Historical

The Personal Librarian

The Personal Librarian

  • Downloads：7796
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-18 02:21:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marie Benedict
  • ISBN：0593101545
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Elaine ，

This story of Belle Da Costa Greene and J。P。 Morgan proved to be truly entrancing， yet another book which proved to be difficult to put down。

Steve ，

Comically bad。 Just because someone has had an amazing life does not mean it should be turned into a novel。 Greene was a fascinating， influential historical figure—why does her life need to be fictionalized？

Mary Etta ，

Although a novel it is well researched， written by two women， both respected writers， one a woman of color with her own family history of discrimination。 A good combination to tell an important story of a remarkable woman。Before finishing I paused to search out images of Belle， other characters in the book and the Morgan Library。

Ellen Taylor ，

I enjoyed this story on many levels。 As a retired librarian， it was interesting to see how rare book collections are developed historically。 As a woman， it was gratifying that Belle became a successful businesswoman as well， and that she had a connection with the suffragists of her era。 As a daughter， I felt sad about her father’s decision to leave the family， and understood her perception of Morgan in a father’s role。 Finally， as a white woman who has always been able to live my authentic self， I enjoyed this story on many levels。 As a retired librarian， it was interesting to see how rare book collections are developed historically。 As a woman， it was gratifying that Belle became a successful businesswoman as well， and that she had a connection with the suffragists of her era。 As a daughter， I felt sad about her father’s decision to leave the family， and understood her perception of Morgan in a father’s role。 Finally， as a white woman who has always been able to live my authentic self， I was unable to relate to the numerous obstacles she encountered， trying to pass as a white person in the culture that vilified colored people， and feel sorrow for all those out in similar circumstances， whether it’s their sexual orientation， race， mental health status， or other cause to be diminished or excluded in society。 Exclusion hurts everyone， in opportunities to explore the richness of diverse experiences。 Recommended for readers who love a multi-faceted historical fiction story。 。。。more

Amanda Shurr ，

Historical fiction that is relevant to the current / ongoing conversations about race。 Belle was not my favorite character， but I enjoyed the story。

Erin ，

Audiobook。 I’ve read several of Benedict’s books because I think she does a fairly good job with historical fiction。 This was my favorite so far。

Bruin Mccon ，

DNF at 15%。 I can see that tens of thousands of people made it to the end of this book but I couldn’t。 The author’s books always start a little slow for me。 If it was sci-fi/fantasy， it would be called world-building but it doesn’t work for me in historical fiction。 There is a lot of naming things rather than giving clues so the reader realizes it on their own。

Christie Sinclair ，

Interesting historical fiction about JP Morgan’s personal librarian， a light skinned African-American who passed as a white woman。

Kathy ，

Made me dive into the internet to see all the pictures。

Susan Robbins ，

You get history and perspective with a good read。

Sam Vodoor ，

SegregationA little of history lesson for people like me who don't have a good understanding of segregation of it's effects on both sides of the aisle SegregationA little of history lesson for people like me who don't have a good understanding of segregation of it's effects on both sides of the aisle 。。。more

Mady ，

Belle da Costa Greene was a fascinating person！ But I was not completely captivated by the way this book was written （1st person storytelling didn’t quite work for me here）。

caitsquietplace ，

📖 The Personal Librarian✍️ Marie Benedict + Victoria Christopher Murray🗝️ Historical Fiction#️⃣ 341 pagesMy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐The Personal Librarian follows the adult life of Belle de Costa Greene， who became one of the most powerful women in New York when she took the job as J。P。 Morgan’s personal librarian。 But Belle has a secret that could bring her success to a crashing halt… although she passes for white， she was born Belle Marion Greener， a black woman。 The Personal Librarian tells the story of 📖 The Personal Librarian✍️ Marie Benedict + Victoria Christopher Murray🗝️ Historical Fiction#️⃣ 341 pagesMy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐The Personal Librarian follows the adult life of Belle de Costa Greene， who became one of the most powerful women in New York when she took the job as J。P。 Morgan’s personal librarian。 But Belle has a secret that could bring her success to a crashing halt… although she passes for white， she was born Belle Marion Greener， a black woman。 The Personal Librarian tells the story of the incredible woman at J。P。 Morgan’s right-hand side and all that she had to endure to stay there。I have really developed an affinity for historical fiction books this year; I’m endlessly fascinated by real world events and have such a great admiration for the authors who put so much time into researching these historical figures in order to write an authentic story。 The Personal Librarian focused on a woman that I had no knowledge of， and I really enjoyed getting to know Belle。 I can’t fathom how difficult it must have been for her to feel like no one ever truly knew the real her， and I am in awe of the feisty and charming personality she portrayed， despite all that she was faced with。 This is not a story with a big *twist* or surprising ending， but that did not take away from my enjoyment of it！ I also thought this was a great one for audio - I loved the narrator。 If you like historical fiction， I definitely recommend this one！📚 Single POV📚 Set in the early 1900s📚 Art + artifact world📚 Explores issues of racism， sexism， + identity📚 Explores duty to one’s self and one’s people📚 Epilogue📚 Great on audio#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqphistoricalfiction #thepersonallibrarian #berkley 。。。more

D ，

Witnessing how Belle’s life unfolded was mesmerizing。 Each day with curiosity， I opened this historical fiction book and thought…What is Belle doing today！ In this coming of age story set in the early 1900’s， Belle struggled with her identity， race， love’s and values。 This story highlighted all forms of privilege…race， wealth and gender。 I will miss my daily encounters with Belle and the courage/tenacity she exhibited to make her dreams come true。 I’m grateful for her life’s work and how it alte Witnessing how Belle’s life unfolded was mesmerizing。 Each day with curiosity， I opened this historical fiction book and thought…What is Belle doing today！ In this coming of age story set in the early 1900’s， Belle struggled with her identity， race， love’s and values。 This story highlighted all forms of privilege…race， wealth and gender。 I will miss my daily encounters with Belle and the courage/tenacity she exhibited to make her dreams come true。 I’m grateful for her life’s work and how it altered my view of American history。 。。。more

Helene Cohen ，

Mostly true story about a black woman who passed for white and became one of the most successful businesswoman of all times in the early part of the 20th century。 Good read

Carol Pickersgill ，

Historical novel that tackles an era， racial divides， economic disparity -all pulling you into a memorable story that I will fully admit I was 100% unaware prior to reading this novel。 Highly recommend。

Mom ，

Benedict and Murray's Author's notes at the end of the audio caused this listener to pause and reflect and truly appreciate the character s portrayed。I applaud their efforts and delight in their serendipitous sisterhood！ Benedict and Murray's Author's notes at the end of the audio caused this listener to pause and reflect and truly appreciate the character s portrayed。I applaud their efforts and delight in their serendipitous sisterhood！ 。。。more

Susan ，

Filled with such fiction。 Endless repetitions。 I should have read her biography。

Sheri ，

This was just an ok book for me。 It was an interesting piece of history but was a little slow。

Jacquelyne ，

A remarkable story。 Lots to ponder and to discuss。

Jacy Sutton ，

The history is fascinating， but the characters never came to life for me。 They felt like the way a person in 2022 would imagine people living in the 1910's would act， rather than real and fully figured。 The relationship with Bernard and Mary seemed especially inaccurate and reading on the subject leads me to believe that this part in particular was incorrect。 The history is fascinating， but the characters never came to life for me。 They felt like the way a person in 2022 would imagine people living in the 1910's would act， rather than real and fully figured。 The relationship with Bernard and Mary seemed especially inaccurate and reading on the subject leads me to believe that this part in particular was incorrect。 。。。more

Maxine Hoff ，

I found this book interesting to see how she posed herself as white in order to get the job as personal librarian to Mr。 Morgan。 He believed in her so much that he let her make very large monetary purchases on his behalf for the library。 Interesting chemistry between Mr。 Morgan and Belle。

Adele ，

I am still fascinated by the fact that Belle got away with passing as white her entire life。 She was an extremely intelligent woman with the ability to negotiate with the toughest of competitors。 It is also very sad and disconcerting that colored people had to pass as white to be treated as equal in our society。

Rachel Van niekerk ，

Great book！Loved learning about Belle and her contributions nay her CREATION of the JP Morgan library！ Wonderful collaboration between these authors and an excellent piece of historical fiction。 Highly recommend！

Brian Fuller ，

Already burdened by the baroque speech patterns of the Gilded Age， The Personal Librarian is further laden with exposition determined to inform。 You know the sort:“Why， isn’t that Mr。 Jones？” Jane tittered behind her fan。“You mean the New York railroad magnate whose family immigrated to New England three generations ago？ The very man who worked his way up from the ranks of stevedore to become the envy of Wall Street as recently as 1913？ Indeed， I’m sure I’d know that lean visage， that distinctiv Already burdened by the baroque speech patterns of the Gilded Age， The Personal Librarian is further laden with exposition determined to inform。 You know the sort:“Why， isn’t that Mr。 Jones？” Jane tittered behind her fan。“You mean the New York railroad magnate whose family immigrated to New England three generations ago？ The very man who worked his way up from the ranks of stevedore to become the envy of Wall Street as recently as 1913？ Indeed， I’m sure I’d know that lean visage， that distinctively waxed mustache， that gilt-edged eyepatch， even if he weren’t standing anywhere near his wasp-waisted wife Mary， the domineering brunette。”Because fiction may fudge dates， rearrange events， combine characters， and so on， Benedict and Murray have more tools than they employ to smooth pacing， plot， and theme。 Though non-fiction maestro Erik Larson has none of those tools， they might well look his way for mentor and model。I wanted this to be good。 And then I wanted it to end。 。。。more

Erin ，

As a librarian， I was really looking forward to reading about the strong woman who built the collection of the J。P。 Morgan library。 Though it touched somewhat on her work， too much of the book was devoted to flirting， affairs and romance。 It made a powerful figure seem silly。 It was also very repetitive， with every chapter， pointing out how stressed she was to be passing as a white。 Rather than putting her in situations to show what a challenge it was， the author just kept telling us。 It felt li As a librarian， I was really looking forward to reading about the strong woman who built the collection of the J。P。 Morgan library。 Though it touched somewhat on her work， too much of the book was devoted to flirting， affairs and romance。 It made a powerful figure seem silly。 It was also very repetitive， with every chapter， pointing out how stressed she was to be passing as a white。 Rather than putting her in situations to show what a challenge it was， the author just kept telling us。 It felt like it was written for someone in junior high。 I feel like this book was a missed opportunity。 I am going to check out her biography。 。。。more

Bill ，

Because Belle da Costa Greene （1879-1950） feared that if the public discovered that she was colored， passing as white， even after her death， it would tarnish both her own considerable reputation as a successful career woman and the stature of the Pierpont Morgan Library she had curated， she destroyed most of her private papers。 So co-authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray build upon extensive research into the public record with educated speculation about her relationships with h Because Belle da Costa Greene （1879-1950） feared that if the public discovered that she was colored， passing as white， even after her death， it would tarnish both her own considerable reputation as a successful career woman and the stature of the Pierpont Morgan Library she had curated， she destroyed most of her private papers。 So co-authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray build upon extensive research into the public record with educated speculation about her relationships with her family， split over the decision to pass， her employer， financier J。 Pierpont Morgan， and her lover， art historian Bernard Berenson。 This is a fascinating， previously little-known story， well-written， and well-performed on the audiobook by narrator Robin Miles。 。。。more

Heidi Green ，

4。5。 Great historical fictionI really enjoy books based on real people… this book set me into a dive learning about all the people in this book。 Belle da Costa Greene was fascinating to learn about and the themes of this book （woman’s rights/patriarchy， race， education， history， etc。） would be great for a book club discussion。Side note: I read this a week after I returned from NYC and I wish I would’ve read it before I went so I could’ve toured the JP Morgan Library while I was there; I had no i 4。5。 Great historical fictionI really enjoy books based on real people… this book set me into a dive learning about all the people in this book。 Belle da Costa Greene was fascinating to learn about and the themes of this book （woman’s rights/patriarchy， race， education， history， etc。） would be great for a book club discussion。Side note: I read this a week after I returned from NYC and I wish I would’ve read it before I went so I could’ve toured the JP Morgan Library while I was there; I had no idea it even existed！ I have however， toured Isabella Stewart Garner’s museum in Boston and was excited when she was mentioned。 。。。more

Carlee Neumann ，

Great cast and interesting writing。

Krista ，

An interesting historical fiction / biography of J。P。 Morgan's personal librarian Belle de Costa Greene。 Set in early to mid 1900s Belle's life was fascinating as a successful career women at a time when women were not considered equal to men， daughter of social activist Richard Greener， confident to JP Morgan。。。etc。 She achieved a remarkable legacy while hiding her true identity。 Great read！ An interesting historical fiction / biography of J。P。 Morgan's personal librarian Belle de Costa Greene。 Set in early to mid 1900s Belle's life was fascinating as a successful career women at a time when women were not considered equal to men， daughter of social activist Richard Greener， confident to JP Morgan。。。etc。 She achieved a remarkable legacy while hiding her true identity。 Great read！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Personal Librarian

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Personal Librarian&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Personal Librarian&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0