When it comes to The Personal Librarian I cannot come to a single conclusion; I liked but I also didn’t like it. I was intrigued but I was also bored. I enjoyed it but I also rushed through it to get it over with.
Marie Benedict’s and Victoria Christopher Murray’s The Personal Library is a historical fiction based on the life of Belle da Costa Greene, born Belle Marion Greener. After J.P. Morgan builds the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, wanting to create the most impressive collection of books, art and manuscripts, he hires Belle to be his personal librarian. The year is 1905 and Jim Crow is creeping up north. While her light complexion, confidence and expertise in her field allow her to assimilate into high society, Belle has to be very careful not to reveal her African-American descent, which would ruin everything she has built.
This is not the first time Benedict brought a powerful female character from the past to life. Her book The Only Woman in the Room about an actress Hedy Lamarr, who was also a scientist in disguise helping fight the Nazis, was a very pleasant and interesting read. This time, together with Murray, the two wrote a story that also started very interestingly. Before it stopped being interesting.
The first half of the book, following Belle’s assimilation into the society she knew she didn’t belong in, felt thrilling and curious. It was fun to follow along—the more comfortable she felt, the sassier she became, flirting with men, asserting her position.
But the higher Belle rose, the more I started to feel disconnected from the character I became so fond of. Writing in first person is a challenge for the character’s objectivity, which is forgivable. But the issue here comes from oddly constructed sentences that ended up sounding unrealistic even as thoughts, let alone spoken words.
When Belle described what it felt like to be in the back room of the museum restricted to employees only, and compared it to the magic of being backstage of a Broadway show, I felt pulled out of the story. How is this comparison helpful and how would the character ever know what being backstage is like?
Belle’s thought “standing so close that I inhale every breath he exhales…” did not arouse feelings of intimacy but rather made me cringe.
The character started to feel indifferent, the story apathetic, the sentences carelessly put together. So many emotional events have been going on, yet none of it had any effect on me as the reader. I lost my connection to Belle.
After finishing the story, I launched an internet search to get to know the full story of Belle da Costa Greene and was pleasantly surprised by how faithful The Personal Librarian is to Belle’s life. I am glad I came across it and got introduced to Belle.
While I cannot decide whether I overall liked it or not, one thing is certain — next time in New York, I will pay a visit to the Pierpont Morgan Library.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC | NetGalley | Berkley