![]() ![]() Victor Hugo’s imperative to “sacrifice one day to gain perhaps a whole life” sets the tone for this dual narrative that takes place in 1944 Paris and 1953 Santa Cruz. Grand Central Publishing, 464 pages, $35.00 ![]() ![]() ![]() Odile understands that books are companions and recommends “The Outsiders,” a novel about how we make a place for ourselves in the world at a time when Lily is struggling to do just that. In 1940, when the Nazis invade, Jewish patrons are forbidden to use libraries, so the staff decides to deliver books to resist: after all, “libraries are lungs, books the fresh air breathed in to keep the heart beating.” Reading offers escape, “a privacy of the mind.”Ĭharles’s coming-of-age novel shifts between WWII Paris and 1983 rural Montana and explores Odile’s life both as a young woman eager to make a difference among the perils of occupied Paris and as the enigmatic neighbour to teenaged Lily. “The Paris Library” opens with Dostoevsky’s wisdom: “Fling yourself straight into life, without deliberation.” Dewey decimal system enthusiast Odile Souchet follows this advice when she secures a job at the American Library and meets like-minded booklovers whose bravery under German occupation affirms her belief that libraries are cornerstones of democracy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |