The Library Book

Product Information

In 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 across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Her interaction with others is mostly limited to her sharing some jobs with her grumpy but reliable old neighbour in return for the occasional assistance on some other job too big for one. The chapters alternate between Tom’s and Maggie’s POVs. Both characters felt fully realized and I was equally invested in both. Osborne does a great job of portraying Tom as a boy verging on manhood but not there yet. All of their issues (loneliness, alcoholism, money problems, grief and trust issues ) are handled sensitively and realistically. Flip side, Tom’s introduction to farming provided some comic relief. The reason I find Susan’s comment about folks not associating libraries with Los Angeles....is because I never really thought about it, but she’s absolutely right. She’s so right - it wasn’t even in my consciousness, ‘at all’, and I live in California with family throughout L.A. I also never heard of this fire - shows you how asleep I was - and every L.A. person in my life too. My youngest daughter was a year old in 1986. A heavy but very worth read that should definitely be of interest to the ones who would love to have a book about the history of books. As a big reader and user of libraries, this book called out to me. I was worried it might be a little too saccharine, but it wasn’t.This is a contemporary fiction by English author Bella Osborne, featuring 16 year-old Tom Harris who seeks refuge from the difficulties of his life in the Compton Mallow Library where he meets the quirky 72 year-old Maggie Mann. Tom is struggling to get through his GCSE exams and avoid a looming future working in the dog food factory. His grieving alcoholic father seems not to see his distress or to understand his dreams. Gradually Maggie and Tom become friends, enriching both of their lives. Along with his high-school crush, Farah Shah, Tom and Maggie band together to rescue the library from imminent closure.

Maggie is a pensioner and has been happily alone for ten years, at least that's what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue a friendship develops that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom to stand up for himself, Tom helps Maggie realise the mistakes of her past don't have to define her future. They each set out to prove that the library isn't just about books – it's the heart of their community. I wonder if there’s a term for comedy-dramas that are about finding friendship, rather than romantic love - chum-com? Naturally, this book is choke-full of names and dates since it recounts history and has to cover one hell of a lot of it. However, the names and dates don't necessarily have to mean too much to you so you don't have to feel intimidated by them. So long as you keep in mind how long the written word and libraries have been around and marvel at the evolution of both, you'll be fine.It's not like what I read was a complete waste of time: I'm glad to know that as a consequence of the printing press, handwritten manuscripts in jewel-encrusted bindings lost a lot of their prestige as displays of wealth, so rich Italians in the sixteenth century instead showed off how rich they were by commissioning buildings, statues, and paintings, which after all are a lot more durable than ink on leather.