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Paris Library

Book cover of Paris Library

Paris Library

2020368 pagesAtria Books
Avg. reading time
7h 35m
Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

TenseEmotional

About the author

Genres

Historical FictionWorld War II

Subjects

American literatureFiction, historicalFiction, war & militaryLibrarians, fictionFiction, womenNew York Times bestsellerParis (france), fictionWorld war, 1939-1945, fictionFiction, historical, generalWomen librarians

Edition

Book cover of Paris Library
Paris LibraryUnknown, 2020
368 pages
Atria BooksLanguage: EnglishISBN: 9781982134198
5 editions available

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Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Paris Library based on a true story?

    The novel is inspired by the real history of the American Library in Paris and the librarians who worked there during the Nazi occupation of World War II. While the protagonists Odile and Lily are fictional, the author based the supporting cast of librarians on the actual individuals who defied the Bibliotheksschutz to deliver books to Jewish readers and Allied soldiers.

  • How did the author research this book?

    The author gained intimate knowledge of the setting while working as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris. She utilized archives from the American Library Association to reconstruct the library's wartime operations and even incorporated the text of actual historical documents known as crow letters into the narrative.