Review: The Paris Library

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: Based on the true events of the librarians of the American Library in Paris who weathered the Nazi occupation of Paris with the power of hope that books can only bring.

Always had a soft spot for historical fiction and this doesn't disappoint as the narrative alternates between a young Ordelie in '39 France and an older one in the 80's as she lives her life - sibling bonds, uncommon friendships, unexpected love and other regular things all in the backdrop of an impending World War and subsequent invasion.

Wonderfully summarised in the mission statement of ALP - “After the darkness of war, the light of books.” Books and the love for it stay a common thread through the flashbacks whilst the modern timeline focuses on Odelies young neighbour Lilly as she learns to deal with struggles in her life and a chance encounter with Odelie and the ensuing friendship for standing her ground allows for a role model / mentor / friend for Lilly as she deals with coming of age and associated challenges.

Lilly's story is an add on akin to loitering off the garden path but you tend to not stray too far away wanting to figure where the main path leads to - life under occupation for the regular staff and subscribers at the American Library in Paris. The Library protector made for an interesting character in the mix where you'd want to paint him as a villain at first shot.

There is a dash of French romance which makes for a cute story trying to balance the stark and dark reality under which it is blossoming to balance the book out. For me the celebration of books is the nicest takeaway from this book.



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Review: Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: An exiled Greek Goddess , daughter of Helios the Sun God, deals with patriarchy on her own terms.

Remove the Greek mythology aspect and she could be any single woman dealing with the world and the gift wrapped patriarchy that comes along. Being odd in all ways - not pretty , mortal like voice, affection and empathy towards others especially mortals and blindly trusting - Circe goes through numerous failures but soon learns to deal with it all as she grows through the book. From a singled out kid to a singled out woman to a singled out single mother, she faces different challenges and deals with them differently.

In parallel track, the author introduces a lot of Greek mythology characters I had studied about back in school which hit the nostalgia for me having answered all those 3 mark and 5 mark questions on Minotaurs and Paris and Odysseus and it all made sense as it added more layers to the stories I had read from an exam perspective.

There are aspects where it stretches like a soap opera down a predictable path and you want to hit the fast forward button but if you can get through those, it makes for an interesting read on the multi layered approach that the author takes us through.

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