The Personal Librarian: A GMA Book Club Pick
A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
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4.4 • 3K Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this fact-based historical drama, a promising young woman named Belle da Costa Greene is hired by bank magnate J. P. Morgan to build a library befitting his status as one of the world’s richest men. Belle succeeds brilliantly, becoming a leading figure in the New York arts and literature scene of the early 1900s, all while hiding a secret that could ruin her career and hard-won social status—she’s African American, the daughter of the first Black man to graduate from Harvard. Authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have taken the historical facts detailed in a lengthy author’s note at the end and turned them into a Henry James–like novel of ambition, identity, family, love, and betrayal. Belle is a fascinating character, capable of both take-no-prisoners negotiations and rapturous flights of artistic abandon, and the sumptuous depictions of her wealthy, fashionable circles are a lot of fun to read. Gorgeous and heartbreaking, The Personal Librarian is a true gem.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful
What a great historical fiction novel! Characters are mesmerizing and colorful. Hard to imagine they are non fictitious characters. What a fun, educational read. More please
Personal librarian
I thought that I would read more she travel the world going to lot of auctions not necessarily her life struggles and you could see that there was a lot of struggles going on in our life. I liked it, but I didn’t like it and I didn’t read I looke up Mr Richard Greener a person I should read about him about him sad story and she didn’t really get anything out of it. Just a luxury of living in this world of New York took care of her immediate family, but I don’t see any distribute about helping Black people and white people also that were poor, she cater to the rich. A very complex individual never accepting who she really is even though her mother train her, taught her how to act in front of different people. It depends what you’re going after. Her mother only was concerned about her immediate family, her father was concerned about his People I find leaders like Mr Greener die poor look at her she have all the comforts of like but still poor..
Very good historical novel
Learned a lot about the early 1900s, JP Morgan, Belle, Art, the wealthy during that time and much more. The authors did a great job researching and writing this story and it was quite enlightening.