Read more
Based on the true story of Jessie Carson, the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France, and the little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire. 1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson leaves the New York Public Library (NYPL) for the American Committee for Devastated France. Joining the women rebuilding French communities, Jessie strives to establish something new - children''s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears. 1987: Librarian Wendy Peterson stumbles across a reference to Jessie Carson in the archives. Consumed by her story, Wendy learns that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than the NYPL. Wendy''s obsession leads to their paths converging in surprising ways across time. ''A rich, glorious, life-affirming tribute ''A wonderful story about the ability of books to literature and female solidarity.'' not only to inspire, but also to rescue and restore.'' Kate Thompson Ruth Hogan www.headline.co.uk www.JSkeslienCharles.com (Twitter logo) @SkeslienCharles (Instagram logo) @JSkeslienCharles [Headline Review logo] £9.99 9781035417902 FICTION [Also available in ebook and audio] [FSC logo] [Author Photo] Author photo credit © Lisa Highton Cover design credit © James Iacobelli Cover illustration credit © Jill Battaglia / Trevillion Images, Adobe Stock, Getty Images, and Shutterstock
About the author
Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-eight languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson at the Morgan Library, the New York Public Library, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Sydney Morning Herald, Literary Hub, and the anthology Montana Noir.
