saint Malo in 2018. He wanted to show the suffering of the common people of France as well as purge of books during the German occupation of France.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Thomas Nelson
Published June 1, 2021
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

No surprise that I absolutely LOVED this WWII historical novel, inspired by true events, about a small town librarian working to save the historical books during Nazi occupation in France. I'm such a fan of Mario Escobar's writing style, he really gets at the heart of every day people's lives during the war and this was no less true in his latest book. Highly recommend, especially for fans of The Paris library. This book was particularly excellent on audio with Nicole Boggs as narrator - she really brought Jocelyn to life! Thanks to NetGalley for my advance review copy.

Favorite quotes:
"My hope is that someday, when humanity regains its sanity, that people will know the only way to be saved from barbarianism is by love. Loving books, loving people and though you may call me crazy, there is no doubt that love is the most revolutionary choice, and therefore, the most persecuted and reviled."

"The power of words does not lie in the stories we tell but in our ability to connect to the hearts of those who read them."

"All the wisdom, all the beauty of the world, can't just disappear without a trace, not even people like you can destroy it. The only thing your darkness does is make the light shine brighter."

"The only power strong enough to change the world is love."

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just OK. Coming from Thomas Nelson Publishers I was surprised at the language used in the story.

I thought the story was supposed to be letters sent back and forth, but it didn't read that way in the slightest. Having the main character, Jocelyn, fall in love with an Nazi was rather disappointing.

There wasn't a lot to enjoy about this story. It was almost a DNF for me, but with a couple hours left of the audiobook I just decided to finish it.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts:

Another historical fiction story, All The Light We Cannot See, has the same setting of Saint-Malo, France. That story is mainstream historical fiction, written by Anthony Doerr, published by Scribner. Whereas, The Librarian of Saint-Malo, has been published by a Christian publisher: Thomas Nelson.

I have several thoughts about The Librarian of Saint-Malo.
1. Christian fiction has become varied in its books. Once upon a time Christian fiction books were one stream of writing. For example, clean romance with bible verses and praying sprinkled throughout the books. They were predictable. Christian authors are now writing books and telling stories that venture beyond the expected. Some of my favorite authors in Christian fiction who are writing these new types of books are Chris Fabry, Tosca Lee, Susan Meissner, and Lisa Wingate. What’s interesting is these authors do not always publish books through a Christian publishing company.
2. The Librarian of Saint-Malo is published by a Christian publisher, but it is not heavy with typical Christian fiction themes, at least not in the predictable way. The Christian themes running through this story are kindness, compassion, love, patience, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness. As a Christian you will relate the examples of themes to Galatians chapter five. The Fruit of the Spirit chapter. Forgiveness is a strong theme in the book. The main character, Jocelyn Ferrec, will wrestle with this in the story.
3. Recently, I read another World War II book where the main character became romantically involved with a Nazi officer. I didn’t care for this. Actually, they were quick about becoming sexually involved. It seemed there was little thought about the decision. He was the enemy. I did not want to read another book with this type of storyline. I probably would have thrown this book against the wall if it had. I will not give anymore away about this book but will state I’m pleased with how the main character handled her body, mind, and spirit.
4. Christians are broken and imperfect people. Every Christian struggles with temptations, hard experiences, and suffering. Jocelyn is an imperfect person. She is real. She is a character who I can identify with. In The Librarian of Saint-Malo, I understand her weaknesses, temptations, fears, insecurities, dreams, and hopes. She is a person who has been brought to the depth of physical illness, grief, despondency, and despair. All the securities in life are stripped and stolen. The Librarian of Saint-Malo paints her as a true heroine and Christian. The story does not tell me the words, “Jocelyn is a Christian.” The story shows me through her character, actions, and responses. After-all, the bottom line in living out our faith as a Christian is not just the words that come out of our mouth, but it is how we live out our belief (especially our actions and responses.)
5. The antagonist, Lt. Bauman, in the story reminds me of the villain in Inglorious Basterds: Colonel Hans Landa.

My reasons for why I love this story:
1. The descriptions of France and the town of Saint-Malo are beautiful. I feel apart of the surroundings because they were described in vivid detail.
2. The people in Saint-Malo are a mix of those who are reputable and selfless versus those who conspire with the enemy. This brought an example of what it felt like to have a neighbor who is now the enemy. This is another reason for fear and anxiety. This also adds to the heavy mood of the story. The mood for this type of story is important.
3. I pulled several quotes from this story that are wise, moving, and memorable. For example: “Books don’t have owners; they’re free agents we just happen to hold for a brief time.” Page 9. “One flesh that desires and responds to another has no need of vision to recognize the beloved.” Page 23. “The power of words does not lie in the stories we tell but in our ability to connect with the hearts of those who read them.” Page 62.
4. The Librarian of Saint-Malo does not tell me the typical love story. It is realistic. It is a love of not just fiery passion but commitment. The Librarian of Saint-Malo demonstrates a mature and faithful love.
5. Jocelyn loves books. Books are a passion. Books are an escape. Books are beloved and trusted friends. Books are a source of security and comfort. I love stories with characters who love books.
6. The Librarian of Saint-Malo shows both internal and external conflicts.
7. Jocelyn does not sit idle while the war continues and the enemy lives in her town. She becomes a person unlike what she expected.
8. Throughout the story Jocelyn writes to a favorite author. While reading I wondered how this particular action would become apart of the story? What is the reason for it being there? I then began to understand another reason why she wrote to this author. Writing is a visceral action. It is a repetitive type action that has a deeper meaning bringing comfort and looking to something out side herself and away from the war itself.
9. Other favorite characters in the story are Celine, Pierre, Antoine, and Denis. They are secondary characters but each have a solid story.

Other themes in the story: courage, loyalty, bravery, shame, fear, good and evil, justice, intolerance, grief, dreams, sacrifice, honor, suffering, judgment, friendship, survival, war, peace, conformity, trust, and gratitude.

Final Thoughts:

Two places in the story where it snags for me:

1. In one scene in the story, Pierre gave Jocelyn information about his work, he confides to her during a party with other people present. I think this is strange considering he needs to be secretive.
2. [Several points in this one subject]
Jocelyn is a Huguenot but this will not be understood by the average reader.
She attends a Catholic Mass and the homily is on forgiveness. The word mass is not capitalized-it should be Mass.
Why did the priest use a teaching from the book of Tobit? I can think of Scripture from the New Testament or Psalms that could have been given. The priest seems to be out of touch with the people and delivers a homily that bounces off their heads because it is not what they want to hear and probably not what they should hear at this moment. I consider it inappropriate. The people need comfort and encouragement given in a few words they can cling to during this time of despair. It is possible the priest is an example of Christians who are out of touch with the people and are thus not helpful? I believe this part of the story needs clarity and development.

Source: I received a complimentary advanced reading paperback copy from Thomas Nelson and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I am not required to write a positive review.
Audience: Christian readers of historical fiction with a time period of World War II.
Rating: Very good.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I forgot to mention I was reading. But now I am finished and ready to review it.

I have mixed feelings here. First and foremost, I love librarians and libraries and anyone who is going to fight for and protect libraries and making all books accessible for reading for everyone. So, in this respect I love that message in this story. And, I appreciated the back stories of the lives of librarians and their care of libraries that was central to the overall story. But…and, I am sorry to insert the but…

This is historical fiction that attempts to give a realistic portrait of what it felt like to suffer in France after Germany’s invasion during WWII. The author did not shy away from the horrors of war and the occupation. So, for some readers that might be a trigger to consider. Still, having said all this, the story felt somewhat contrived, where the plot points felt a bit forced, and characters seemed to be conveniently in the right place at the right time with no logical explanation, helping to push the narrative forward at times. I don’t like it when it feels like the story feels manipulated to reach a certain outcome.

On another note, as we in America move into another administration, I am hopeful that we can continue to honor our librarians, and libraries and make ALL books accessible for reading. We should never go back to this kind of thinking or behaving about books or people, for that matter.

3.5 stars rounded up for the Librarians

[Hattush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read historical fiction because I prefer to just read memoirs or biographies on that time period. I came across this book as part of a reading challenge (thank you, Kaley!) and decided to try it.
I’m so glad I did.
I fell absolutely, heartbreakingly in love with this beautiful story.

*spoilers ahead, read with caution*
Written in letters to author Marcel Zola, Joceyln tells of her life in Saint Malo, France during WWII. Her life has been one loss after another: first her parents, then her health, then her husband and finally her beloved books.

“Sometimes everything has to come crashing down for us to understand what we have built our lives upon.”

Joceyln was an intriguing character. The thing I admired most about her was her loyalty to her husband. He was drafted to fight against Germany and ended up in a concentration camp. Everyone encouraged her to abandon him, to think him dead and move on with her life. A kind German officer would have married her and made her life much easier. But she waited, she set aside her feelings of the moment and chose her husband. He returned, sick and broken and not the same man as before. Still, she remained by his side, comforting, healing and giving her heart to him until he died – and even after he was dead. Such devotion is rarely seen in books, and I admire it so much.

“You fail to understand women, Lt. Bauman. We are not moved by ideals—that is a banal game ever played by men. We’re driven by something much deeper that really makes the world turn: affections. This is something you’ll never understand. We endure pain better than men can, we sacrifice ourselves for the ones we love, we give our lives for our children—but none of that is driven by our ideals. We are driven by love.”

The ending incredible…I was so crushed by it. I never could have imagined that it would end the way it did. I’ve already given too many spoilers in this review, so I won’t say anything else except that the end was a masterpiece that shattered my heart into a million pieces. It was so tragic and so right for the story.

This is one of the best fiction books that I have read this year. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about WWII.

CW: death, rape attempt

[Donna McEachran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Told as a series of letters, this is the story of Jocelyn and her fight to save her library during the Nazi occupation of Saint-Malo. Somewhat unbelievable in some aspects.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar is an excellent WWII-era historical fiction novel that was fresh, unique, gripping, inspiring, and heartbreaking all wrapped up into one fabulous novel.

I really enjoyed this novel from Mr. Escobar. This is the third book that I have read from him (Auschwitz Lullaby and Remember Me of which I truly loved) and this is a great addition to his portfolio.

I loved the concept of bringing to light an “ordinary citizen”, a “lowly librarian” within a small port town in France and her individual life, struggles, and story during war. The fact that it is truly the polar opposite: a strong, unique, fiery, selfless, brilliant, brave, and heroic woman is what really is depicted.

Following along the wartime story of how Jocelyn, the main librarian, deals with personal and professional losses, how she reacts to adversity, fear, physical and emotional obstacles, and how she keeps her fortitude and strength helping the people of Saint-Malo during this horrific time was fascinating and anything but ordinary.

I loved reading about the landscapes, the people, and the events that surrounded this picturesque and historical town. Many things were hard to read, however necessary and needed to see what people experienced during the atrocities of occupation during the war.

I loved the intrigue, the suspense, the mystery, the cast of characters, the threads of romance, and the bittersweet ending. Jocelyn is an excellent main character and has been well-crafted for this narrative. I loved her letters and the concept of the need for her to leave her imprint on the world for the future, if even just in her own letters, correspondence, and selfless actions. It was truly beautiful and unforgettable.

I loved this!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Thomas Nelson for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.