Thank you to Thoughts From a Page, Kathleen Carter Communications, Hanover Square Press, #partner, for an advanced copy of The Librarian Spy in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Published: July 26, 2022
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.
Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.
As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.
My thoughts:
It’s no secret that historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and when you add in that mystery element, I love it even more. I was thrilled when Cindy from the Thoughts of a Page Podcast selected this one for her Patreon group to read early as I had already had my eye on it. Madeline Martin is a new-to-me author but I will definitely be going back and reading her other historical fiction novel…I just loved her writing!
There’s certainly no shortage of WWII books. But I always find that each one brings something new to the table – each one sheds light on something that hasn’t been explored before and that is certainly the case here. This is inspired by the true history of American library spies! What?!? And the book is set in Portugal. This might be the first WWII book I’ve read that is set there. I loved getting to see how a neutral country was like during this time.
The whole idea of American spies just fascinates me to no end – especially the fact that they used women in this role. Ava works for the Library of Congress as a librarian. She is sent to Portugal to scan all the newspapers she can get her hands on and send back anything that might be deemed worthy of helping with the war effort. It is through this work that leads her to a French contact, Elaine, who is part of the Resistance Movement. I loved that Elaine worked for an underground printing press, where they printed and distributed Resistance pamphlets during the war.
I love the use of the dual narrative in historical fiction, and it worked really well here. I loved moving back and forth between Ava and Elaine’s perspectives – both women are so brave and find themselves taking such big risks. I wouldn’t say I had a favorite character, per say, but rather there were times I was drawn more to one than the other. When the two finally connect, I loved how they communicated through coded messages. It added a layer of suspense to an already tense situation – would they be discovered before they were able to complete their plan?
Yes, the book does move a little slow at times, but I feel that there were moments that really needed to be built up for later parts to make sense. As much as I wanted to rush through this book to see when the two characters would finally connect, I also felt that this isn’t that type of book. There are some heavy moments scattered throughout and I felt the emotions very strongly. You feel the desperation and the fear in the characters, but you also feel hope and that is what I love. By the time I got to the end of this book, it had tugged at all my heartstrings, and is one that I know will be sitting with me for a while.
I read a lot of historical fiction and I think this might be one of my new favorites. I just loved it and it is definitely one I will be recommending to everyone!
