The Paris Library: the bestselling novel of courage and betrayal in Occupied Paris

Paperback Published on: 09/12/2021
Price: £10.99
Free UK delivery on orders over £25, otherwise £3.99
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Make and edit your lists in your account
Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop

Bookseller Reviews

View all
The Paris Library
A wonderful book for lovers of libraries and La Belle Paris!
An erstwhile habituée of the American Library in Paris (ALP), I was aching to get my hands on this gorgeous book. Set along two timelines, The Paris Librar... READ MORE
Tess Clothier

Synopsis

HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES - HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED THE NAZIS
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

'A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people's lives' JILL MANSELL
'Heart-breaking and heart-lifting and always enchanting' RUTH HOGAN
'An irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to bibliophiles and historicalfiction fans alike' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'I devoured The Paris Libraryin one hungry gulp . . . charming and moving' TATIANA DE ROSNAY
'An irresistible, compelling read' FIONA DAVIS
'Paris and libraries. What's not to love?!' NATASHA LESTER
'Compelling' WOMAN & HOME
'Delightful, richly detailed' PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

PARIS, 1939
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. When war is declared, the Library is determined to remain open. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything changes.
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.

MONTANA, 1983
Lily is a lonely teenager desperate to escape small-town Montana. She grows close to her neighbour Odile, discovering they share the same love of language, the same longings. But as Lily uncovers more about Odile's mysterious past, she discovers a dark secret, closely guarded and long hidden.

Based 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.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: John Murray Press
  • ISBN: 9781529335460
  • Number of pages: 432
  • Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 28 mm
  • Weight: 305g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

View all
The Paris Library
Simply one of the best book I have EVER read
Every so often a book comes out that says so much about a period in history and sweeps you along with it.....this is one of those books. A work of such bri... READ MORE
Tony
The Paris Library
An Inspiring Read
The Paris Library is such a joy to read , and is set in two timelines and places Paris during WWII and Montana USA in the 80's .Odile loves books and is de... READ MORE
Chrissie Mortimer
The Paris Library
Paris, Books, a library? Literary heaven
It’s fair to say that this book was a joy to read as well as being a fascinating history lesson. The librarian, Miss Reeder, defied the Nazis and the so-ca... READ MORE
TheBookTrail
The Paris Library
Spellbinding
I never expected to be so engrossed about a story that revolved around a library but this had me gripped from the start .It's told in two strands one from ... READ MORE
BJNS
The Paris Library
Stunning, a must read novel of 2021
Based on fact, this wonderful novel celebrates everything about the meaning and worth of libraries, the written word and human nature. Odile's Paris story... READ MORE
Jen1010
The Paris Library
Amazing
bookshelves: bibliophilia, historical-novel, historical-research, Paris, Montana, family-dynamics, friendship, small-town, library, librarian***** I felt ... READ MORE
Janice Tangen
The Paris Library
An absolute joy and triumph
Some books I like. Some books I admire. But occasionally a book comes along that I fall deeply in love with, a book that sings to my soul. The Paris Librar... READ MORE
Louise Barber
The Paris Library
A MUST READ!
This is definitely my favourite read of March 2021, there’s just something about books that are Fiction but based on Non-Fiction (creating a fiction non-fi... READ MORE
Alana_booknerd
The Paris Library
A beautiful ode to Libraries and Book lovers
I’d like to thank Netgalley, John Murray Press and the author for this advanced readers copy. "Breathing in the best smell in the world - a mélange of the... READ MORE
Rucha Shinde
The Paris Library
A good read
I like books set during WW2 and was pleased to be approved for this early read. I enjoyed this book and thought it was very well written and researched.... READ MORE
Anne Mosedale
The Paris Library
Beautifully written
Now I love a war film. Saving Private Ryan has got to be THE best movie of all time! But I have not read many historical fiction books based around the war... READ MORE
b.o.o.k.e.l.l.y.s
The Paris Library
A wonderful read. So much history, sound advice and interesting characters.
A wonderful read. So much history, sound advice and interesting characters. “Numbers floated round my head like stars” is the opening sentence of this qu... READ MORE
Elite Reviewing Group
The Paris Library
I am in love with this book
It's 1939 in Paris, Odile gets her dream job in the American Library Paris. We follow her journey through first love and friendship; loosing loved ones, be... READ MORE
Laura McToal
The Paris Library
Clinging to the memory of this book!
Wow - this is the kind of book I fall in love with. Poignant, sad, hopeful, populated with beautifully-crafted characters, and based on the truth. The Ame... READ MORE
Lucy Williams
The Paris Library
The power of friendship, books and love
A lovely combination of history, the love of books, friendship and love. A real page turner and a joy to read. I really hope the author, Janet Skeslien C... READ MORE
Tan
The Paris Library
A beautifully written story
The occupation of Paris during the Second World War was a very difficult time and this book brings us back to these times through the little know story of ... READ MORE
Valerie Thirkettle
The Paris Library
The Paris Library by Janice Skeslien Charles
The Paris Library by Janice Skeslien Charles is a fascinating insight into the workings and the people of The Paris Library before and during the Second Wo... READ MORE
Christine Rennie
The Paris Library
entertaining enough
Did I enjoy it? Yes, it was enlightening and entertaining enough but also it kept dragging too much; this can happen often with historical fiction. Do I s... READ MORE
june.reads
The Paris Library
I ended up reading this in two evenings.
I had seen many people on TikTok talk about this book and when I saw it on offer on Amazon, I thought why not? The Paris Library is a book of two timeli... READ MORE
Hannah Marie Brankley