"The Paris Library" weaves together two storylines: Odile Souchet, a young librarian at the American Library in Paris during the Nazi occupation, and Lily, a lonely teenager in 1980s Montana who befriends her elderly neighbor—who happens to be Odile decades later.

Charles, herself a former librarian at the American Library in Paris, brings authentic detail to the wartime sections, depicting how librarians risked their lives to keep books circulating and protect Jewish subscribers. The novel excels in its portrayal of the power of books as resistance and connection, showing how literature sustained people through impossible circumstances.

Odile's relationships—with her best friend Rémy, her complicated romance with police officer Paul, and her friendship with American subscriber Margaret—feel genuine and emotionally resonant. The Montana timeline, however, feels less developed. Lily's coming-of-age story, while touching, lacks the urgency and depth of the Paris sections.

The elderly Odile's reluctance to discuss her past creates necessary tension, but the small-town dynamics sometimes feel predictable. Charles handles the dual timeline structure competently, though the reveals about Odile's wartime secrets are telegraphed early. The pacing drags in the middle sections, particularly during extended flashbacks about library operations.

This book will deeply appeal to historical fiction fans, especially those drawn to WWII stories focusing on civilian resistance rather than combat. Book lovers will appreciate the celebration of libraries and reading as acts of defiance and hope. Readers seeking character-driven narratives about female friendship and moral complexity during wartime will find much to enjoy. However, those preferring faster-paced plots or more action-oriented war stories may find it slow. The Montana sections may disappoint readers primarily interested in the historical elements. While the writing is clear and accessible, it occasionally veers toward sentimentality. "The Paris Library" succeeds as a love letter to books and libraries while illuminating a lesser-known aspect of wartime resistance, though it works better as historical fiction than as a dual-timeline narrative.