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60 pages 2 hours read

Janet Skeslien Charles

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024

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Chapter 25-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 25 Summary

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in May 1919. Kit and Sidonie plan to run the rebuilt library, along with Jeanne, Victorine, and Marcelle. Kit teaches the women about the Dewey Decimal system, and they have fun identifying each other by what “categories” they would belong to, using numbers to classify words that describe themselves. When the two Annes tour the library and Dr. M.D. asks why the children’s section isn’t in the front, Kit impresses her by explaining that it’s near the back so the children can feel safe.

Politicians and reporters come from as far as Paris for the library’s opening, and Kit begins to realize the impact she has had with her bookmobiles, which are famous. Vincent Charon, director of a prestigious library, insults the library by suggesting people of varying classes should have separate libraries and different reading materials, and Kit surprises herself by contradicting him. He furthers the insult by suggesting a woman librarian is only good for dusting the bookshelves, to which Kit replies that “antiquated ideas” are what need dusting (253). Emboldened, Marcelle comes to her side and tells Charon the town likes its library just the way it is.

Eugene Morel, the first librarian to implement the Dewey Decimal system in France, praises Kit for standing up to Charon and suggests Kit come to the capital to create a model library. Anne Morgan overhears and tells him to admire their work, not poach her workers. Kit floats on a cloud of happiness at her success, until she receives a telegram from Winnifred Smythe saying she is on her way to “help” with the library.

Chapter 26 Summary

Wendy narrates from New York in March 1987. At the Alliance Francaise, Wendy tracks down Marcelle Moreau, still alive and living in New York. Meanwhile, Roberto helps her find more information about Winnifred Smythe so that they can look for mentions of Jessie Carson. Roberto’s description of Smythe’s overbearing nature and need to control the NYPL, even after retirement, makes Wendy realize “what Jessie Carson was up against, and why she’d rather be in a war zone than here” (259). When they mostly find information about Anne Morgan, he suggests switching focus to her; but she’s already famous, and Wendy wants to bring attention to the still-unknown history of the Cards. She is gratified when she finds a newspaper clipping mentioning Jessie Carson’s impact in France.

Wendy meets Marcelle, who offers her pastries made from Cookie’s recipe. She shares a photo album and explains what happened to her family after the war: Madame Moreau got a job as a seamstress in Paris, then married again. Knowing her mother and brothers were cared for, Marcelle set out for the US. She describes the other Cards, including Breckie’s founding of the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky. When she sees a picture of Kit, Wendy feels like she knows her, and asks to hear more.

Chapter 27 Summary

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in August 1919. Winnifred Smythe and two unwitting donors arrive three days ahead of schedule to surprise the Cards; she says the element of surprise “unmasks unruly children and scheming adults” (269). She complains about the journey, and the donors are embarrassed to be included in her ambush. At the library, Winnifred criticizes everything from the size of the space to the books Kit has included. When Kit protests, she calls her “insubordinate,” which Marcelle says sounds wonderful. The next moment, Winnifred shocks Kit by praising how much she’s accomplished, and tells her it’s time to return to the NYPL. Kit announces she will not be returning to New York, and quits.

Chapter 28 Summary

Wendy narrates from New York in April 1987. As Wendy writes about the Cards, her own life takes shape. She forms a friendship with Meredith and helps Marcelle with weekly grocery deliveries. When Wendy gets a job as program director at the NYPL, Marcelle helps her celebrate with a bottle of champagne. She says, “If you have it on hand, you’ll always have something to celebrate” (274), and explains that the Cards recorded every small milestone and positive moment. Wendy asks if Marcelle will be the inaugural speaker at a new NYPL program she’s proposed called Living Legends.

Wendy tells Roberto about the interrupted assault in her dorm room and how it kept her from forming bonds with people. She says he and the Cards have restored her faith in people’s goodness. Roberto finally tells Wendy why he got banished to Remembrance—the boss wanted to promote him out of the reading room, but he refused, and his punishment was demotion. As they grow closer, both say “I love you.” Because of Roberto’s trust, patience, and love, Wendy feels safe enough to have sex with him.

Chapter 29 Summary

Wendy narrates from New York in May 1987. At the final writing class, Professor Hill reads Wendy’s pages about the Cards and demands to know where the drama and betrayal are, then rants about how terrible and selfish people really are. She realizes he’s trying to warn them, in his way, and re-examines the Cards’ story to look for things she might have missed. She asks Marcelle to read it; the book doesn’t have a title yet. After reading it in one night, Marcelle offers gentle critiques and suggestions. But, she says, Wendy is missing a few chapters of the story.

Chapter 30 Summary

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in March 1920. The French government is shutting down the Red Zone. On their last visit to a village in the area, Marcelle and Kit get into an accident in the Ford, swerving to the edge of the road and puncturing a tire. They hurry to jack up the bookmobile and fix it. As they finish, the escaped German prisoner of war appears. Kit shouts a warning to leave them alone and stands in front of Marcelle; he charges them, grabbing her throat and choking. Marcelle saves her life by smashing him over the head with the jack. As they cover the soldier with a jacket until the military can come bury him, Kit notices that Marcelle has a spot of blood on her cuff. Though both women are deeply upset, they continue on, performing story hour as expected.

In the aftermath, both struggle with memories of the encounter, particularly Marcelle, whose mother doesn’t know and doesn’t understand why her behavior has changed so suddenly. During a party, Marcelle sneaks away and Kit follows her until she overhears a conversation between the two Annes. Anne Morgan wants to give Kit a sizeable bonus for her work, but Dr. M.D. insists the money should go to destitute French civilians. Kit imagines being able to bring Mabel to France for a visit, but her daydreams are punctured when Anne Morgan capitulates and agrees not to give the bonus. Kit realizes it’s time to move on.

Chapter 31 Summary

Kit’s narration continues. At Blérancourt, Kit finally gets a chance to talk to Marcelle and urges her to deal with what happened in the Red Zone; Marcelle talks about everything she feels guilty for. She admits she also overheard the two Annes’ conversation about Kit’s bonus, and that “Ma’s right. Life is impossible and then you die” (291). Kit tells her she’s going to Paris to set up a new library and bringing Marcelle with her.

Kit feels confident leaving the library she has created in the hands of the villagers she trained. Breckie is also leaving Blérancourt but staying in France to help build more clinics, and the village throws them a going-away party.

Sidonie accompanies Kit to Paris to help her find an apartment and get settled near the site of the new library in Belleville, which Kit says M. Morel called “populaire.” Sidonie explains that means “working class” not “popular,” and Kit is determined to make her library a welcoming place for everyone. After “a few short months” (195), the library is ready to open. Breckie invites Kit to parties hosted by her classmates, ambassadors, and French aristocrats. The Countess Clara de Chambrun declares that the Paris Library is the perfect place for a library school for French women. Marcelle arrives in Paris, and the women and the country begin to heal.

Epilogue Summary

Wendy narrates from New York, May 1987. Marcelle speaks at Wendy’s first Living Legends presentation at the NYPL, praising the work done by Jessie “Kit” Carson, and receives a standing ovation. Afterward, she thanks Wendy for bringing her friends back to her, and gives her the handkerchief that Kit gave to her. Wendy knows she will carry it with her always.

Chapter 25-Epilogue Analysis

The interwoven narratives in these chapters—where Wendy’s perspective is for the first time given as much space in the pages as Kit’s—uses the structure to present resolution and climax concurrently. Skeslien Charles uses the condescending antagonists Winnifred Smythe and Professor Hill to undermine both Kit and Wendy, respectively, as each woman faces inner conflicts, highlighting the triumph of themes of Self-Discovery, Resilience, and Transformation and The Value of Literacy as a Means of Connection and Escape, and Marcelle’s role as a link between the two timelines is fulfilled.

With the worst violence of the war behind Kit and the most difficult aspects of researching the Cards behind Wendy, Skeslien Charles centers the work of librarians and the role of libraries in society; this emphasizes the value of literacy for bringing people together but also explore the inner workings and petty dramas of the workplace. In Kit’s timeline, Winnifred reveals the true motives behind her constant criticisms when she telegrams that she is on her way to “help.” The line, “I read an article in The Times about you and your little library” (255), conveys both her jealousy (Kit getting noticed in The Times instead of her) and her condescension (Kit’s “little library” can’t compare to the NYPL). In Wendy’s timeline, petty grudges and jealousies appear in Roberto’s explanation of the big boss’s use of a demotion to punish him. Ironically, the answer to Professor Hill’s question—“Where’s the betrayal? Where’s the backstabbing?” (277)—is not found among the Cards or working librarians, but in their bosses. For Kit, recognizing Winnifred’s pettiness and overhearing Anne Morgan’s failure to fully defend her contributions are what motivate her to seek out those who would value her hard work. Her decision to quit the NYPL and her vow to stop retreating to the library of her mind is a pivotal moment, demonstrating the extent of the self-discovery and transformation her time in France has given her. For Wendy, recognizing Professor Hill’s disillusion and then seeing him at her Living Legends program is a different kind of vindication; his grudging interest in the story of the Cards shows its promise.

Structurally, Wendy’s narrative continues to introduce and connect with big events in Kit’s. Marcelle’s note that the book about the Cards “is missing a few chapters” (281) precedes the World War I timeline’s climax; though Wendy has learned about Kit’s wartime accomplishments, she has not yet found evidence of her life after the war. This maintains suspense during the attack by the escaped German POW, because readers don’t know whether Kit will survive. The attack and Marcelle’s role in saving Kit’s life ties together hints and loose ends from earlier in the novel: It confirms the sense of being watched that Kit has had every time she’s visited the Red Zone, harkens back to the menace the women sensed in him while he was prisoner, and explains the bloodstained cuff Marcelle describes when she puts on her Card uniform in the Prologue. Marcelle’s recovery from the trauma of killing the soldier develops the motif of healing through conversation and connection, an idea that is again mirrored in Wendy’s conversation with Roberto about the assault. However, the fact that the stain remains on Marcelle’s cuff so many years later, like the contamination of the war that closes off the Red Zone, is a reminder that even traumas that heal can leave scars.

The handkerchief and The Preservation of Cultural Artifacts come full circle. In many ways, preservation has been a healing and connective force throughout the novel: bringing Sidonie out of seclusion with the gift of her husband’s book, saving Madame Petit’s heirlooms, and bringing stories via bookmobile have all demonstrated the power of people’s efforts to leave something behind for future generations. Kit’s success with the town library—and later the Paris library—and Sidonie’s enthusiastic embrace of the work librarians do emphasizes this. By telling the story of Kit passing on the love of books and the work of librarians, having Marcelle connect this to the modern timeline, and having Wendy narrate her work in Remembrance and efforts to preserve the Cards’ history, the novel illustrates that valuing the act of preservation is part of what can be passed on. The choice to have Wendy narrate the Epilogue, rather than Marcelle who narrates the Prologue, symbolically echoes the passing of the story from one generation to the next.

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