The Librarian Spy: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Librarian Spy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Truth be told, I have not heard about the activities described in the book during World War II, but it was highly interesting and I did learn something new here.
How much is fiction and how much is based on true events? Did the characters really exist or are they just figures representing the many people who did this, sometimes dangerous work, is not really important for the story.
The Details
We have two female protagonists, again. One is an American sent to Lisbon, the said Librarian Spy. She comes face to face with the often terrifying consequences of the war.
The other one is a French woman, who suffers under the German occupation in France, specifically Lyon. She ends up working for the Resistance.
Now, the story describes the work of both women in detail. Given that we live in today’s technology, it is interesting to be reminded how creative people needed to be in the past.
Sadly, both characters lacked personality. They came across very bland.
I assume that the American young woman was supposed to appear open-minded, patriotic and empathetic.
Often all I could see was naivety, to the point I was surprised that she was not incarcerated or killed after the first chapters of her appearance.
If the French woman was supposed to be feisty and determined to withstand the occupation, then it was not accomplished.
All I could see was an ignorant woman, who at the end came across stubborn and sometimes self-centered.
What was the plot? Who knows.
The writing was crawling like a snake throughout the pages. There was so much repetition, that I had enough time to assume how the story would continue, and I was not wrong. It took any joy and expectation from the reading experience.
What a daunting task.
Unfortunately, the message of the book and the attention those women would have deserved was completely lost.
All I could do was wait for it to be over.
The Verdict
Overall, it was a good subject. But the attempt to make it an interesting read failed.
This might sound harsh, but it is my honest opinion, even though it’s not a popular one.
I can see this becoming one of those cheesy Hollywood movies, with lots of music, beautiful pictures of Lisbon, and little depth.
It’s a big “NO” for me.
About the Author
Madeline Martin is a New York Times and international bestselling author of historical fiction novels and historical romance. She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters, two incredibly spoiled cats and a husband so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.
