The Librarian of Saint-Malo

A WWII Novel

De: Mario Escobar

Narrado por: Carrie Brewer

Libraries are being ransacked. France is torn apart by war. A French librarian is determined to resist. Told through smuggled letters to an author, an ordinary librarian describes the brutal Nazi occupation of her small coastal village and the extraordinary measures she takes to fight back.

Saint-Malo, France: August 1939. Jocelyn and Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As World War II rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort and encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world.

France falls and the Nazis occupy Jocelyn's town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city's libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, and priceless knowledge is lost.

Risking arrest and even her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp.

Jocelyn's mission unfolds in her letters: to protect the people of Saint-Malo and the books they hold so dear. Mario Escobar brings to life the occupied city in sweeping and romantic prose, re-creating the history of those who sacrificed all to care for the people they loved.

• World War II historical fiction inspired by true events

©2021 Mario Escobar (P)2021 Thomas Nelson

Stilted writing and problem plot

I read this because my uncle was the young US Army intelligence officer who negotiated the surrender of the citadel at St. Malo. I was hoping to find some description around those events. In fact, there is very little description, period. It’s possible, however, that a lot was lost in translation as I believe the author writes in Spanish. Unlike some of his other stories, the plot is a work of fiction and none of the main characters existed.
A previous reviewer was correct when they wrote that anyone who talked and behaved in a manner as unguarded as the heroine would quickly have been discovered and arrested within days or weeks. Among other things she uses a 13-year-old boy to send uncoded letters about events in St. Malo to Paris. They talk openly about his work for the British in a roomful of Nazis.
Many characterizations are extremely blunt. It seems wrong to say this, but the sadistic SS officer is so over the top in all ways that it was hard to take him seriously. He was a caricature who lacked any subtlety of the “banality of evil.” Another German character, however, was more complex and was the main reason I listened until the end.
This book does have its virtues. It does a decent job of conveying the atmosphere of collaboration, denunciation and violence that pervaded Vichy and occupied France, as well as philosophical and tactical differences between resistance groups. It shows how resisters could easily be mistaken for collaborators — but Mary Doria Russell’s “A Thread of Grace” does so in a far more compelling way.

Wanting More

Such descriptive writing- kept you wanting to know what happens next. You could feel the characters’ emotions and quickly become invested in the relationships.

Lovely

Touching Story with depth of historical context and the power of language and stories.
Beautiful Narration!

Loved it!

from the story, to the performance I was instantly drawn in. And yes, I cried.

A Huge Disappointment

When I saw that I could get this book on Audible before the paperback would be released, I was glad that I had a credit to spend. What a disappointment! The story of the Librarian of Saint-Malo is not a compelling, or even interesting, read. The main character has no real spark, no feeling of resistance. As another reviewer said, this person would not have survived the resistance. The interactions the main character has with other characters are all very contrived. There are no surprises. Not once did I want to learn more about any aspect of the occupation or eventual end of the war. The narrator was lack luster at best. No accent, and the variation of voices sometimes did not last the entire speech of that character. I finished it hoping it would get better, but alas, it did not. I wish I could return the book; it was a waste of a credit.

Disappointing

This woman would never have survived in the Resistance. She is too foolhardy and foolish. And her moralizing is boring and deflates any suspense. If you want an outstanding book about the siege of St. Malo, read ALl the Light You Cannot See.

What a snooze!

I have read other books by this author. This one was so boring, I didn’t care what happened to the characters, especially the main character. I did not get the amazing love story. She sounded like a very depressed woman who never got over it. I kept waiting for her to do some courageous rescues of refugees, but it was all about books. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.