AUDIOBOOK
About
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade, a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who takes a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and her own dreams.
Paris, 1995: It's been five years since Lily Jacobsen and her best friend Mary Louise arrived in Paris from their small town of Froid, Montana. Determined to establish themselves as artists-Lily, a novelist, and Mary Louise, a painter-they share a tiny walkup and survive on brie and baguettes.
When Mary Louise abruptly moves out, Lily feels alone in the city of light for the first time and must find a new way to support herself. She lands a job as a programs manager at the American Library in Paris, following in the footsteps of Odile, her beloved French neighbor in Montana who told her stories of heroic World War II librarians when Lily was growing up.
Here in the storied halls of the ALP, she meets an incredible cast of characters-her favorite author, quirky coworkers, broke students, trailing spouses, haughty trustees, and devoted volunteers-each with their own stories... and agendas. Lily often seeks solace in the Afterlife, the library's attic that's home to hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, and there, she discovers a box of archives that may be a link to the past: to Odile's own Parisian chapter.
This moving, propulsive story offers a panoramic view of a real historic institution, and revisits characters from both of Janet Skeslien Charles's beloved novels. Lily's story is a love letter to the artist's life, friendship, and leaving home only to find it again. Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan's Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir. To connect, visit her website JSkeslienCharles.com, @JSkeslienCharles on Instagram, or @SkeslienCharles on Twitter.
Gabra Zackman knows romance. Her clever and "thrilling romantic caper" (Library Journal) Bod Squad series was inspired by the more than one hundred romance and women's fiction titles she has narrated for audio. She divides her time between her native New York City and Denver, Colorado. "An ensemble enthusiastically depicts the American Library in Paris in this novel. Patrons and staff share their experiences, taking listeners behind the scenes of the renowned institution. Program Director Lily from Montana and her friend, Mary Louise, both portrayed by Pauline Chalamet, carry the story, including a subplot that involves a search for the long-lost friend of their elderly French neighbor, portrayed by Elizabeth Wiley...Most compelling are Lily's library programs, which are served up with brie and wine, and Matt Godfrey's Tolstoy, a Gulf War veteran with PTSD who is protected by everyone. Audio creates the sensation that the library's walls are talking about its past and present." "A delightful love letter to the glorious American Library in Paris, The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles enchants. Those who loved The Paris Library and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade, also by Charles, will be pleased to find continuations of their favorite characters' stories in this audiobook delight, while those who are new to Charles's work will be just as swept away by a colorful cast of characters--voiced by a talented full cast--who work, study, and volunteer in the famed library, which sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Listeners will love Charles's spot-on descriptions of the City of Light--from Louis Vuitton handbags to Gitanes cigarettes to the cheap Burgundy and brie on which many young expats survive.
Paris, 1995: It's been five years since Lily Jacobsen and her best friend Mary Louise arrived in Paris from their small town of Froid, Montana. Determined to establish themselves as artists-Lily, a novelist, and Mary Louise, a painter-they share a tiny walkup and survive on brie and baguettes.
When Mary Louise abruptly moves out, Lily feels alone in the city of light for the first time and must find a new way to support herself. She lands a job as a programs manager at the American Library in Paris, following in the footsteps of Odile, her beloved French neighbor in Montana who told her stories of heroic World War II librarians when Lily was growing up.
Here in the storied halls of the ALP, she meets an incredible cast of characters-her favorite author, quirky coworkers, broke students, trailing spouses, haughty trustees, and devoted volunteers-each with their own stories... and agendas. Lily often seeks solace in the Afterlife, the library's attic that's home to hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, and there, she discovers a box of archives that may be a link to the past: to Odile's own Parisian chapter.
This moving, propulsive story offers a panoramic view of a real historic institution, and revisits characters from both of Janet Skeslien Charles's beloved novels. Lily's story is a love letter to the artist's life, friendship, and leaving home only to find it again. Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan's Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir. To connect, visit her website JSkeslienCharles.com, @JSkeslienCharles on Instagram, or @SkeslienCharles on Twitter.
Gabra Zackman knows romance. Her clever and "thrilling romantic caper" (Library Journal) Bod Squad series was inspired by the more than one hundred romance and women's fiction titles she has narrated for audio. She divides her time between her native New York City and Denver, Colorado. "An ensemble enthusiastically depicts the American Library in Paris in this novel. Patrons and staff share their experiences, taking listeners behind the scenes of the renowned institution. Program Director Lily from Montana and her friend, Mary Louise, both portrayed by Pauline Chalamet, carry the story, including a subplot that involves a search for the long-lost friend of their elderly French neighbor, portrayed by Elizabeth Wiley...Most compelling are Lily's library programs, which are served up with brie and wine, and Matt Godfrey's Tolstoy, a Gulf War veteran with PTSD who is protected by everyone. Audio creates the sensation that the library's walls are talking about its past and present." "A delightful love letter to the glorious American Library in Paris, The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles enchants. Those who loved The Paris Library and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade, also by Charles, will be pleased to find continuations of their favorite characters' stories in this audiobook delight, while those who are new to Charles's work will be just as swept away by a colorful cast of characters--voiced by a talented full cast--who work, study, and volunteer in the famed library, which sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Listeners will love Charles's spot-on descriptions of the City of Light--from Louis Vuitton handbags to Gitanes cigarettes to the cheap Burgundy and brie on which many young expats survive.