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Pavlína Černá's Reviews > The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
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When it comes to The Personal Librarian I cannot come to a single conclusion; I liked it 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.
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.
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Reading Progress
February 14, 2021
–
Started Reading
February 14, 2021
– Shelved
February 18, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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Shannon
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rated it 3 stars
Jul 26, 2021 03:58PM
Thank you for mentioning the ambivalence brought on by this book! I, too, swung from liking it to not liking it, often on the same page or within one paragraph!
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Agree 100%! I love historical fiction, and particularly books set in this time period. But I also found myself skipping over parts and cringing at love scenes. I was very happy to find how faithful the authors were to what they could know about Belle, but I also rolled my eyes at all the name dropping. Maybe she really did meet all those people, but it sometimes felt like it was just there to impress. I didn’t dislike the book, but it was a bit of a disappointment.
Your review mirrored my experience. It was good but not great. Pace was slow, not engaging at times.
I too was not especially wowed by the writing though the subject was very interesting. Excellent review.
You put my feelings/thoughts down. I am intrigued by her story and yet…this account, meh!
This review sums up my feelings exactly!!!!
Totally agree. Great review!!
Yes. I gave the actual story of this woman's life a 5, but the writing of this novel a 2.
Yes, same here. The writing was amateurish and romance-ish, but the story was interesting.
I am about half-way through and agree with your review. Some of the dialogue is cringeworthy at best and very amateurish. It's like a book written by a 7th grader with a thesaurus and a cheap romance novel by her side as a template. I will finish but so far, not impressed.
Agree. I have kind of a love hate relationship with this book. The cringy love scenes just made me sad and frustrated and detracted from the deeper story that could have been told. I love historical fiction, and hers is an interesting life to look into, but I was disappointed.
Thank you for helping to out my feelings into words. It was billed as an historical fiction but the “history” when written in a first-person narrative fell flat for me. I craved more context. I agree she was an amazing woman and definitely deserves to have her life documented.
I felt the same! It started off with a bang (especially as I lived in Princeton for years) but I soon found myself bored. Such a shame. The two Author's Notes at the end were worth reading though!
After chapters of breast-heaving anguish, I found the consummation episode so poor that I also physically cringed. As for the possibility of an affair with Morgan, he was 42 years her senior!!!!
This is romance fiction dressed in a period piece. I was hugely disappointed....
I always find these reviews interesting because they tell me more about the reader and what they bring to the book rather than the book itself. You have no human understanding of how exhausting it is to be black passing for white, to be the "only person of color" in the room and how much it drains from you when you cannot live your truth because that is the only way you can survive. I'm amazed at how little attention that aspect of this book gets, but, then, white privilege means you don't have to think about that kind of pressure.
This book was like reading the movie version of fee biography. Clunky and drawn out.
I agree, I loved most of the story, but was bored through other parts. Overall, I learned a lot.
I stated much the same in my review, but not as well :). I also felt disconnected from her, and was astounded by her reaction to the abortion and Bernard's callousness. It just didn't feel real. That said, it's still worth reading for all the information and the colourfulness of the time and setting. I also will read more about Belle. Cheers!
Just loved your nuanced review, it helped me understand my own mixed reaction to the book. Apt example of one of the awkward intimacy passages. I've had a hard time connecting with my own reactions to this book, and your review helped. Thanks!
I agree with your assessment of this book. I felt the same way.
Nice review. I dont think the 2 writers meshed well and it is always a challenge to put thoughts in someone's head that lived in a different time and that you, as an author almost fictionally create.
I totally agree.
Agree with your assessment. The authors themselves admit to filling in blank spaces in the intimate details of Belle's life.
Oh my gosh-YES! Thanks for putting my liked/disliked feelings into words. I also rushed through the last third. I couldn’t quite bring myself to abandon it in case my interest piqued again…it didn’t.
I feel the same!!! I felt interested in what it felt like to live as a black woman at that time in history, but the book bored me.
Thank you for your review. I felt similarly in the appreciation for the book, coupled with boredom, and relief when I finally got to the ending.
This was my exact experience with the book.
I am at 52% right now and share very similar feelings to you.
My first reaction was similar to your reaction. I wondered how in the world did the author know the inner thoughts of the characters portrayed in this book. The more I read I realized that this book is called historical fiction and should be treated as such. The two authors wrote a commendable account of what might have happened in the lives of real people. Remember part of the book is friction and I have always feel free to change fictional accounts to what I think is appropriate.
This is exactly how I feel about this book as well! Very well put!!
Thank you, I totally agree. I think part of it was that the same themes were in every single chapter.
Your first paragraph is exactly how I feel about this book too. "When it comes to The Personal Librarian I cannot come to a single conclusion; I liked it 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."
I am 40% through the book and am feeling the same way.
I could not agree more! I wanted so badly to like this book because the story is fascinating and important, but the stilted writing, especially the dialogue, too often jarred me out of the narrative.
"In actuality" the stilted writing and the frequent discussion of Belle's dresses gold old. I know it was in line with her character, but like others, I got bored by the middle of the book. I read on to find out about her romantic relationship and what she was like towards the end of her life. I understand that it was probably hard to write about Belle when there wasn't a huge amount of material to work from. Her secret life must have been very hard to maintain, which was clear throughout the book. Overall, she was an amazing woman at a time when she broke a lot of social barriers.
I’m 51% and just make a note to myself and I feel very much like you. I wanted to love this because these historical fiction novels have been really beautiful reads. But I’m struggling and forcing myself to pick up the books to read a chapter or two at a time. I’m just wanting to finish as I am not one to quit a book, though this one is tempting.
My sentiments exactly. Glad to have met Belle, glad to be finished!
Yes. Agree. And I want to visit the library, for sure.
I'm about 160 pages in and I'm bored. Should I bother finishing? does the end make up for it? I agree with your sentiments 100%.
Well said! I too, had the love-hate relationship with the book. I think I enjoyed the epilogue and authors’ notes the most. The basic facts are interesting and I liked the commentary on what they took liberties with-
I had exactly the same experience! I just finished the audiobook and told my husband I was so happy to to have gotten that over with. It could have been such a good book, but the story got bogged down by all the infodumps about art history and repetitive descriptions of Belle’s inner turmoil and feelings for Mr. Morgan, her father, and her lover.
