the paris library a novel by janet skeslien charles

Montana, 1983: Odile’s solitary existence in gossipy small-town Montana is unexpectedly interrupted by her neighbor Lily, a lonely teenager craving adventure. Over and over, they risk their lives to help their fellow Jewish readers, but by war’s end, Odile feels the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

After the Nazis march into the City of Light and declare a war on words, Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance with the best weapons they have: books. When World War II breaks out, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear-including her beloved library.

Paris, 1939: Young, driven, and headstrong, Odile Souchet has it all: Paul, her handsome police officer beau Margaret, her best friend from England Remy, her twin brother whom she adores and a dream job at the American Library in Paris, working with the library’s legendary director, Dorothy Reeder. But as Lily uncovers more about Odile’s mysterious past, she discovers a dark secret, closely guarded and long hidden.īased on the true Second World War story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable novel of romance, friendship, family, and of heroism found in the quietest of places.Listed in the Literature category on Art In Fiction, The Paris Library (2021) by Janet Skeslien Charles is an historical novel based on the true story of the American Library in Paris. She grows close to her neighbour Odile, discovering they share the same love of language, the same longings. Lily is a lonely teenager desperate to escape small-town Montana. In Occupied Paris, choices as black and white as the words on a page become a murky shade of grey – choices that will put many on the wrong side of history, and the consequences of which will echo for decades to come. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything changes. When war is declared, the Library is determined to remain open. Odile Souchet is obsessed with books, and her new job at the American Library in Paris – with its thriving community of students, writers and book lovers – is a dream come true.

‘Delightful, richly detailed’ PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY ‘An irresistible, compelling read’ FIONA DAVIS ‘I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp. ‘An irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to bibliophiles and historical fiction fans alike’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘ Heart-breaking and heart-lifting and always enchanting’ RUTH HOGAN

‘A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people’s lives’ JILL MANSELL THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES – HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED THE NAZIS

The paris library a novel by janet skeslien charles