The Personal Librarian

By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Narrated by: Robin Miles

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.

©2020 Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Historical fiction at its best.... The Personal Librarian spins a complex tale of deceit and allegiance as told through books.” (Good Morning America)

“Benedict, who is white, and Murray, who is African American, do a good job of depicting the tightrope Belle walked, and her internal conflict from both sides - wanting to adhere to her mother's wishes and move through the world as white even as she longed to show her father she was proud of her race. Like Belle and her employer, Benedict and Murray had almost instant chemistry, and as a result, the book's narrative is seamless...I became hooked.” (NPR)

“An extraordinary tale that is both brilliant historical fiction and an important and timely commentary on racism. By holding up an unflinching mirror and illuminating this little-known chapter in American history, these two gifted authors have penned a work that is a must-read.” (Pam Jenoff, New York Times best-selling author of The Woman with the Blue Star)

A brilliant story but needlessly flawed

This novel has a wonderful character, almost unknown to most people. Belle D’Acosta Greene was an African American woman of light complexion, who in the early 20th century became the Morgan Library’s director. She had a gift for recognizing and acquiring priceless manuscripts and works of art. All the while she passed as white to JP Morgan and everyone in his circle. Her life is well documented in this book and it is fascinating. But the book is flawed by a couple of whopper mistakes that its copy editor ought to have caught. There is no “London Harbor”. The Thames can just about accommodate a barge. No big liner ever sailed beyond South Hampton in England to this day. The passengers went by train to London. Not getting details right stalls the reader’s belief in the story. So do words like “ gifting” and “ impacting”, never verbs until late 20 the century. They don’t belong in a 1920 vocabulary. The English Channel is a Channel, not a canal. The narrator is superb and has just the right voice. Marie Benedict is a fine writer. She deserves a better and older copy editor who knows her history and geography.

Amazing!!

This historical fiction novel was and is fantastic. The imagery and dialogue were so realistic— it felt like I was the proverbial “fly on the wall” in JPMorgan’s office! What a life Belle DeCosta Green lived! A true testament to the intelligence and grit of African American people!

Very well done and interesting storyline

I very much enjoyed this audiobook, you could picture the characters perfectly and it was well researched.

Worth reading. Excellent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Belle Da Costa Green. Written as a novel and referencing the documents odf history regarding her life was completely engaging.

Thought provoking

I heard about this book on Good Morning America . I saw the 2 authors and and I realized it was going to be history with maybe a little embellishment. As I listened to the book while working, it was hard for me to stop listening. It was very thought provoking. The character of Belle begin to live again in my imagination and I wondered what I would have done in that time if I had had the chance. Would I have stayed to my roots of being a black woman or if I could get away with it, clearly the mid tone of brown my skin would not allow me to, but if I had the chance would I pass to make life easier? I also enjoyed how human I found JP Morgan. Out of all the stories I have heard from him this is the one that not just makes him seem like a hugely rich man which he was but also like a man. It has made me want to know more about Belle and JP Morgan I will be listening to House of Morgan next, and I have done the whole Wikipedia search on Belle already. I highly recommend this book.

Enjoyed.

These two authors truly captured the essence of Belle da Costa to me. Even though this story is Historical Fiction, the characters are real as well as underlying narrative. What Bella was able to accomplish as a young woman during that time is inspiring. However, that she had to hide a part of herself off from a judgmental public opinion is disheartening. To make matters worse these are still issues today, so many more years later
4.5/stars overall

Interesting but a bit slow

Good story and love that it’s true and about a woman of color and her well deserved successes. Interesting look into the man JP Morgan as well. I liked it.

Beautifully read

I’m not sure if I love the story or the narrator more. I’m sad it’s over and I’d read it again in a heartbeat.

Great collaboration

I am very glad to have come by this book which went by much too quickly for me. I generally enjoy historical fiction if it is written with care and a sense of authenticity. I believe the Personal Librarian’s thoughts, struggles, and successes were written from a place of understanding and compassion. No one ever really knows the thoughts of another. Often, people don’t even really know their own thoughts. But I never felt the need to question the potential truths in this book. I am glad for the candor of the story tellers with regard to both the separation of fact from fiction, and the storytelling processes. This story was worth telling, might surprise many, and kept me entertained while being informed. I will recommend this to others

This book is amazing

I loved this book which tells of the struggle of racism and the turmoil from within persons of color. The times were different yet the same today as then. God only knows what the future has in store.