THE ASTRAL LIBRARY
The Gulf Harbour Book Club met on October 5 to discuss The Astral Library by Kate Quinn. Kate is always a delight to have on zoom.
Fran Cleaver did a masterful presentation for the author review.
Kate Quinn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. She wrote four novels in the Empress of Rome saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the twentieth century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club. She has also coauthored several collaborative novels, including The Phoenix Crown with Janie Chang and Ribbons of Scarlet with Stephanie Dray and others. Quinn and her husband now live in Maryland with their rescue dogs.
A Book for Bibliophiles
Quinn’s reflections on writing The Astral Library reveal how deeply the novel is rooted in her childhood. Before she was old enough to read, her father introduced her to the worlds of Narnia and Oz. Her mother was a librarian, and Quinn spent much of her childhood in libraries—while, as she recalls, accumulating excessive library fines as an avid reader. She describes the novel as both a warm hug for bibliophiles and a protective battle cry for public libraries.
From Susan of The Book Review Crew:
“I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Quinn’s foray into a new genre. Although I am not normally a fan of fantasy, I do like one from time to time, if done right. This one was.
I loved the protagonist in this novel. What is there not to love about a plus size book lover who is down on her luck? We meet Alix Watson, a refugee from the foster care system, who never had the opportunity to attend college and who is working three jobs to try and make ends meet. It is a difficult life, but the character has a self-deprecating wit that keeps her from becoming too depressed and depressing. It is impossible not to root for her. There are few people on earth who do not dream of escaping when life becomes hard. Those of us that are bibliophiles will wish upon occasion to escape into the literature we read. I have; I really and honestly believe that there is not a booklover on this planet who has never wanted to become a character in their favorite novels. That is a given and it takes a childhood much less difficult than Alix’s to fantasize about that; it is probably why many of us read to begin with. We want to escape into worlds that we can become part of.
One day, when Alix escapes to the Boston Public Library to forget about life for a while, she opens a hidden door and finds herself in a very special library: one that provides visitors with the opportunity to become a character in a novel. This is where Ms. Quinn finds some familiar territory. Some of the authors whose works visitors escape into include Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen and the Great Gatsby. There was “research” as there might be in a historical novel into the worlds of these authors’ works. My only difficulty with the book was in this part. I found some of the actual adventures into these novels fascinating and others a bit dry. This was where my attention flagged a bit.
While Alix explored these fictional worlds, she discovers that things are not okay in the running of this library. Since this quickly becomes an important place in her life, offering her refuge and hope, she becomes involved head deep into what is happening in this library, so that she can preserve it.
Not everyone will appreciate this book. I am not necessarily sure that hard core fantasyphiles will. This is clearly fantasy; there is no question. However, I do not believe this to be the kind of fantasy that those who are true fans of the genre love. It will appeal to those of us that love books, even many that are not predisposed to the genre, because this is a fantasy that most of us have. We can relate to it.
I would love to see a sequel to this book. There are so many things that can happen in this world of literary characters coming to life, so to speak, and I can envision Alix spending more time in this world while still trying to cope with life on the outside, as well as her burgeoning romance (you will need to read the book for this information). I love it when authors expand their horizons and try something new. Their efforts do not always succeed but it is a brave thing to do and it worked here.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with the opportunity to read this book. All of the opinions here are my own.”
We highly recommend this book. It demonstrates the need for all of us who love to read the opportunity to escape into fabulous books.
The Gulf Harbour Book Club meets on the first Monday of each month in the Fitness Center. If you want to join the Book Club email [email protected].
Zoom is available for Members if the author allows it. We have 8 authors lined up for the 2025/2026 season. We already had Kate Quinn. November is Stephanie Dray for A Founding Mother; December is Madeline Martin for A Time for Witches; January is January 11 with Donna Everhardt for Women of a Promiscuous Nature; February is Laurie Frankel for Enormous Wings, March is Sandi Altner; and April is Loretta Ellsworth for The Jilted Countess.
