A review by joannneuroth
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I enjoyed getting to know Belle da Costa Greene.  The book's first-person narration made visceral the relentless, wary, pre-emptive state of mind a person of color needed to have to pass as white in a time when the stakes were life-threatening.  The whirlwind tour of Gilded Age social scenes was a bonus, and the insider glimpse of rare book acquisition was fun.