Miss Morgan's Book Brigade

This is a book for library lovers who enjoy historical fiction, literary references and the important roles women played in history.

Set in WWI, this book is an ode to libraries and strong women as it recounts the life of Jessie 'Kit' Carson, a New York City Public librarian who joined CARD (Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées de France - American Committee for Devastated France), an international group of women who were rebuilding rural France after WWI. Among her accomplishments, Kit brought bookmobiles to France but the impact she made was lost to history. 

The story is told in two time frames - Kit in WWI and Wendy, a writer and library assistant in 1980's NYC who stumbles upon Kit's story and decides to dig into this former NYPL librarian's life.

What I loved:

• well-researched - lots of historical details about what this group of women accomplished and Kit's role in their success
• strong women and their historical impact!! I love how Historical Fiction like this (and that of Canadian author Genevieve Graham) bring the untold stories of women's roles in history to readers. It makes me wonder just how much history we're missing 
• seeing Kit's strength grow and her verbal comebacks to those who opposed her were great!

What I didn't quite love:

• slowly paced story that had only minor conflict despite the dangerous WWI setting
• I didn't quite connect with the story or the characters as I had hoped
• the modern timeline felt extraneous even though it does tie in for a nice finish
• the dialogue drove this story and it often felt simplistic and far too rosy of an outlook for such a devastating time
• I had to remind myself that Kit was in her 40's because her demeanor, naivete and dialogue made her sound like a young woman in her 20's.

This was a heartwarming, lighter historical fiction read that connects past to present, shows a woman's journey to find her voice and her strength that illustrates the important role women played in WWI. Make sure you read the author's note about these real-life heroines of WWI.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Atria Books for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Janet Skeslien Charles

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWI

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley 

Publisher: Atria (Simon and Schuster Canada)

First Published: April 30, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the “captivating, richly drawn” (Woman’s World) The Paris Library returns with a brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.