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The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles - 3 stars - My Review

Dual timeline story – one is set in Paris just before and during WWII and the other in Montana four decades later. Protagonist Odile gets a job at the American Library in Paris in 1939. When Paris is occupied by the Nazis, she and other librarians deliver books to Jewish patrons, soldiers, and patients in local hospitals. In the 1980s, Odile has moved to Montana and lives next door to Lily, a teenage girl who becomes her friend.

I had mixed feeling about this book. On the positive side, I enjoyed Odile’s story, especially the part set in Paris during the war. The American Library in Paris is a real place, and the storyline relates how the librarians helped alleviate suffering during the occupation. Odile’s story is the highlight of the book.

On the negative side, I was not fond of the teenage coming-of-age story. It does not fit well with the rest of the narrative. The novel is slow in developing. A lot could have been cut from the 1980s timeline without being missed. It almost seemed intended to force a “twist” at the end, which seems so popular these days. My overall impression is: 4 stars for Odile's story, 2 for Lily's, so landing in the middle at 3.

I also liked Odile's story much more than Lily's -- and enjoyed learning about the library.

Yes, there are always more things to learn about what happened in WWII.