* Jill Mansell, author of MAYBE THIS TIME *Ī book about books, lovers and book lovers - what's not to love? A wonderful tale about a library that provides a beacon of hope in the darkness and despair of war. Enthralling, moving and based on little-known real events.

Publisher: John Murray Press ISBN: 9781529335460 Number of pages: 432 Weight: 260 g Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 32 mm MEDIA REVIEWSĪ wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people's lives. 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.

'Delightful, richly detailed' PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY 'An irresistible, compelling read' FIONA DAVIS 'I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp. 'An irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to bibliophiles and historical fiction fans alike' SUNDAY EXPRESS ' Heart-breaking and heart-lifting and always enchanting' RUTH HOGAN 'A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people's lives' JILL MANSELL THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES - HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED THE NAZIS

The paris library a novel