3. Live from France with Award-Winning Author Janet Skeslien Charles

Member

$8

Non-member

$12

About Janet Skeslien Charles

jsc
Janet Skeslien Charles is the award-winning author of Moonlight in Odessa and The Paris Library. Her shorter work has appeared in revues such as Slice and Montana Noir. She learned about the history of the American Library in Paris while working there as the programs manager. She divides her time between Montana and Paris..











About the Book

Paris, 1939. Odile Souchet is obsessed with books and the Dewey Decimal System, which makes order out of chaos. She soon has it all – a handsome police officer beau, an English best friend, and a job at the American Library in Paris, a thriving community of students, writers, diplomats, and book lovers. Yet when war is declared, there's also a war on words.

Montana, 1983. Widowed and alone, Odile suffers the solitary confinement of small-town life. Though most adults are cowed by her, the neighbor girl will not let her be. Lily, a lonely teenager yearning to break free of Froid, is obsessed by the French woman who lives next door.

As the two become friends, Odile sees herself in Lily – the same love of language, the same longings, the same lethal jealousy. The Paris Library’s dual narratives explore the relationships that make us who we are – family and friends, first loves and favorite authors.

The wit, empathy, and meticulous research that brings The Paris Library to life also brings to light a cast of lively real-life characters and a little-known chapter of World War II history: the story of the American librarian, Miss Reeder, who created the Soldiers’ Service to deliver books to servicemen, and who later faced the Nazi ‘Library Protector’ in order to keep her library open. She and her colleagues defied the Bibliotheksschutz by delivering books to Jewish readers after they were forbidden from entering the library.

Where to Find Her Books

https://www.jskesliencharles.com/about-the-book



Upcoming Events

Author Talk

Conversation with French Star Journalist and Bestselling Author Anne Sinclair

Virtual Author Talk in English

Saturday, December 4, 2021 10:00 AM To 11:00 AM

The French Cultural Center is honored to welcome iconic journalist and bestselling author Anne Sinclair for the American release of her book, In the Shadows of Paris.

Read More
Author Talk

Meet Chef Alain Lenôtre, Grandson of Legendary French Chef Gaston Lenôtre

Virtual Author Talk in English

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 6:30 PM To 7:30 PM

The French Cultural Center is delighted to welcome Chef Alain Lenôtre to discuss the new edition of the bestseller FRENCH PASTRIES AND DESSERTS BY LENÔTRE.

Read More
Health & Fitness

Barre en français: November Sessions

Exercise your body and your vocabulary online!

Monday, November 29, 2021 9:00 AM To 10:00 AM

Improve your health and your vocabulary during our online barre classes in French!

Read More
See All