The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Expected publication date: June 2nd 2020
Pages: 368

Paris, 1938; Odile Souchet is applying for a job as a librarian at the American Library in Paris. She gets the job, but then Paris is getting occupied by the Nazi's. Everything in the library is unsure now, especially because the librarians also serve Jewish readers. Together with the other librarians, Odile finds herself in a secret form of resistance. Their weapons are books. They keep their books the Nazi's don't like, and they keep delivering books to their Jewish clients.  But then slowly on, Odile finds out that people very close to her are on the wrong side, and finds out about their horrible betrayal..

Later on, in 1983, Odile lives in Montana, USA. She is widowed and lives alone. She doesn't have many contacts in the small town she lives in, untill one day her neighbor girl Lily rings her doorbell, as Lily is looking for adventure in small-town Montana.s Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them...

This is a beautiful written book, perfect for anyone who love historical fiction, libraries and Paris as a backdrop. The book is written in two POV's, Odile and Lily's, with Odile's part being the largest. The book is based on the  true story of the heroic librarians of the American Library in Paris, which still exists today, during the Nazi occupation of Paris. The
story of Odile was just amazing. It was just so heroic of her and the other librarians how they fought to keep the library open as a resistance, and how they kept delivering books
to readers, and smuggled books to the checkpoints, even when threatening letters on the library are made, you can just imagine how it would have been during that horrible period. The author obviously did wonderful research on this book! The character’s in the historical segment of the novel had greater depth (they were based on real people) than those in the modern part.
Overall, this is a beautiful book that I truly recommend reading!