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The Personal Librarian

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The Personal Librarian

By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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About this listen

 Over one million copies sold!

The Instant New York Times Bestseller! A Good Morning America* Book Club Pick!

Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR! Named a Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post!

“Historical fiction at its best!”*

A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives. African American Biographical Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Biography Equality
All stars
Most relevant
What an interesting book - based in fact and sympathetically written.
The book was nicely read.
I kept finding excuses to listen.

A fascinating read!

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Tthis book opened my mind to the horrible reality of white supremacy in USA in the 1900’s;, combined with sexism. And it was a compelling read… such a remarkable story.

A remarkable woman; sexism and racism uSA 1900s.

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The authors did a remarkable job bringing Belle to life, and shining a spotlight on the issues of the time.

However the reader felt a bit slow and droning. It may have been better to listen in a faster speed, but I didn't think of that until I'd finished.

fascinating story

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Felt it was slow in some areas, but overall I enjoyed it. Took me longer to get through than normal but I’m glad I hang on.

I really enjoyed

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Thank you for making this book available in audio. I feel that it enhanced my reading experience. It is a story very close to my heart and needs to be told and listened to over and over ( especially as white supremecy raises its ugly head all over the world). I loved listening to the authors notes at the end of the book.

Fabulous book

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Intriguing history of racism, it is a shame the world is little changed. We cannot pretend to understand how this woman managed to convince us of her "whiteness" to enable her become the head of the best library collections in the world. While the book sometimes overwhelms and becomes overly romantic we should remember it is a fiction based on fact but it is not an autobiography.

Sad History of US racism.

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I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting story line keeping you turning the pages or in this case, pushing play. My husband read the book on his Kindle first and said you’ll really enjoy this book. I find historical fiction books some of the best reads.
The research that is done prior to the writing is no doubt enormous and appreciated. They then turn the book into an excellent story with excellent imagination, making them very readable and enjoyable.
I will be looking for other books by this author. Well done to both authors in this particular case.

An Excellent Historical Fiction

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The story felt strong, but then once introduced themes that I'd prefer not to listen too. Same sex relationships etc. I thought I was listening to a old school storyline. full disclosure, I don't know how much more it went into it, or whether it was a tiny detail.

The narration at times felt robotic, which stole from the storyline.

Truly, the story idea was a sound one and one I hoped I would enjoy. It just didn't land for me.
9 hours left and I was done.
😥

I had hoped for much, but couldn't finish it.

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Somehow the authors have rendered trite the life of this extraordinary woman. A combination of the first person telling, pretentious language, unnecessary dramatic licence and laboured narrating unfortunately rendered this work almost unreadable. I persisted only because I like to finish what I start.

Disappointing telling of the life of an extraordinary woman

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