This post contains affiliate links. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray has been on my to-be-read pile for quite a while. I had it in my mind that it would be a great book, but, unfortunately, it fell short for me.
About The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
The first part of the book intrigued me. Here was a woman, Belle de Costa Green, who was black, but she could pass as white if she lied and said her grandmother was from Portugal. Not only was she passing as white, but her entire family was, minus her father, who left the family years ago.
Belle obtains a job as the librarian for the Pierpont Morgan Library and goes on to provide financial support to her mother and siblings for most of her life. Not only does she have the heavy secret of protecting her identity, but she bears the burden of being financially responsible for her large family.
In her new job, Belle hobnobs with the rich and famous, and her boss, J.P. Morgan, gives her free rein to buy what she must at any price. Green does this all as a black woman passing as white during a tumultuous time in history.
My Thoughts on the Book
I loved the book at first, but then it delved too far into her romantic life, which I didn’t care about and was annoyed by most of the time. I felt there was so much to explore with Belle and her lifestyle and career, but instead, the reader is left learning about the weird relationship habits of the rich and famous, which Belle easily falls into. While I felt sympathy for her at first–after all, she didn’t feel she could have a legitimate relationship and marriage because that might result in a child who could betray her identity–when she kept making the same stupid mistake over and over and over again, I wanted to bang my head against the wall.
Honestly, the last half to one-third of this book was a slug for me, and I was glad when the book was finished. While the story was based on a real woman and real people she dealt with, I had no desire to learn more about any of them, unlike how I usually feel when I finish a book based on real events. I’ll leave Belle de Costa Green in the past, happily.
I give The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray 3 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
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