Welcome to Litsy!

I really enjoyed this and it didn‘t matter that I‘d already read The Personal Librarian previously - yes, I knew the general outline but the books are quite different stylistically, and complement each other.

This one felt a little bit more NF (even though the author doesn‘t claim that it is) and I thought Belle herself came across a bit more mercenary and unlikeable in this version.

Thanks @jlhammar for being a great host! #europacollective

This is a short novella by a grandson of Che Guevara that expresses the disillusionment and lost promise of the revolution in Cuba. Playing on the theme of a “scratched record” that repeats, it is written as 33 very short chapters. While I thought it had potential, I found the repetition of the scratched record theme somewhat annoying. #europacollective #booksintranslation

Eye opening in so many ways! 😲 I have mixed feelings about Bella and some of her decisions. Ultimately, they cost her dearly and the question is whether it was worth it.

The weird thing is no mention is made of whether & what Belle liked to read recreationally! It appears her real passion was collecting & organizing & preserving treasures.

My only quibble with the book is it‘s a bit long in the detail at times. #Europacollective

Belle Greene was a remarkable woman!!! The Morgan Library owes its ‘ life‘ to her!
I cant imagine what it would be like to carry the secret of passing.
This was another great read for #EuropaCollective.

I decided to see how much she inherited:
She I nherited $50,000 in 1913 from JP Morgan
Today‘s equivalent would be $1.6 million

She also inherited $50,000 in 1943 from his son
Which the equivalent today is $900,000

Enjoying learning more about the fascinating Belle Greene for #EuropaCollective
Thanks for curating such wonderful books this year @jlhammar 🩵💙🩵
A great companion book is The Personal Librarian

Belle is about to offer 125k for Lord Amherst‘s Caxton collection of Didlington Hall. That‘s a cool $50M in today‘s dollars. That isn‘t even her total book buying budget! 😳 Can you imagine?

I did a small dive into Didlington Hall, Caxton Collection, & the Amherst swindle. #Europacollective

Hmmmmm 🧐 I wonder if Belle would have swapped offices with me? This is only 1 room of a three room suite comprising the librarian‘s office at the Morgan library. #Europacollective

📚🫶🏽

#Europacollective

“Man cannot live without nature. He needs air to breathe, water to drink, fruit to eat. But nature is quite able to live without man. Which proves just how superior it is to us”.
#EuropaCollective
#LitsyBookclub

Starting early because it‘s a big one. The prelude is devastating. 😔

I appreciate Lapierre is not sugar coating the story or the historically accurate attitudes & language. #Europacollective