- Jan 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Goodreads: The Collector of Burned Books
Published: Expected publication July 1, 2025
Genres: Historical fiction, Christian
Pages: 368
Format: ARC via NetGalley, e-book
If there's one thing booklovers love, it's stories about books! And Roseanna White's latest historical novel does not disappoint. The story follows Corinne and Christian in Paris during WWII. Corinne lives next door to the Library of Burned Books, which is full of forbidden books Corinne has been using to collect information on the war effort. When the Nazi's invade and confiscate the library, she loses access to the books and meets Christian. He's a professor-reluctantly-turned-Nazi tasked with tracking down all of the forbidden books, leading him to Corrine's house. Over the next few months, the two bookworms strike up a forbidden friendship and navigate life in occupied Paris.
The characters
Corinne is educated, respected, and well-read. She enjoys a challenge and doesn't take no for an answer. As the Nazis enter town and audit her classes, she worries about her job and position. With no real family left (other than her Oncle Georges), she is mostly left to fend for herself.
Christian is trying to make the best of a bad situation. He's also a professor who loves books and he doesn't want to be a Nazi. But in his position in Paris, he is trying to do good where he can. I especially loved his character arc over the story, and as more of his backstory was revealed, some of Christian's decisions became clearer.
The setting
White does a masterful job of placing the reader in Paris in 1940. We get to walk in Corinne's shoes, as a young woman now without food or freedom. We get to hear about what life was like for them, how no one thought the government would collapse, and how quickly the town was occupied by Nazi soldiers. White's characters mentioned several times that Paris was one of the safest places to be (as opposed to England and America), because they didn't experience any bombings after the occupation. White does a great job of bringing the reader into the setting without the gore and devastation of war. While there are mentions of the prison camps and Nazi rule, the characters seem vaguely familiar with them (likely because the story takes place during the first six months of the Nazi occupation).
Key themes
This book is all about the power of ideas, family, loyalty, faith, and doing what's right. This book is less about the forbidden books themselves and more about the power of forbidden books. It's about a group of people who come together during the war to help one another, protect one another, and stand up for what is right.
The plot
I found the plot to be overall a little underwhelming. The book's synopsis is about Christian's search for the forbidden books and Corinne's access to the library, but both of these are secondary to the development of their friendship. Christian does do a bit of searching for books and is responsible for tracking down exiled Germans living in Paris under the watchful guise of his superior officers. Meanwhile, Corinne continues her work as a professor at the Sorbonne and befriends another Parisian family. Of course, as Corinne and Christian's friendship unfolds, they encounter new challenges, but I found the story to be quite slow at times (especially the first bit). Based on the synopsis, I was definitely expecting more about Corinne's access to the library and the secrets she had hidden away (but this was discussed very briefly and caused little conflict between the characters).
Against the backdrop of Corinne and Christian's fledgling relationship, this book discusses the power of words, ideas, and books. One of my favourite parts of the book is when the Christian and his superiors audit Professor Corinne's class and debate the power of books. They talk about the power books have to influence what people think and the danger of banning certain material:
"But when you tell someone what to read, you're telling them what to think... and it's one thing to try to influence your own friend. It's a different thing when it becomes law." (p 226)
I loved this theme of the book and the way White masterfully weaves it throughout the story. What makes a book forbidden? Who gets to decide? The characters agree that "we can and should censor what they [children] read," (p 226), but argue whether adults are capable of making their own decisions on reading material. While I am no expert in book banning, I appreciated White's discussion on the power of books to develop ideas and the danger of book banning.
Overall
Overall, this book is a great addition to WWII fiction. While I found the first bit slow, it did pick up and I enjoyed reading about Christian and Corinne's friendship. I would definitely recommend this to readers looking for a great historical fiction novel.
My favourite quote:
"But grant me this much, Kraus. One promise. Read." "A page? Every day?" "A page, at least. A chapter A whole book. Read novels, because they will put you in someone else's skin. Read poetry, because it will give wings to your soul. Read science, because it will show you what's possible. Read politics, because it will teach you how strongly people care about how their fellow men are treated, where we they stand in what the best way is... Read things you hate and things you love and things you never thought you'd understand." (p 312)
And now, back to the books.
[I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.]
