Publication
Toronto : Hanover Square Press, c2022.
Collection
Call number
Fiction M
Physical description
383 p.; 21 inches
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:"Readers will be on the edge of their seats.... A brilliant tale of resistance, courage and ultimately hope." ??Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan 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. "Uplifting, inspiring and suspenseful, this is one to savor!" ??Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Riviera House "Madeline Martin is a fantastic author. The Librarian Spy is a stunning tour de force of historical fiction." ??Karen Robards, author of The Black Swan of Paris For more historical fiction from Madeline Martin, don't miss The Last Bookshop in London.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member riofriotex
The title of this book caught my eye while browsing my local public library last month. Alas, it's not really about a librarian or a spy. In addition, the book has two main characters, and the other (a woman in the French Resistance in Lyon) is not referenced in the title - and the cover image
The opening sentence should have tipped me off that this book wasn't quite right for me. "There was nothing Ava Harper loved more than the smell of old books." So stereotypical. In April 1943, Ava is a librarian in the Rare Book Room of the Library of Congress - a dream job. She's recruited to go to Lisbon, Portugal (a neutral country during World War II) to collect newspapers and other daily publications from local newsstands, to be microfilmed. The film would be sent back to the United States to be reviewed for clues about the enemy. So she's not really doing real librarian work any more, and she's not really a spy, at least not in the way one would typically think of a spy. Disappointing for this retired librarian - who managed archives and special collections (i.e., rare books) as part of her job.
The other storyline involves Helene Belanger, whose husband Joseph, active in the Resistance, is missing. (The opening sentence for her first chapter is also cliché - "Words had power.") A woman appears at her door looking for "Pierre," which turns out to be Joseph's code name. He has been providing fake identification for Jews. Helene impulsively gives the women her own identity papers. The next day, her husband's best friend rescues her on the street (she'd been stopped by a Nazi officer), pretending to be her husband and handing her new papers - now she is Elaine Rousseau. She begins working with the Resistance printing a clandestine newspaper - one that Ava later collects, and that leads to the linking storyline that drives the narrative.
Author Madeline Martin explains in a note at the end she based Ava on real librarians with the real Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications (IDC), part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the wartime precursor to the CIA - although she states the IDC "did not send any female operatives to Lisbon." The character of Helene/Elaine was influenced by Lucienne Guezennec (real name Marie-Antoinette Morat), a member of the French Resistance with very similar experiences.
It was obvious that World War II Lisbon - and Rossio Square and Montserrate Palace in Sintra - were well-researched. However, Ava's life there seemed a little unreal - her nice apartment, the great food, and especially her romance with the mysterious James from the British Embassy. I found it hard to believe Ava would have brought or bought formalwear for some of the events and places James took her to. Helene/Elaine blames her husband's best friend for his arrest, and seems to somehow expect him to risk his life to deliver her message to a husband she had earlier been angry with, for preventing her earlier involvement in the Resistance in order to protect her. Character development in this book could have been better - everyone felt a bit flat, and it was hard to get invested in anyone. Still, it was a worthwhile read if only to learn about new places and another aspect of the war I knew nothing about.
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of two women doesn't reflect her either.The opening sentence should have tipped me off that this book wasn't quite right for me. "There was nothing Ava Harper loved more than the smell of old books." So stereotypical. In April 1943, Ava is a librarian in the Rare Book Room of the Library of Congress - a dream job. She's recruited to go to Lisbon, Portugal (a neutral country during World War II) to collect newspapers and other daily publications from local newsstands, to be microfilmed. The film would be sent back to the United States to be reviewed for clues about the enemy. So she's not really doing real librarian work any more, and she's not really a spy, at least not in the way one would typically think of a spy. Disappointing for this retired librarian - who managed archives and special collections (i.e., rare books) as part of her job.
The other storyline involves Helene Belanger, whose husband Joseph, active in the Resistance, is missing. (The opening sentence for her first chapter is also cliché - "Words had power.") A woman appears at her door looking for "Pierre," which turns out to be Joseph's code name. He has been providing fake identification for Jews. Helene impulsively gives the women her own identity papers. The next day, her husband's best friend rescues her on the street (she'd been stopped by a Nazi officer), pretending to be her husband and handing her new papers - now she is Elaine Rousseau. She begins working with the Resistance printing a clandestine newspaper - one that Ava later collects, and that leads to the linking storyline that drives the narrative.
Author Madeline Martin explains in a note at the end she based Ava on real librarians with the real Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications (IDC), part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the wartime precursor to the CIA - although she states the IDC "did not send any female operatives to Lisbon." The character of Helene/Elaine was influenced by Lucienne Guezennec (real name Marie-Antoinette Morat), a member of the French Resistance with very similar experiences.
It was obvious that World War II Lisbon - and Rossio Square and Montserrate Palace in Sintra - were well-researched. However, Ava's life there seemed a little unreal - her nice apartment, the great food, and especially her romance with the mysterious James from the British Embassy. I found it hard to believe Ava would have brought or bought formalwear for some of the events and places James took her to. Helene/Elaine blames her husband's best friend for his arrest, and seems to somehow expect him to risk his life to deliver her message to a husband she had earlier been angry with, for preventing her earlier involvement in the Resistance in order to protect her. Character development in this book could have been better - everyone felt a bit flat, and it was hard to get invested in anyone. Still, it was a worthwhile read if only to learn about new places and another aspect of the war I knew nothing about.
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LibraryThing member Virginia51
This is one of my favorite WWll books that I have read in a long time. I loved learning about what was happening in Lisbon during this time. It was fascinating to learn more about what some people did in France and in Lisbon to help end the war sooner. This story made me cry. I did not want to put
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the book down until I knew what happened to Elaine and Ava. I loved how the story was written to show what each woman was going through. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookchickdi
Madeline Martin's terrific novel The Last Bookshop in London (my review here) told the story of a young woman who worked in a London bookshop during the Blitz of WWII. It was a fresh take on the popular WWII novels, and as someone who works in a bookstore, I enjoyed it.
Her new novel, The Librarian
Ava Harper is a librarian working in the rare books room in the Library of Congress. She is recruited to help the United States war effort and is sent to Lisbon where she is tasked with purchasing magazines and newspapers from Germany, France, and elsewhere and microfilming them to send back to Washington DC to be studied by the War Department for intelligence that will help the war effort.
Elaine lives in Lyon, which is under the control of the Nazis and the Vichy government. When her husband disappears, Elaine is recruited by his friend to work undercover with the French Resistance. Elaine works with other women hiding and passing out undercover newspapers to others in the Resistance. Eventually she ends up working on the printing press that creates the newspapers.
The contrast between Ava's life in Lisbon and Elaine's in Lyon is stark. Ava is enjoying tasty Portuguese pastries like pastéis de nata and living in a small but comfortable apartment while Elaine is constantly hungry and moving from one cramped safehouse to another trying to avoid being captured by the cruel Nazis who would torture her for information.
Ava meets some British librarians, and catches the eye of one in particular, James. James takes Ava to fancy dinner parties, telling her it would aid the war effort, while Elaine anxiously searches for word about the whereabouts of her husband. Was he is prison, sent to a work camp, or dead?
There is a connection between Ava and Elaine that becomes apparent in the second half of the book as that revolves around a secret message that gets decoded and helps a woman escape.
At first I was more intrigued by Ava's story because I didn't know much about Lisbon (and I admire librarians, they are superheroes), but as the story progressed, Elaine's story captured me as well. Lisbon housed many refugees from the Nazi's, and was a point of departure for many who fled to the United States. The parallels to the refugees today fleeing war in Afghanistan and the Ukraine are significant.
Madeline Martin doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Nazis cruelties, and it can often hard, but yet important, to read. As a world we cannot keep allowing this atrocities to happen. It put me in mind of Jessica Shattuck's novel The Women in the Castle and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale from a few years ago.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said "A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong it is until it's in hot water." Ava and Elaine personify that quite well in Madeline Martin's powerful novel The Librarian Spy. I highly recommend it.
Her new novel, The Librarian
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Spy, is also a unique WWII story. Martin sets this story in two cities- Lyon, France and Lisbon, Portugal. I can't recall reading a novel set in Lisbon, and didn't know anything about Portugal's role as a neutral country during WWII. I do now.Ava Harper is a librarian working in the rare books room in the Library of Congress. She is recruited to help the United States war effort and is sent to Lisbon where she is tasked with purchasing magazines and newspapers from Germany, France, and elsewhere and microfilming them to send back to Washington DC to be studied by the War Department for intelligence that will help the war effort.
Elaine lives in Lyon, which is under the control of the Nazis and the Vichy government. When her husband disappears, Elaine is recruited by his friend to work undercover with the French Resistance. Elaine works with other women hiding and passing out undercover newspapers to others in the Resistance. Eventually she ends up working on the printing press that creates the newspapers.
The contrast between Ava's life in Lisbon and Elaine's in Lyon is stark. Ava is enjoying tasty Portuguese pastries like pastéis de nata and living in a small but comfortable apartment while Elaine is constantly hungry and moving from one cramped safehouse to another trying to avoid being captured by the cruel Nazis who would torture her for information.
Ava meets some British librarians, and catches the eye of one in particular, James. James takes Ava to fancy dinner parties, telling her it would aid the war effort, while Elaine anxiously searches for word about the whereabouts of her husband. Was he is prison, sent to a work camp, or dead?
There is a connection between Ava and Elaine that becomes apparent in the second half of the book as that revolves around a secret message that gets decoded and helps a woman escape.
At first I was more intrigued by Ava's story because I didn't know much about Lisbon (and I admire librarians, they are superheroes), but as the story progressed, Elaine's story captured me as well. Lisbon housed many refugees from the Nazi's, and was a point of departure for many who fled to the United States. The parallels to the refugees today fleeing war in Afghanistan and the Ukraine are significant.
Madeline Martin doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Nazis cruelties, and it can often hard, but yet important, to read. As a world we cannot keep allowing this atrocities to happen. It put me in mind of Jessica Shattuck's novel The Women in the Castle and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale from a few years ago.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said "A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong it is until it's in hot water." Ava and Elaine personify that quite well in Madeline Martin's powerful novel The Librarian Spy. I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member SilversReviews
Two brave women, two countries, and WWII.
We meet Ava who had worked at the Library of Congress but was transferred to Lisbon because of her language skills and to serve as a spy.
We also meet Elaine in Lyon who is helping the French Resistance by working with the printing press and distributing the
These women meet via a coded message sent through the printed pamphlets that saved a mother and son.
Ms. Martin brings to light what went on in both places - the horror Europeans went through - and how refugees tried to get to Portugal since it was a neutral country. I had never heard anything about Portugal during the war.
You will cry with the characters and feel their pain and terror as well as share some joys in this marvelous, well-researched book with great characters, a great story line, and filled with as Ms. Martin said “the power of the written word.”
You have to read this book to experience the hope and determination within. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
We meet Ava who had worked at the Library of Congress but was transferred to Lisbon because of her language skills and to serve as a spy.
We also meet Elaine in Lyon who is helping the French Resistance by working with the printing press and distributing the
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real news of the war.These women meet via a coded message sent through the printed pamphlets that saved a mother and son.
Ms. Martin brings to light what went on in both places - the horror Europeans went through - and how refugees tried to get to Portugal since it was a neutral country. I had never heard anything about Portugal during the war.
You will cry with the characters and feel their pain and terror as well as share some joys in this marvelous, well-researched book with great characters, a great story line, and filled with as Ms. Martin said “the power of the written word.”
You have to read this book to experience the hope and determination within. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
This novel featured the story of two women - an American librarian recruited to work in intelligence during World War II and a Frenchwoman who joined the Resistance in Lyons. Their stories intersect when a message sent from the French Resistance is received and decoded in Lisbon, Portugal, and the
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struggle begins to save a Jewish mother and child. This book made for an enjoyable read and I appreciated a story partially set in Lisbon, as I was unaware of the role played by Portugal in World War II and I liked learning about the refugees who fled there and the challenges they faced. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookish59
During WWII, two young women, like many others find themselves unexpectedly working in new roles supporting their countries against the nazis. In France, once Elaine, (actually Helene), learns that her husband Joseph has been arrested and sent to a labor camp joins the resistance in Lyons.
Ava,
Both women are strong, loving and intelligent. They excel at their jobs; are dedicated to doing everything possible to help end a war which has caused massive pain, and loss. When an opportunity comes to help a refugee mother and son, they both put themselves at risk to do the right thing.
Martin has written a captivating, very readable war novel with deeply developed characters, timing and dialog.
Ava,
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from the US, now in Lisbon, is tasked with gathering intelligence from local underground newspapers. Both women are strong, loving and intelligent. They excel at their jobs; are dedicated to doing everything possible to help end a war which has caused massive pain, and loss. When an opportunity comes to help a refugee mother and son, they both put themselves at risk to do the right thing.
Martin has written a captivating, very readable war novel with deeply developed characters, timing and dialog.
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LibraryThing member bereanna
Dual settings in WWII, Lisbon and Lyon. American librarian microfilms newspaper in neutral Portugal while in Lyon a resistant, runs a printing press to distribute truth about the Nazi activities. Some truthful gruesome scenes in Lyon as the Nazis terrorized the populace and severely limited food.
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The writing made this book not quite the 4.5-5 the story deserved. Couldn’t put it down, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Ava works in the rare books department of the Library of Congress. Her only living relative, a brother, enlisted in the Army. When offered a job in Portugal microfilming newspapers and other documents to assist in the War effort, she decides to take the job. In Lyon, France, a woman's husband
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affiliated with the resistance is arrested by the Nazis. Although he did not want her to join because of the danger, Elaine (as she becomes known) goes to work helping put out an underground newspaper. The paths of the two women first cross when Ava spots code typed by Helene who is seeking to reunite a Jewish mother and child with the father who made it out to America earlier. This story as well as everything else is well-told and captivates the reader/listener to the end. The author described atrocities endured by members of the Resistance as well as reporting deaths when they occurred. I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it to others seeking a World War II story. Show Less
LibraryThing member MiserableFlower
I think if you are going to write about a topic as dark and messed up as WW2 I don't think you should pull any punches. I found this book to be luke warm and that it glossed over a lot of the real details out there. I learned something new about the librarians and the work they accomplished... but
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this was rather frustrating that it was not really held to exacting details.... That everything got tied up in a neat little bow too didn't really settle well for with me. I also believe there Elaine finding out here husband was dead would have held a bigger impact if we as a reader had any attachment to him at all even though we didn't get to meet up, just third person recounting.. Idk I just found this one to be okay...ish Show Less
LibraryThing member franoscar
I was a little disappointed with this book. It is readable and the story is moving.
Spoilers Abound.
My friend Shana likes this author a lot, but I found the book somewhat frustrating.
I wasn't sure if the librarian heroine was purposely shown to be not well-informed, or if the author did her a
I wasn't sure about the dramatic rescue of the mother and child. It cost so many lives and the typesetting heroine didn't give her comrades a choice in the matter. On the other hand she says the events of the war led to increased brutality by the Germans so those horrible things could well have happened.
Spoilers Abound.
My friend Shana likes this author a lot, but I found the book somewhat frustrating.
I wasn't sure if the librarian heroine was purposely shown to be not well-informed, or if the author did her a
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disservice by showing her that way.I wasn't sure about the dramatic rescue of the mother and child. It cost so many lives and the typesetting heroine didn't give her comrades a choice in the matter. On the other hand she says the events of the war led to increased brutality by the Germans so those horrible things could well have happened.
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LibraryThing member judithrs
The Librarian Spy: A Novel of World War II.Madeline Martin. 2022. The first time I remember hearing about Portugal during WWII was in “Casablanca;” and the second time was in the book, The Information Hunters; When Librarians, Soldiers and Spies Banded together in World War II Europe. In her
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novel, Martin puts human faces on the librarians who spent their time combing newspapers, magazines, and other papers to locate any information that would help the Allies defeat Hitler. The story switches back and forth between Ava, a librarian on loan from the Library of Congress, and Elaine, a member of the French Resistance. Even though Portugal is a neutral country, Lisbon is full of Nazi spies and sympathizers, Ava finds she must be careful not to arouse the curiosity of the Lisbon police as she goes to various newsstands to pick up newspapers on her way to work. Elaine gets involved in the Resistance when her husband is arrested. She works long hours running a printing press turning out a non-Nazi newspaper. Unknown to each other, they both work to get a young Jewish mother and her son safely on a boat to the United States. If you like WWII novels, this one is for you. Show Less
LibraryThing member fredreeca
Ava has been commissioned, because of her language skills, to head to Lisbon to help with the war effort. She is such an introvert and this is not what she planned to do with her life. But, because her brother is serving, she decides that whatever she can do to help, she will do. However, this
Ava is a character after my own heart. She is a true bibliophile and I love how she carries a suitcase full of books with her to Europe. This is definitely something I would do. However, her espionage skills are not where they need to be. This puts her in danger on more than one occasion.
For the life of me, I do not know why this is not a five star read for me. I am usually all about WWII. I may be a bit tired of this time period (NEVER!). The characters seemed a bit flat and even though I loved all the book references, I found myself zoning out during parts of this book. But…like I said…it is probably me. My friend over at Silvers Reviews gave it 5 stars. So…yep…probably me.
Need a good WWII espionage story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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turns into more than she bargained for and she realizes she must become as tough as nails to survive.Ava is a character after my own heart. She is a true bibliophile and I love how she carries a suitcase full of books with her to Europe. This is definitely something I would do. However, her espionage skills are not where they need to be. This puts her in danger on more than one occasion.
For the life of me, I do not know why this is not a five star read for me. I am usually all about WWII. I may be a bit tired of this time period (NEVER!). The characters seemed a bit flat and even though I loved all the book references, I found myself zoning out during parts of this book. But…like I said…it is probably me. My friend over at Silvers Reviews gave it 5 stars. So…yep…probably me.
Need a good WWII espionage story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
This story highlights the work of the resistance campaign waged in both France and Portugal. Ava, a librarian in DC is sent to Lisbon during WWII. Elaine, in Lyon, is working for the resistance against Germany, publishing information and coded messages. Through their work, they are able to save a
Their work is not without danger and sorrow.
This is another well researched novel by Madeline Martin about WWII. I enjoyed reading the story she created.
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Jewish mother and child and get them safely to America. Their work is not without danger and sorrow.
This is another well researched novel by Madeline Martin about WWII. I enjoyed reading the story she created.
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LibraryThing member renardkitsune
There were many things I liked about this book--I enjoy WWII historical fiction, and I thought that the author found an interesting angle that I haven't read about before--both the French Resistance, in Lyon specifically, and the work of the Americans and British in Lisbon. I also appreciated the
However, I think that even though Martin tried to convey WWII's enormous awfulness, it seemed just a backdrop to characters, who still came out sort of flat. For all of the descriptive words packed into each sentence, both Ava and Elaine seemed almost interchangeable. I also was disappointed that there wasn't more librarianship, since its in the title and there are books all over the cover. I also--and this is no fault of the book, it's my own personal preference, don't really enjoy romance just to have a romance (and that's what it feels like when the characters don't have a lot of depth)
And then--and this has happened to me a couple of times--I read the author's note, and all the research she put into the book and excitement she has about the topic re-warmed me to the book and made it appreciate it more after the fact.
Good if you want an easy read that can't decide if it's a light historical romance or a sober story of WWII.
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author's attempt to convey how truly awful WWII was. However, I think that even though Martin tried to convey WWII's enormous awfulness, it seemed just a backdrop to characters, who still came out sort of flat. For all of the descriptive words packed into each sentence, both Ava and Elaine seemed almost interchangeable. I also was disappointed that there wasn't more librarianship, since its in the title and there are books all over the cover. I also--and this is no fault of the book, it's my own personal preference, don't really enjoy romance just to have a romance (and that's what it feels like when the characters don't have a lot of depth)
And then--and this has happened to me a couple of times--I read the author's note, and all the research she put into the book and excitement she has about the topic re-warmed me to the book and made it appreciate it more after the fact.
Good if you want an easy read that can't decide if it's a light historical romance or a sober story of WWII.
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LibraryThing member creighley
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
As the battle continues, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope within the ravages of war.
Meanwhile,in occupied
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France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job normally done by men but in war exceptions are made.As the battle continues, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope within the ravages of war.
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LibraryThing member clue
In 1943 Ava is working at the Library of Congress in the Rare Book Room, a job she loves. Unexpectedly she is offered a job with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services). If she accepts, and she does, she will be assigned to information gathering, a covert operation. Ava was recruited based on her
Helene, later to be called Ellen, lives in Lyon, France. Lyon has been occupied territory for six months. She and her husband Joseph recently argued and he left their apartment angry. Two days later he hadn't returned. She eventually learns from his best friend, and until then unknown to her, Joseph is a member of the Resistance and has been arrested. Helene is driven to become part of the Resistance too and will be placed in an apprenticeship at a printing press helping print and distribute their newspaper.
The story follows Ava, Helene and others they knew, mostly women, through 1945. This is Martin's second book, I read the first last year and enjoyed it as well. I decided to give this 3.5* primarily because I would like for Ava and Helene to have more depth and for the writing to be less cluttered. It's a good read though and I'll read her next book when it comes out.
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fluency in German and French and her ability to run a mimeograph machine. She will live through the war in Lisbon. Helene, later to be called Ellen, lives in Lyon, France. Lyon has been occupied territory for six months. She and her husband Joseph recently argued and he left their apartment angry. Two days later he hadn't returned. She eventually learns from his best friend, and until then unknown to her, Joseph is a member of the Resistance and has been arrested. Helene is driven to become part of the Resistance too and will be placed in an apprenticeship at a printing press helping print and distribute their newspaper.
The story follows Ava, Helene and others they knew, mostly women, through 1945. This is Martin's second book, I read the first last year and enjoyed it as well. I decided to give this 3.5* primarily because I would like for Ava and Helene to have more depth and for the writing to be less cluttered. It's a good read though and I'll read her next book when it comes out.
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LibraryThing member philae_02
The Librarian Spy is set during World War II, and alternates between Ava and Elaine. Ava Harper is an American librarian recruited to work in Lisbon. She was recruited from the Library of Congress to gather information in Europe and send it back to America for evaluation. Elaine is a French
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revolutionary who works at a clandestine newspaper, helping those around her, all while avoiding detection from the Nazis. Throughout the story I sympathized most with Elaine, fighting against the Nazi oppression during French occupation, and losing friends along the way. But her courage grows when she meets Sarah and her son Noah, hoping to flee from the Nazis. This is a story of loss, love, friendship, and hope. Madeline Martin stated in the author note that the main characters were inspired by real people—with their bravery and courage—while maintaining the story itself is a work of fiction. I feel that Martin’s research was well done especially when writing about the locations, conditions, and overall fear surrounding wartime. Show Less
LibraryThing member srms.reads
3.5⭐️
“Understanding and knowledge were wasted if one did not apply them to life.”
In 1943, Ava Harper, a librarian working in the Rare Book Room at the Library of Congress in Washington DC recruited to work in Lisbon, Portugal, a neutral zone during WWII to gather intelligence on the enemy
In Nazi-occupied France, Helene Belanger ( under the assumed name Elaine Rousseau) joins the Resistance in Lyon after her husband Joseph, who unbeknownst to her was a part of the Resistance, is arrested and imprisoned. Her work includes working in a clandestine press - printing and distributing anti-Nazi newspapers. At every step, she faces the danger of discovery and imprisonment, and much worse, but she is determined to contribute to the efforts to defeat the enemy.
These two women’s stories come together through a coded message Helen/Elaine sends through the newspaper – a code Ava manages to decipher with the help of her friends in Lisbon – and what follows is a series of events in which both these women put everything at risk to save a Jewish mother and child from capture and find passage to America.
“Words have such incredible power.”
The Author’s Note at the end of the book is very informative and shows the amount of research that went into crafting this story. I always enjoy delving into the history behind fiction set in this era. This is the first time I read about WWII Lisbon and the role librarians played in gathering information during the war. I was also unaware of how Lisbon was a refuge for those who were fleeing persecution. It’s never easy to read about the plight of Jews in WWII Europe and the horrors of war. The author however keeps the tone relatively restrained while alluding to the Holocaust.
This is a well-written book. Both these women are different in their circumstances and backgrounds but both are brave and smart and willing to go beyond the call of duty to help those who require assistance. Both the parallel storylines are well narrated and are interesting in their own way. The author covers a lot of ground in this novel – the French Resistance and the significance of the written word, Lisbon’s role in WWII, espionage and much more. What works for this novel is the setting/settings but I felt that the story took a while to gain momentum. While I did enjoy both the tracks in this novel, I expected a stronger espionage track, which was mostly relegated to the background. The Resistance track was very strong and the character of Helene/Elaine was well-developed. I feel Ava’s track had much potential but after a point fell flat. While parts of it were compelling, the story overall, was not as impactful as it could have been. In short , while I really liked The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin, I did not love it.
“I mean that this present we live in is tomorrow’s history. You ask if this is important. This is the education for our future, to learn from the mistakes that have been made now and never let atrocities such as this continue or be repeated.”
“Understanding and knowledge were wasted if one did not apply them to life.”
In 1943, Ava Harper, a librarian working in the Rare Book Room at the Library of Congress in Washington DC recruited to work in Lisbon, Portugal, a neutral zone during WWII to gather intelligence on the enemy
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from all available print media. When Ava lands in Lisbon, she finds that her job entails collecting as much as she can from magazines and newspapers but having to do so while navigating her way around Nazi spies and the Portuguese secret police. She also befriends many Jews who are waiting for onward travel Visas in Lisbon and learns more about the events that forced them to flee Europe as well as the hurdles involved in their onward journey. She is adamant that their stories and voices are not lost and takes the initiative to document as much as she can.In Nazi-occupied France, Helene Belanger ( under the assumed name Elaine Rousseau) joins the Resistance in Lyon after her husband Joseph, who unbeknownst to her was a part of the Resistance, is arrested and imprisoned. Her work includes working in a clandestine press - printing and distributing anti-Nazi newspapers. At every step, she faces the danger of discovery and imprisonment, and much worse, but she is determined to contribute to the efforts to defeat the enemy.
These two women’s stories come together through a coded message Helen/Elaine sends through the newspaper – a code Ava manages to decipher with the help of her friends in Lisbon – and what follows is a series of events in which both these women put everything at risk to save a Jewish mother and child from capture and find passage to America.
“Words have such incredible power.”
The Author’s Note at the end of the book is very informative and shows the amount of research that went into crafting this story. I always enjoy delving into the history behind fiction set in this era. This is the first time I read about WWII Lisbon and the role librarians played in gathering information during the war. I was also unaware of how Lisbon was a refuge for those who were fleeing persecution. It’s never easy to read about the plight of Jews in WWII Europe and the horrors of war. The author however keeps the tone relatively restrained while alluding to the Holocaust.
This is a well-written book. Both these women are different in their circumstances and backgrounds but both are brave and smart and willing to go beyond the call of duty to help those who require assistance. Both the parallel storylines are well narrated and are interesting in their own way. The author covers a lot of ground in this novel – the French Resistance and the significance of the written word, Lisbon’s role in WWII, espionage and much more. What works for this novel is the setting/settings but I felt that the story took a while to gain momentum. While I did enjoy both the tracks in this novel, I expected a stronger espionage track, which was mostly relegated to the background. The Resistance track was very strong and the character of Helene/Elaine was well-developed. I feel Ava’s track had much potential but after a point fell flat. While parts of it were compelling, the story overall, was not as impactful as it could have been. In short , while I really liked The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin, I did not love it.
“I mean that this present we live in is tomorrow’s history. You ask if this is important. This is the education for our future, to learn from the mistakes that have been made now and never let atrocities such as this continue or be repeated.”
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LibraryThing member jtsolakos
An OK book on WWII but by no means one of the great ones. Ava, a librarian from the Library of Congress is recruited to Portugal to locate publications to film & return back to the US for the war effort. Spy? Not so much. Elaine, from the Resistance in France, is the woman putting her life on the
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line for her country. But with all that, the writing is somewhat flat. Just not intriguing. What I did like was learning about Portugal's role in WWII during the war. Show Less
LibraryThing member GeauxGetLit
Two women during the harrowing days of WWII, happenstance would connect them in an unthinkable way.
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Ava is a gorgeous young educated woman who lives and breathes books working at the Library of Congress.
Given her strengths she is recruiting by US military to Lisbon working as a librarian while
In France, Helene finds her husband missing when a woman shows up to her house asking her for papers. Helene decides to give hers to the girl and risk her own life. When her husbands friend tells her he has been taken in by the Nazis as he was apart of the resistance. She immediately wants to help and she has new papers and a new name, Elaine. She finds herself and other members of the resistance working in a printing press passing on coded messages to get out.
Desperate to save the life of a mother and child, she risks her life and her friends life, as she sends a code to London.
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Going back and forth from each woman, I thought this was a cleverly delivered wwii fiction demonstrating the strength of women through such a deadly time.
Having the audiobook and the physical copy was the winning combo for me, as it contains other languages throughout the book. Saskia Maarleveld narrated it and IMO always elevates historical fiction books.
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Thank you Hanover Square press, htpbooks, harlequin/Harper audio, NetGalley for my copy to review.
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Ava is a gorgeous young educated woman who lives and breathes books working at the Library of Congress.
Given her strengths she is recruiting by US military to Lisbon working as a librarian while
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gaining intelligence. In France, Helene finds her husband missing when a woman shows up to her house asking her for papers. Helene decides to give hers to the girl and risk her own life. When her husbands friend tells her he has been taken in by the Nazis as he was apart of the resistance. She immediately wants to help and she has new papers and a new name, Elaine. She finds herself and other members of the resistance working in a printing press passing on coded messages to get out.
Desperate to save the life of a mother and child, she risks her life and her friends life, as she sends a code to London.
—
Going back and forth from each woman, I thought this was a cleverly delivered wwii fiction demonstrating the strength of women through such a deadly time.
Having the audiobook and the physical copy was the winning combo for me, as it contains other languages throughout the book. Saskia Maarleveld narrated it and IMO always elevates historical fiction books.
—
Thank you Hanover Square press, htpbooks, harlequin/Harper audio, NetGalley for my copy to review.
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LibraryThing member Herenya
This is set in Europe during WWII. It alternates between Ava, an American librarian sent to neutral Portugal in order to record the European newspapers available there on microfilm and send them back to the US, and Elaine, a French housewife who joins the Resistance after her husband is
The history was interesting, and covered some different ground from all the other WWII fiction I’ve read, but the story wasn’t written in a way that made me feel strongly invested in either protagonist nor their relationships.
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unexpectedly arrested. Eventually their two stories connect.The history was interesting, and covered some different ground from all the other WWII fiction I’ve read, but the story wasn’t written in a way that made me feel strongly invested in either protagonist nor their relationships.
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Language
ISBN
9781335426918