Review 228: The Personal Librarian

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book takes on the fictional account of the groundbreaking librarian for J.P. Morgan and his new library of art and rare manuscripts and books. Morgan did the unthinkable and hired a woman, Belle da Costa Greene.

Not only is the librarian a woman, which was a unique position for the early part of the 20th century, but she was also a black woman passing as white, born as Belle Marion Greener, whose father was an outspoken advocate for equality. The tension created by the necessity of hiding her true identity made for an engrossing book.

Belle always has to watch herself, could not make one mistake, and yet she does slip up every now and then. I felt myself cringe for the repercussions with these minor slips, as one cannot do anything but cheer for Belle and hope she will succeed despite all of the challenges she faces.

Belle stood out in a man’s world where no other woman operated, so she adopted a style that went against her upbringing and became bold and daring.

I was swept away with this book and read it quickly, not wanting to wait to see if she would be caught, or what may happen. It felt as if I did not breathe until the book was over. And with this book we can get a glimpse of what it felt like to be her, or other women from the era trying to pass as white.

Unfortunately, there are a few slight issues I had with the book, a phrase that repeated a couple of times, talking to a future audience, these lines were unnecessary and jarring particularly as it was repeated. In general there were a few other repetitions inserted that also made the book weaker. Despite these flaws I did enjoy the book overall.

Although the book is historical fiction it is based on fact, Belle worked at Morgan’s librarian, and she passed as white. The author’s note at the end is a must read.



Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.