Annotation #3: Historical Fiction

Title: The Paris Library Author: Janet Skeslien Charles Genre: Historical Fiction Publication Date: 2021 Number of Pages: 351 Geographical Setting: Split between Paris and Montana Time Period: Split between WWII and the mid-1980s Series (If applicable): n/a

Plot Summary: Told in a split-timeline fashion, The Paris Library tells the story of 1) Odile Souchet, a young librarian working in the American Library in Paris during WWII, and 2) Odile’s life in Montana 40 years later, and her connection to her neighbor, 12-year old Lily. The bulk of the story focuses on WWII-era Odile and the efforts the American Library made to stay open and serve their patrons, despite Nazi pressure to close and/or not allow Jewish patrons access to books. Many of the people and events that are mentioned in the book are based on true stories that the author discovered during a stint working at the American Library. The chapters of the novel that take place in Montana deal with Lily working through challenges with the help of Odile. Their connection helps Lily to persevere, while at the same time allowing Odile some closure to her dramatic past.

 

Subject Headings: Libraries, Paris, WWII, Montana, Intergenerational friendships

Appeal: Moving, Non-linear, Hopeful

3 terms that best describe this book: Courageous, atmospheric, character-driven

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors: (titles link to goodreads pages)

1. When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning. History of how librarians in the USA shipped books to soldiers fighting in WWII.
   
   

2. Paris at War: 1939-1944 by David Drake. Stories of ordinary Paris citizens during WWII. Lots of diaries and other personal accounts are used to tell the stories.
3. Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation by Anne Sebba. Real-life accounts of women who survived Nazi-occupied Paris, and how they managed to go about their day-to-day lives amidst the awful circumstances.

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

1. All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio. Another split-timeline story of a young woman living in WWII-era Paris, and a young woman living decades later. Their stories are connected by an apartment and a diary.

2. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel. Again, a split-timeline story dealing with WWII. This book has the interesting aspect of the main character being a forger, and it goes into detail about how she makes identity documents for Jewish children.
3. Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon. Yet another split-timeline story (very popular with this subsection of this genre!) of a brave young woman in WWII-era France. Protagonist Nancy works as a reporter, spy, and resistance fighter. Based on a true story.

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I love reading historical fiction, so it was hard to choose the title I wanted to annotate for this genre. I wanted to mention 2 other books I have read recently that are also classified as historical fiction. Both are really good!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - takes place during the 1930s Dust Bowl era.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan - a cooking contest in a small town outside London during WWII. I loved this book so much I would actually consider purchasing it to own, and that's saying a lot since I am normally 100% team library checkout for my reads.