Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio, #partner, for the ALC of The Parisian Chapter in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: May 27, 2025
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade comes a charming and cinematic multi-cast audiobook following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.
Paris, 1995: It’s been five years since Lily Jacobsen and her best friend Mary Louise arrived from their small town of Froid, Montana. Determined to establish themselves as artists—Lily, a novelist, and Mary Louise, a painter—share a tiny sixth-floor walkup and survive on brie and baguette.
When Mary Louise abruptly moves out, Lily feels alone in the City of Light for the first time and is in need of a new way to support herself. She lands a job as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris, following in the footsteps of her French neighbor Odile, who infused her childhood with tales of heroic World War II librarians. Here in the storied halls of the ALP, Lily meets an incredible cast of characters—her favorite author, quirky coworkers, broke students, and high society trustees—each with their own stories…and agendas. Personal dramas sometimes take precedence over books and patrons.
Between her hard-nosed boss not letting up and her best friend letting go, Lily is stressed and bewildered. When it becomes clear that the Library is facing serious financial struggles and its future is uncertain, she must look beyond her own problems in order to protect the ALP and the precious memories it holds.
This moving, propulsive story features eleven different voices, offering a panoramic view of a real historic institution, and revisiting characters from both of Charles’s beloved novels. Lily’s story is a love letter to the artist’s life, the importance of friendship, and leaving home only to find it again.
My thoughts:
I absolutely loved The Paris Library so I was thrilled to see that the author was once again revisiting some of those characters while bringing us a brand new story. We meet Lily who is in Paris chasing down her dreams of becoming a writer. Out of necessity, she takes a job as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris & from there, all the magic happens.
I loved how the story was told from multiple points of view & even shifted timelines. What helps keep everything straight is the fact that there was music to introduce each chapter, & the ensemble cast of narrators, led by Pauline Chalamet, helped to bring each character to life by infusing just the right amount of emotion & depth to their voices.
This is the type of historical fiction that I love. You learn about a time & place but you also get such a story about humanity as well – the good, the bad & all its messiness. We learn just how important the library is to each & every person that crosses its threshold. It’s not just about the books but about the community it fosters, a valuable lesson Lily learns while working there.
This book is only available on audio at the moment, but is so good, I cannot recommend it enough!
