Robin M. (robinmy) -
Helpful Score: 2
WWII (1943): After her husband's arrest, Elaine Rousseau begins working for the French resistance in occupied France. She is helping to print and distribute an underground newspaper that tells of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. The Nazis know about newspaper and are searching for the printing press and the people responsible. Elaine learns of a young Jewish woman and her son who are trying to get out of occupied France. Using a code, Elaine writes a story for the newspaper, appealing for help for Sarah and her son.
In Lisbon, Portugal, American Ava Harper is working for the OSS, posing as a librarian. Each day she collects newspapers from all over Europe, forwarding any information on Nazi movements to the American Army. When she reads a story in a French newspaper, she realizes that it is a coded message. Breaking the code, Ava decides to help Sarah and her son make an escape from France.
The story bounces back and forth between Elaine in Lyon, France, and Ava in Lisbon, Portugal. We learn about the different experiences of these two women, both fighting against the Nazi regime. I enjoyed the story and learned some things that I didn't know.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. She does a great job with the various accents and pronunciations. The only problem I had with the story was the fact that there were so many characters to keep track of. My rating: 4 Stars.
In Lisbon, Portugal, American Ava Harper is working for the OSS, posing as a librarian. Each day she collects newspapers from all over Europe, forwarding any information on Nazi movements to the American Army. When she reads a story in a French newspaper, she realizes that it is a coded message. Breaking the code, Ava decides to help Sarah and her son make an escape from France.
The story bounces back and forth between Elaine in Lyon, France, and Ava in Lisbon, Portugal. We learn about the different experiences of these two women, both fighting against the Nazi regime. I enjoyed the story and learned some things that I didn't know.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. She does a great job with the various accents and pronunciations. The only problem I had with the story was the fact that there were so many characters to keep track of. My rating: 4 Stars.
Cis H. (californiadreamin) reviewed The Librarian Spy: A Novel of World War II on + 279 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Set in 1943 in both Lyon, France and Lisbon, Portugal. Two brave and defiant women in two very different settings with the same cause: Freedom for those hunted by Nazis.
Ava is content with her job in the Rare Books Room at the Library of Congress in DC. She's offered a position with iDC in Lisbon, thinking she'll be a librarian when in fact she gathers newspapers from other countries in order to provide Washington with war info.
Elaine (formerly Helene) is in Lyon, France, distraught that her husband has not returned home. She has no idea he was part of the French Resistance movement. When she contacts her husband's friend to find out where he might be, she learns his secret and becomes a part of the Resistance as well. She learns of the many heroic acts her husband performs, but also learned he has died in Nazi prison. She dedicates her life to helping find freedom for Jews seeking escape.
The story is one of bravery, courage, intrigue, and sadness. Very informative and moving.
Memorable line: A man sitting at a desk in a black business suit looked up, his face blank with disinterest.
Ava is content with her job in the Rare Books Room at the Library of Congress in DC. She's offered a position with iDC in Lisbon, thinking she'll be a librarian when in fact she gathers newspapers from other countries in order to provide Washington with war info.
Elaine (formerly Helene) is in Lyon, France, distraught that her husband has not returned home. She has no idea he was part of the French Resistance movement. When she contacts her husband's friend to find out where he might be, she learns his secret and becomes a part of the Resistance as well. She learns of the many heroic acts her husband performs, but also learned he has died in Nazi prison. She dedicates her life to helping find freedom for Jews seeking escape.
The story is one of bravery, courage, intrigue, and sadness. Very informative and moving.
Memorable line: A man sitting at a desk in a black business suit looked up, his face blank with disinterest.
Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) -
While the title of The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin intrigued me, its plot was perhaps too dense for me to fully appreciate. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld which wasn't the ideal format as I confused some of the character details and plot points that may be easier to track in print.
This World War II story featuring a French resistance worker and an American librarian is well researched. Ava is a librarian at the Library of Congress when the US military offers her an opportunity to serve as a spy in Portugal, aiding efforts to track German activity. Elaine is French and a member of the resistance, assisting with printing and distributing an underground newspaper. Told in alternating chapters, Ava and Elaine's lives intersect through their anti-Nazi activity.
The story, inspired by true events, shared insights into the daily hardships of wartime in an occupied country contrasted with the relative luxury of life in neutral Portugal. The treatment and plight of war refugees was also included in a subplot.
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel.
This World War II story featuring a French resistance worker and an American librarian is well researched. Ava is a librarian at the Library of Congress when the US military offers her an opportunity to serve as a spy in Portugal, aiding efforts to track German activity. Elaine is French and a member of the resistance, assisting with printing and distributing an underground newspaper. Told in alternating chapters, Ava and Elaine's lives intersect through their anti-Nazi activity.
The story, inspired by true events, shared insights into the daily hardships of wartime in an occupied country contrasted with the relative luxury of life in neutral Portugal. The treatment and plight of war refugees was also included in a subplot.
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel.
The title - libraries and spies - draws me to The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin. Although one of the main characters is a librarian, the story is not really about libraries or books. Nevertheless, the story is a compelling one of courage and of a common cause that unites people whose paths may never otherwise cross. It keeps me reading from beginning to end, and the history is one I am glad I learned.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/the-librarian-spy.html
Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 historical fiction blog tour.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/the-librarian-spy.html
Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 historical fiction blog tour.
