The Librarian Spy

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4.25/5

Although I've read plenty of WWII novels, I loved reading this story that was inspired by real-life librarians sent to Lisbon, Portugal. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of Ava Harper and Elaine Rousseau. Ava is a Librarian of Congress who’s brought to Lisbon to pose as a librarian while working as an undercover spy. Elaine, aka Hélène Bélanger, is a fearless French woman who adopts a new identity and joins the French Resistance in occupied Lyon, France.

The story starts off slow for just a few chapters, then it propels the reader into the harsh world of the 1940s. I quickly became invested in Ava and Elaine’s journeys and found myself staying up late to find out more. Excellent descriptions, character development, and connections between storylines make this one of my favorite Historical Fiction novels!

I was a bit surprised that it wasn’t only about Ava, “The Librarian Spy,” but I felt inspired by Elaine’s story and enjoyed the dual-narrative of these brave, intelligent, and fiercely compassionate women. I highly recommend this, especially as an audiobook. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, has such a soothing voice, which made it easier to listen to the more heartbreaking scenes. Her authentic use of accents & tones made it easy to keep track of the various characters throughout this story.

If you want a quick yet meaningful read about the power of community, hope, and the written word, then you’ll love The Librarian Spy!

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.