The Personal Librarian: By Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray | Book Review Podcast

The Personal Librarian By Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray Website: https://gobookmart.com “From the moment I picked up The Personal Librarian, I was in awe of Belle da Costa Greene. My heart went out as she navigated the life she lived and the one she hid…. Belle’s story couldn’t come at a more fitting time as our country faces a united path forward.” —ReShonda Tate Billingsley, National bestselling author of A Little Bit of Karma “Upon starting this novel, be prepared to do nothing else until you’ve reached its poignant, reflective end. Through brilliant pacing and with painstaking care, Benedict and Murray paint a vibrant portrait of a woman whose accomplishments, relationships, and secretive history were as complex and intriguing as the collections she helped curate…a timely, provocative read perfect for book clubs. I loved it." —Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday "From the opulent gilded age ballrooms of New York, to the fiercely competitive auction houses of Europe, The Personal Librarian is a poignant story of race, class and one woman’s struggle to live authentically.” —Renée Rosen, Author of The Social Graces “The story of Belle da Costa Greene is timely, universal, and enduring. Through it, Benedict and Murray raise questions that are as important now as they were a hundred years ago—questions to which a true historical answer may be less important than the fact that we are continuing to face them in contemporary ways.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “This fictional account of Greene’s life feels authentic; the authors bring to life not only Belle but all those around her. An excellent piece of historical fiction that many readers will find hard to put down.” —Library Journal (starred review) “A powerful take on the accomplishments of J.P. Morgan’s librarian…. Benedict and Murray do a great job capturing Belle’s passion and tenacity as she carves a place for herself in a racist male-dominated society. This does fine justice to a remarkable historical figure.” —Publishers Weekly