September 7, 2021
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Belle da Costa Greene was the librarian of J. P. Morgan's personal library. But Belle was hiding a secret that could have spelled disaster for her if it was revealed: she was born Belle Greener, daughter of the first black man to graduate from Harvard. She passes as white, claiming to be of Portuguese descent to account for her darker complexion.
As a librarian, I expected to enjoy this historical novel more than I did. I was looking for more details about the materials that Belle sourced and curated. But most of the emphasis is on the artwork that she acquired: she was more of an art dealer than a librarian. There was also a lot more about society and Belle's difficulties in passing for white. I skimmed the last half of the book. I usually like Marie Benedict's books since they focus on largely unknown women, but I felt the writing here was mediocre. Belle's story deserved better.
Belle da Costa Greene
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