The Library Book
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The Library Book
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Narrated by:
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Susan Orlean
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Written by:
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Susan Orlean
About this listen
Susan Orlean, hailed as a “national treasure” by The Washington Post and the acclaimed best-selling author of Rin Tin Tin and The Orchid Thief, reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution - our libraries.
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual false alarm. As one fireman recounted later, “Once that first stack got going, it was good-bye, Charlie.” The fire was disastrous: It reached 2,000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than 30 years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library - and if so, who?
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading with the fascinating history of libraries and the sometimes eccentric characters who run them, award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author Susan Orlean presents a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling story as only she can. With her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, she investigates the legendary Los Angeles Public Library fire to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives.
To truly understand what happens behind the stacks, Orlean visits the different departments of the LAPL, encountering an engaging cast of employees and patrons and experiencing alongside them the victories and struggles they face in today’s climate. She also delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from a metropolitan charitable initiative to a cornerstone of national identity. She reflects on her childhood experiences in libraries; studies fire and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the library more than 30 years ago. Along the way, she reveals how these buildings provide much more than just books - and that they are needed now more than ever.
Filled with heart, passion, and unforgettable characters, The Library Book is classic Susan Orlean and an homage to a beloved institution that remains a vital part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country and culture.
©2018 Susan Orlean (P)2018 Simon & SchusterYou may also enjoy...
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4 out of 5 stars
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Set over the course of three summers, this novel follows Stephen, a first-generation Londoner born to Ghanaian immigrant parents, brother to Ray, and best friend to Adeline. On the cusp of big life changes, Stephen feels pressured to follow a certain path—a university degree, a move out of home—but when he decides instead to follow his first love, music, his world and family fracture in ways he didn’t foresee. Now Stephen must find a path and peace for himself: a space he can feel beautiful, a space he can feel free.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful prose
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Queen of Cuba
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
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Story4 out of 5 stars 4
Ana Montes had spent seventeen years spying for the Cubans. She had been raised in a patriotic Puerto Rican household: Her father, a psychiatrist, was a former colonel in the US Army. Her sister worked as a translator for the FBI and helped break up a ring of Cuban spies in Miami. Her brother was also a loyal FBI agent. Montes impressed her bosses but in secret spent her breaks memorizing top-secret documents before sending them to the Cuban government. Retired FBI agent Peter J. Lapp explains the clues that led their team to catch one of the United States’ most dangerous spies.
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2 out of 5 stars
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didn’t need to know the author’s story too
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The Chocolate Maker's Wife
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Born into poverty, brutalised and ignored by her family, it is only when she is married off to a nobleman that her life undergoes a transformation, as her husband recognises in Rosamund a magic she does not know she possesses but which affects almost all who encounter her. Presiding over a luxurious chocolate house where men go to be seen, exchange news and indulge in the sweet and heady drink to which they have become addicted, Rosamund feels blessed. But disaster strikes, and Rosamund stands on the brink of losing all she has worked so hard to achieve.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Lots of intricate stories inside stories
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What listeners say about The Library Book
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 2024-02-15
Fantastic story and narration
Excellent book! The author recounts the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library and simultaneously explores the true crime angle (was the fire an act of arson?) while giving us a history on libraries, the lending of books, the recovery of books, the users of libraries etc.
Do you know that, if you can't freeze a book within 48 hrs of it becoming soaked with water, then the book cannot be recovered? And there was a period of time, in the beginning of libraries, when women were forbidden from becoming librarians. Really! Also, today, libraries outnumber retail bookstores 2 to 1. Lots of facts here, for those who are interested in the topic. The author narrates the audiobook and she's excellent.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mistaya Langridge
- 2019-07-11
Beautiful story, painful narration
The book:
What an interesting ode to libraries. I believe my expectations may have dampened my enthusiasm for this book however: going in, I was expecting a true crime-like story of the arson investigation into the LA library fire, but instead received a history of the LA Central Library, woven together by the narrative of the Great Fire. With that being said, it is an absolutely wonderful book, and if you had asked me my opinion after 10 chapters, I would have said it was one of my favourites of all time. However, between then and now I have learned more about Charles Lummis than I ever wanted to. A lot of this book seemed to basically be demonstrating the amount of research Susan Orlean did into the LA Library. Even with this, it was still wonderfully written and has resparked my appreciation for libraries, and is absolutely worth a read.
The narration:
Honestly, I have never disliked the narration of an audible book so much before. Generally books read by the author add to the story-- ESPECIALLY ones like this where some of it is from the author's perspective. Definitely not in this case!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tee Darling
- 2021-09-18
What a journey!
I went from liking this book to loving this book as the chapters progressed. I’m actually going to start a little mini book club around this book. It speaks to me on many levels and is full of so much fascinating information.There are so many funny moments delivered expertly by Susan. The gamut of emotion is covered in this book plus it is stuffed with historical information. I loved it and highly recommend. I can’t believe I didn’t know about it either.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brenda S.
- 2020-11-23
Nostalgia
This book brought back fond memories of the all the time I spent in libraries as a child.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-08-08
Great book if you like her (I do)
I loved the snippets of stories and the narration. If you don't like vignettes or the author's voice, you won't like this book. It weaves all over the place with libraries being the touchstone and I happily followed along.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2022-12-20
Great book
A combination of a mysterious (and as yet still unsolved) fire - and the tragedy of all those lost books! - and a history of the LA library, and libraries in general. The book did jump around quite a bit, but it didn’t seem to negatively impact my ability to follow the threads of the various storylines. Well researched.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M Gomes
- 2022-05-20
Beautiful and Sombre Sweet
What an unexpected and informative read. A delight, and the narration, one of my favorite tonalities for a female voice, endlessly listenable and endearing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Frodo
- 2024-06-07
An interesting story buried in too much minutia. 
The three core storylines, regarding the development and role of public libraries worldwide, the development of the Los Angeles Central library, and the great fire at said library, are all interesting.  however, I found the story got buried in excessive detail and minutia. It would’ve been a great book two-thirds the length. I also found the slow nasal tone of the narrator to become annoying as the book progressed.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- cathryne mullowney
- 2019-03-02
I just could do it.......
I had to give up. By chapter two I wished it was already over. It is so slow and boring. The most disappointing Reese Witherspoon book pick.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-03-28
Sparkes a love for my library but the book ran flat
I’m struggling to review this book and how to describe the listening experience. I chose this book for my book club based on the recommendation from Reese Witherspoon’s book club; I expected it to be really good. But the best word I can think of to describe the book is ‘flat’. I found it interesting to listen to the history of the library in Los Angeles and the head librarians that ran it but now that the book is over, non of it was memorable. I don’t remember anything specific about any of them. It didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. I also enjoyed hearing the history of libraries in general; however I don’t think it needed to be a novel. It was drawn out and made it a bit boring.
after reading the book I did my own research in my own library in my small town and learned we had a fire in the early 1900’s! Listening to this book did respark a love for my library and reflect on the importance of books and the library in my community.
Overall, the book ran flat for me. The story of Harry Peak was not very exciting And the stories throughout the book were not memorable.
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1 person found this helpful