However, when the Nazis make their presence known, these plans change. Despite the threat of war, the American Library vows to go on and serve its patrons. But this elation is soon replaced with uncertainty when the world goes to war. For Odile, the chance to work at the famous Paris based American Library is an amazing achievement. In the 1930 based timeline we are clued in to the story of Odile Souchet, a woman who has recently started a new job at the American Library in Paris. A story of insurgence, bravery, determination and deception, The Paris Library is an enlightening historical composition.Ī double timeline novel crossing both Paris in 1939 and Montana in 1983, The Paris Library offers a timely reminder of the persistence, courage and acts of resistance during the Second World War. The Paris Library is a tale that germinated from this author’s passion for libraries and her first-hand experience of living in Paris for over a decade. The library was more than bricks and books its mortar was people who cared.’Īward-winning author Janet Skeslien Charles has spent many years strolling the streets of Paris. ‘It never mattered how low I felt, someone at the library always managed to scoop me up and put me on an even keel. 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. 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. The instant New York Times bestseller, inspired by the true story of the librarians at the American Library in Paris who risked their lives during the Nazis’ war on words: a story of courage, defiance and betrayal in Occupied Paris, perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.

Genres: Fiction, Historical, World War II

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