This historical fiction by an American-French author tells the true story of a young librarian from New York City who travels to Blerancourt in France in 1918 to provide books and help to the devastated locals some still fighting the German Army. This is under the sponsorship of the real Anne Morgan, daughter of J.P. Morgan; she established and ran the American Committee for Devastated France. It is told in the first person singular voice, and contains a little less heartbreaking pathos than in Kristin Hannah’s The Women, but still descibes the horrors of war in detail.
Alternative chapters in are set in 1987, where an aspiring writer seeking a Masters degree in creative writing is searching for the record of Jessie “Kit” Carson, one of Morgan’s employees, in the NYPL archives. Naturally, with young men and women working together, intense romances develop at both sites, one ending in death; some were more durable.
The pace of the story picks up a bit as the war nears its end and then the devastation of the worldwide Spanish Flue ensues. The expansion of the library to many other villages becomes a controversial priority for the new French government.
Among many great quotes:
«…too much confidence leads to complacency and to believing that my way is the only way, that my worldview is the way. Everyone should ask ´Why do I think this? What is a strong counterargument? »
«..it’s no surprise that mother isn’t happy in heaven- there’s nothing to complain about. »
This book is a ringing testament to the truly selfless women who never sought any fame or recognition, but worked tirelessly for the betterment of thousands of the women and children devasted by war.
9.5/10
Thanks, Vera.
The Passionate Reader 