She grows close to her neighbour Odile, discovering they share the same love of language, the same longings.

Lily is a lonely teenager desperate to escape small-town Montana. In Occupied Paris, choices as black and white as the words on a page become a murky shade of grey - choices that will put many on the wrong side of history, and the consequences of which will echo for decades to come. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything changes. When war is declared, the Library is determined to remain open. Odile Souchet is obsessed with books, and her new job at the American Library in Paris - with its thriving community of students, writers and book lovers - is a dream come true. 'Delightful, richly detailed' PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY PARIS, 1939 'An irresistible, compelling read' FIONA DAVIS 'I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp. 'An irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to bibliophiles and historical fiction fans alike' SUNDAY EXPRESS ' Heart-breaking and heart-lifting and always enchanting' RUTH HOGAN 'A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people's lives' JILL MANSELL THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES - HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED THE NAZIS

The instant New York Times bestseller, inspired by the true story of the librarians at the American Library in Paris who risked their lives during the Nazis' war on words: a story of courage, defiance and betrayal in Occupied Paris, perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.

The paris library paperback