The Collector of Burned Books

Author: Roseanna M. White
Genre: WWII Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party—he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

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Reviewer: Jeanette Durkin

Wow! More than 5 stars! Roseanna White has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I think this book is her best so far! This book took me on a journey of good vs. evil. How sometimes evil overcomes good and other times good overcomes evil. 

The Library of Burned Books provided more than just books. It held secrets and ideas. These secrets and ideas presented a problem for the Nazis. The setting of Paris during this time is not glittering lights and romance, but one of a weary city. Its citizens subdued and withdrawn.

Corinne is amazing! She’s brave, quick thinking, compassionate and not afraid to speak her mind. She loves the books and the authors that wrote them. The books also help her send coded messages. Messages that she hopes will push the Nazis out of her beloved city. 

Christian is a complicated man. He loves literature. Unfortunately, his assignment from the German army is to determine which books are “allowed” to stay in Paris. He has many secrets and often has to pretend that he’s following orders, even when it contradicts everything within him. He is a merciful man, and he offers mercy to many “undeserving” recipients. Soon, he and Corinne work together to save not only books but human lives.

My heart was touched when the priest prayed over Christian. The blessing, the protection, and the covenant. Words of healing and words of hope.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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