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DeB's Reviews > The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
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by
DeB's review
bookshelves: gilded-age-la-belle-epoch, historical-fiction, historically-american-nonf-f
Sep 17, 2021
bookshelves: gilded-age-la-belle-epoch, historical-fiction, historically-american-nonf-f
I’m often confounded how historical nonfiction penned by an excellent author will be riveting, whereas historical fiction with all of its artistic licence can leave a reader marooned, oddly cast adrift from the bones of the story. The Personal Librarian was that kind of disappointment for me.
The introduction to Belle Greene in the first half of the novel was quite interesting; her motivation for “passing” as a coloured woman in the midst of unrest and when any security for equality post Civil War seemed bleak brought that history to life and into a modern focus. It was astonishing, really, that she became so integral to J.P. Morgan’s pursuit of rare books and art in a time when her gender alone kept educated “well bred”women out of the workforce.
The latter half of the book devolved badly. Focussing on what author Benedict described as the “interior life”, the plot stalled, mired in the imagined life of Belle, her love affair, the titillation between herself and Morgan and floundered among the social set where she did business and lived. I resorted to skimming my way to the end- and read that many others here on Goodreads did the same.
This is my third Benedict novel (though this one was co-authored). I’m not sure I’ll be venturing back for another- even though it was interesting to be introduced to Belle de Coste Green.
Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it… 3 stars, I guess?
The introduction to Belle Greene in the first half of the novel was quite interesting; her motivation for “passing” as a coloured woman in the midst of unrest and when any security for equality post Civil War seemed bleak brought that history to life and into a modern focus. It was astonishing, really, that she became so integral to J.P. Morgan’s pursuit of rare books and art in a time when her gender alone kept educated “well bred”women out of the workforce.
The latter half of the book devolved badly. Focussing on what author Benedict described as the “interior life”, the plot stalled, mired in the imagined life of Belle, her love affair, the titillation between herself and Morgan and floundered among the social set where she did business and lived. I resorted to skimming my way to the end- and read that many others here on Goodreads did the same.
This is my third Benedict novel (though this one was co-authored). I’m not sure I’ll be venturing back for another- even though it was interesting to be introduced to Belle de Coste Green.
Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it… 3 stars, I guess?
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Reading Progress
March 15, 2021
– Shelved
March 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 16, 2021
–
Started Reading
September 17, 2021
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
September 17, 2021
– Shelved as:
gilded-age-la-belle-epoch
September 17, 2021
– Shelved as:
historically-american-nonf-f
September 17, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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Marianne
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rated it 3 stars
Sep 17, 2021 10:46AM
Thanks for your thoughtful review. I, too, was intrigued initially but skimmed my way to the end. The chapters seemed to fall into a repetitive pattern of name-dropping high society figures of the time, confrontations with Mr. Morgan and family members, Belle’s conflict with her mother and Belle’s romance with Bernard.
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It's a pity when a book goes off the rails and becomes unenjoyable. I hope your next is much better, DeB. Great review!
Marianne wrote: "Thanks for your thoughtful review. I, too, was intrigued initially but skimmed my way to the end. The chapters seemed to fall into a repetitive pattern of name-dropping high society figures of the ..."Yes, the plot didn’t advance much, and the glitterati weren’t especially scintillating in Benedict’s hands. I kept wondering, as well, how she was “outed”- that was never explained either.
Kat wrote: "It's a pity when a book goes off the rails and becomes unenjoyable. I hope your next is much better, DeB. Great review!"Thanks, Kat… It had a good start and definitely Belle de Costa Green was an intriguing figure. It just fell very flat…
And this is exactly why I’ve taken a break from HF. Few are well-done these days. Sorry this was disappointing!
JanB wrote: "And this is exactly why I’ve taken a break from HF. Few are well-done these days. Sorry this was disappointing!"Yes, the genre seems to be over-hyped and a bit exhausted. I’m suffering from fewer direct “word of mouth” recommendations these days too- makes for a lot more haphazard book choices. So happy when something is very good!
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!
Louise wrote: "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!"I’m always excited, as well, if I’m familiar with the locale- and I am delighted to be taught about those women in history left behind frequently to obscurity. But, yes, Louise, the book limped on… and, I agree, Author’s Notes can often be the best part of historical fiction at times.
