The Paris Library: A Novel

Paris, 1939 World War II is underway, and Odile Souchet has just landed her dream job at the American Library in Paris, working alongside the library’s legendary director, Dorothy Reeder. Before long she has a best friend and a handsome police officer for a boyfriend. But then her brother joins the war, and the Nazi’s invade Paris. This was a riveting story from the library’s efforts to send books to the troops, to getting books to Paris Jews who are no longer permitted within its walls. Betrayal, loss, and Odile’s attempt to protect others held me captive. It was fascinating to learn how she ended up in Montana. I wept for Odile. Montana, 1983 Odile lives alone in a small-Montana town when her life is interrupted by her teenage neighbor Lily. Odile is there through the dark times for Lily, and the two strike up a friendship. I liked Lily and her coming of age story. It was interesting to see growth from both as they admitted mistakes, learned, healed and grew. Their story is one of kindred spirits, confessions, compassion, friendship and understanding. Charles did a wonderful job of weaving both stories and showing the parallel between the two protagonists, even though their lives were very different. I think we can all relate to both and their passion for books endeared them to me. The tale was narrated by Nicky Diss, Sarah Feathers, and Esther Wane. Mostly, I enjoyed the audio and liked that key characters had their own narrator as we switched between the two timelines. Odile’s narration in Paris had some issues that annoyed me. I could hear swallowing and intake of breathes. Her voice seemed wet and I am not sure if it was the accent she developed for Odile or if this was a production/editing issue. Don’t miss the fascinating chat with the author at the end. She shares the history of the American Library. You’ll want to add it to your travel bucket list.