The Library Book (Unabridged)
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3.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
Susan Orlean’s bestseller, New York Times Notable Book, and Reese’s Book Club Pick is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post).
On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.
In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.
“A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (The Minnesota Star Tribune), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
New Yorker superstar Susan Orlean has fascinated us with seemingly small topics—like a guy who steals rare flowers, and an ordinary dog who became Hollywood’s biggest star. So this love letter to every book lover’s paradise is a slam-dunk matchup of writer and subject. At its heart is a still-unsolved tragedy: Was the devastating 1986 fire at the central branch of the L.A. Public Library set deliberately? That would be more than enough of a topic for the average writer, but Orlean is a deep-dive researcher, and the joy she takes in finding out strange and cool stuff is infectious. We were thrilled every time her story veered off course into fascinating tangents about the library's history and delightful anecdotes about her research. (Her investigation into censorship is hilarious—turns out that it’s harder to burn a book than you’d think!) Orlean’s casual, chatty narration makes listening to the book as much fun as it clearly was to research and write. As lovely as a wander through the stacks, The Library Book is a bibliophile’s dream.
Customer Reviews
Not my favourite- not worth the money
Myself and my entire bookclub of 8 people really did not enjoy this book, we found it very boring which is very disappointing because we had heard that it would be a great read- plus it was one of Reese Witherspoon’s picks which is usually a guaranteed good read.
Only one of us actually got through the book. I really wish it would have been better especially considering the price of the book. I wouldn’t have been so disappointed if I would have paid only a fraction of the cost.