Book Summary

“Masterful. Magnificent. A passionate story of survival and a real page turner. This story will stay with me for a long time.” —Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey
Living through World War II working in a Paris bookstore with her young daughter, Vivi, and fighting for her life, Charlotte is no victim, she is a survivor. But can she survive the next chapter of her life?
Alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York publishing, Ellen Feldman’s Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary story of resilience, love, and impossible choices, exploring how survival never comes without a cost.

Review

Charlotte survived Paris during WWII. She worked in a bookstore to help support her and her daughter. Charlotte eventually leaves Paris to join a publishing company in NYC. But, Charlotte has secrets. Can she continue to keep these secrets about what she did to survive the war.

This story is told in two different timelines, the 1950s in New York and wartime Paris. And it should have been right up my alley! Sadly, the tale is very disconnected and really did not meld together well. It lacked flow and I had trouble relating to the characters. I eventually just lost interest. I did finish it. I just felt the story needed some more tweaking. And don’t get me started on the romance! I want to insert and eye roll here.

This novel does have some very good reviews. And it just might hit the spot for some people. I am very much a mood reader…so it definitely could be me.

But, this cover is fabulous!

Author Bio

ELLEN FELDMAN, a 2009 Guggenheim fellow, is the author of Terrible Virtue, The Unwitting, Next to Love, Scottsboro (shortlisted for the Orange Prize), The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank (translated into nine languages), and Lucy. Her novel Terrible Virtue was optioned by Black Bicycle for a feature film.

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