Why did I love this book?
This beautifully written historical novel is based on the life of American librarian, Dorothy Reeder. It intertwines two stories—that of Lily, a lonely teenager in 1980s Montana, and Odile Souchet (Reeder), who worked as Director of the American Library in Paris through World War II.
Having married and returned to Montana after the war, Souchet is widowed and lonely when Lily knocks on her door. In their conversations, Souchet reveals her extraordinary part in the efforts of staff at the American Library to deliver books first to soldiers and then, against Nazi orders, to Jewish Parisians during World War II.
This is a cross-generational love story about the power of books and of friendships.
1 author picked The Paris Librarian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Hugo Marston’s friend Paul Rogers dies unexpectedly in a locked room at the American Library in Paris. The police conclude that Rogers died of natural causes, but Hugo is certain mischief is afoot. As he pokes around the library, Hugo discovers that rumors are swirling around some recently donated letters from American actress Isabelle Severin. The reason: they may indicate that the actress had aided the Resistance in frequent trips to France toward the end of World War II. Even more dramatic is the legend that the Severin collection also contains a dagger, one she used to kill an SS…