historical fiction
Having just the right connection through her job at the
Princeton University Library, Belle is hired as J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian in 1905
in New York City. Only in her 20s, she is responsible for organizing and
growing the collections at the Pierpont Morgan Library. It’s the perfect job for Belle, given her
interests and education, but she must hide her family secret that her ancestors
were slaves. If anyone knew she wasn’t
white, her entire family’s safety and security would be threatened.
Based on the real-life Belle da Costa Greene, this
historical fiction is a fascinating read about self-determination and the
realities of racism in the United States around the turn of the century. Belle
is an endearing character—well-educated, pushed to never let anyone see the
real “Belle” by her mother, and doing a spectacular job using her intellect and
insight to help acquire an amazing collection of books and art while navigating
the proprieties and business maneuvers required by her job. She does what is
necessary to succeed and is responsible for elevating the lifestyle of her
family. Yet she misses the family of her childhood and, especially, her father
who left when his wife insisted the family pretend to be a white family.
The Personal Librarian also provides insight into J. P.
Morgan the man and his colossal empire.
I loved getting to know both of these real people, even though I’m sure
quite a bit of their personalities were imagined by the authors, Marie Benedict
and Victoria Christopher Murray. Belle
and Mr. Morgan felt authentic and it was a pleasure spending time with them. While
the novel had a few slow sections, I was generally hooked to find out how
things would turn out for Belle. As an art appreciator, I enjoyed the peek into
the art industry of the time.
The audiobook narrator, Robin Miles, did a very good job. I
thought her voice acting was well done and she had a nice vocal repertoire. However,
I felt her voice for Belle sounded much too confident in the beginning. I feel
like the narrator’s real, much older-sounding voice was used instead of one
better suited for a 20-something year old woman pretending to hide her secret heritage from
powerful people. I’ll give her an A-.
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