The Library Thief
ISBN: 9781408726846
Description
After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame - and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester. Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets - but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife. Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realises with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife - which may hold the clue to her fate.
Reviewed on 28th June 2025
This was one of a stack of books I picked up with very little thought based on the cover, and with no idea of the story or themes contained within. Yet somehow it worked out and appealed to me.
It's a historical novel, set in the late 19th Century, mostly in a smaller English country house, where Florence arrives to take on a book repair job. There's a bunch of mystery to the characters, and to the setting, which slowly unfolds amid various traumatic and affirming experiences.
I found the narrative surprisingly accessible - it was easy to read, and easy to step into alignment with the main character, who despite her intelligence is quite naiive about a bunch of things.
There are some moments where bad things happen, but they aren't portrayed with graphic detail and so while still unpleasant to read about, its definitely the effect that is focussed on rather than the events themselves.
I enjoyed reading it, but somehow not quite enough to be five-star level, though I find it hard to put my finger on what exactly it was that didn't grip me as much as it could.