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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Paris Never Leaves You is historical fiction and it takes place in dual timelines, in occupied France during WWII and about 10 years later in NYC. The main characters are Charlotte and her young daughter, Vivi. Charlotte is working at a bookshop in Paris, trying to survive the Nazi occupation alone with a baby to care for. Charlotte’s husband died on the frontlines. While working in the book shop, Charlotte encounters a young Nazi soldier, Julian. Charlotte hates that Julian keeps visiting the shop, yet he begins to help her by bringing some things for Vivi, who is malnourished.
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In the timeline a decade later, Charlotte is working for a publisher in NYC, raising a teenage Vivi who is experiencing anti-Semitism in school. This well-written, complex character-driven novel explores the psychological effects of war. Survivor’s guilt, fear of the past that bleeds over into the present. How far would you go to save your child’s life?
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The two timelines were a little bit hard to follow, but I'm not sure if this was the format of the galley or if it was just that I had trouble keeping them straight. But aside from that, Paris Never Leaves You is a lovely, unique, heartbreaking story. I want to thank St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy.
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In the timeline a decade later, Charlotte is working for a publisher in NYC, raising a teenage Vivi who is experiencing anti-Semitism in school. This well-written, complex character-driven novel explores the psychological effects of war. Survivor’s guilt, fear of the past that bleeds over into the present. How far would you go to save your child’s life?
.
The two timelines were a little bit hard to follow, but I'm not sure if this was the format of the galley or if it was just that I had trouble keeping them straight. But aside from that, Paris Never Leaves You is a lovely, unique, heartbreaking story. I want to thank St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is a quick reading page-turner filled with conflicted characters who are damaged survivors of WWII.
In occupied Paris, Charlotte runs her family's book shop. A war widow, she struggles to keep her baby daughter Vivi alive. A German army doctor visits the shop and takes an interest in her baby daughter, secreting in food and medicine. Charlotte reluctantly accepts his gifts and trust and friendship grow, putting them both at risk.
Years later, Charlotte's choices come back to haunt her in her new life in New York City where she works for a publishing house. Teenaged Vivi is pressing to know more about her father and heritage. Charlotte's boss, a paraplegic, knows that war destroyed the enlightened man he had been. Charlotte has been trashing the unopened letters from the German doctor.
I appreciated how Feldman incorporated less known WWII history, including the privations of occupied France and post-war retaliation against collaborators. Her handling of the character's moral struggles was of special interest to me. There are several strong romance stories that will appeal to readers of women's fiction.
Surviving the war brings guilt for having survived, their decisions and actions kept secret. Admitting their shameful truths brings healing and the possibility of a new life.
I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is a quick reading page-turner filled with conflicted characters who are damaged survivors of WWII.
In occupied Paris, Charlotte runs her family's book shop. A war widow, she struggles to keep her baby daughter Vivi alive. A German army doctor visits the shop and takes an interest in her baby daughter, secreting in food and medicine. Charlotte reluctantly accepts his gifts and trust and friendship grow, putting them both at risk.
Years later, Charlotte's choices come back to haunt her in her new life in New York City where she works for a publishing house. Teenaged Vivi is pressing to know more about her father and heritage. Charlotte's boss, a paraplegic, knows that war destroyed the enlightened man he had been. Charlotte has been trashing the unopened letters from the German doctor.
I appreciated how Feldman incorporated less known WWII history, including the privations of occupied France and post-war retaliation against collaborators. Her handling of the character's moral struggles was of special interest to me. There are several strong romance stories that will appeal to readers of women's fiction.
Surviving the war brings guilt for having survived, their decisions and actions kept secret. Admitting their shameful truths brings healing and the possibility of a new life.
I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Summary: After nearly four years of Nazi occupation, the people of Paris are emotionally drained and starving. The German soldiers in the city, sensing the end of their rule, are increasingly cruel to the French. Citizens are harassed, rounded up, shot or sent to the camps. The tension is so great that Parisians are turning on each other, making accusations and killing their fellow citizens for reasons based on nothing but rumor. The primary allegation against the victims of the mobs is collaboration.
In 1944, Charlotte Foret and her baby daughter, Vivi, are struggling to survive. They work in a bookshop owned by her friend, Simone. Charlotte’s husband was killed in the war. Charlotte, Vivi, Simone and her young daughter live on the money from the meager book sales and their special ration cards, but food is still in extremely short supply. They they are slowly starving to death.
A German soldier begins to quietly frequent the bookshop. He says he is a doctor and helps Vivi through an illness. After Simone is taken by the Germans, Charlotte reluctantly accepts the doctor’s small gifts of food and his friendship. It is the only way they can survive. In the definition of the mobs, she is a collaborator.
Many years later, teenage Vivi is searching for her identity. Charlotte, who has buried her past, comes face to face with her guilt for what she did to survive the war in Paris.
Comments: For me, the central theme of Paris Never Leaves You is guilt, both survivor’s guilt and Catholic guilt. I’ve been fortunate enough to never experience the former, but I sure know a lot about the latter. My mother was fiercely Catholic and sent me to Catholic School in the 60’s and 70’s for thirteen years (including Kindergarten).
I fully related to Charlotte’s inability to forgive herself and move on with her life. After the war, she became an emotional wraith, just passing through life without really living it. While physical present and functional, she lived in the past, unable to form attachments beyond her unduly protective relationship with her daughter, Vivi.
I’ve read several other women in WWII novels, but none quite like this one. Where most of them feature a heroine character drawn from real life, Paris Never Leaves You is about ordinary people just trying to survive in an extraordinary time.
Highly recommended for readers of Historical Fiction, General Fiction, Women’s Fiction and stories about World War II.
In 1944, Charlotte Foret and her baby daughter, Vivi, are struggling to survive. They work in a bookshop owned by her friend, Simone. Charlotte’s husband was killed in the war. Charlotte, Vivi, Simone and her young daughter live on the money from the meager book sales and their special ration cards, but food is still in extremely short supply. They they are slowly starving to death.
A German soldier begins to quietly frequent the bookshop. He says he is a doctor and helps Vivi through an illness. After Simone is taken by the Germans, Charlotte reluctantly accepts the doctor’s small gifts of food and his friendship. It is the only way they can survive. In the definition of the mobs, she is a collaborator.
Many years later, teenage Vivi is searching for her identity. Charlotte, who has buried her past, comes face to face with her guilt for what she did to survive the war in Paris.
Comments: For me, the central theme of Paris Never Leaves You is guilt, both survivor’s guilt and Catholic guilt. I’ve been fortunate enough to never experience the former, but I sure know a lot about the latter. My mother was fiercely Catholic and sent me to Catholic School in the 60’s and 70’s for thirteen years (including Kindergarten).
I fully related to Charlotte’s inability to forgive herself and move on with her life. After the war, she became an emotional wraith, just passing through life without really living it. While physical present and functional, she lived in the past, unable to form attachments beyond her unduly protective relationship with her daughter, Vivi.
I’ve read several other women in WWII novels, but none quite like this one. Where most of them feature a heroine character drawn from real life, Paris Never Leaves You is about ordinary people just trying to survive in an extraordinary time.
Highly recommended for readers of Historical Fiction, General Fiction, Women’s Fiction and stories about World War II.
I received this book as a giveaway. The book is trying to fit into the niche of women’s stories of WWII, the story line is new but the characters didn’t seem as well developed to me.
I received an ARE from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
It is a WWII perspective I have not read about before. It is set after the war with flashbacks to the war. It is about survivors guilt. Hard choices made during the chaos of war. Humanity during a war. It gave me some appreciation for occupied France. The story was easy to read and not gory with war fighting. It is about people and relationships. A good read.
It is a WWII perspective I have not read about before. It is set after the war with flashbacks to the war. It is about survivors guilt. Hard choices made during the chaos of war. Humanity during a war. It gave me some appreciation for occupied France. The story was easy to read and not gory with war fighting. It is about people and relationships. A good read.
I received this ARC for free from the publisher. This is my unbiased review.
Charlotte has escaped the horrors of WWII Europe and is building a home for her daughter Vivi and herself in New York City. She has a good job as an editor in a publishing house, her Vivi is in a good school, the future is promising. But Charlotte's dogged refusal to look at the past prevents her from truly embracing all that she has. Her half-answers and deft evasions when questioned frustrate Vivi and distract her friends. That is, until Horace, the one person who knows more about Charlotte's past than anyone else and about the secrets of war, enters her life.
Feldman takes the reader back and forth from 1950's NYC to 1940's Paris with ease and tells a WWII story that is new to most. Charlotte is no hero but she kept herself and her daughter safe in occupied Paris. She no villain either but she does deal with guilt. Yet, her story rings true and, as a reader, I rooted for her, I forgave her, I feel I understood her.
If you're suffering from WWII historical novel fatigue I understand. It's a genre that has had more than its fair share of focus these days. But, if you have space for just one more, then pick up "Paris Never Leaves You". I think you'll be happy you did.
Charlotte has escaped the horrors of WWII Europe and is building a home for her daughter Vivi and herself in New York City. She has a good job as an editor in a publishing house, her Vivi is in a good school, the future is promising. But Charlotte's dogged refusal to look at the past prevents her from truly embracing all that she has. Her half-answers and deft evasions when questioned frustrate Vivi and distract her friends. That is, until Horace, the one person who knows more about Charlotte's past than anyone else and about the secrets of war, enters her life.
Feldman takes the reader back and forth from 1950's NYC to 1940's Paris with ease and tells a WWII story that is new to most. Charlotte is no hero but she kept herself and her daughter safe in occupied Paris. She no villain either but she does deal with guilt. Yet, her story rings true and, as a reader, I rooted for her, I forgave her, I feel I understood her.
If you're suffering from WWII historical novel fatigue I understand. It's a genre that has had more than its fair share of focus these days. But, if you have space for just one more, then pick up "Paris Never Leaves You". I think you'll be happy you did.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I would give this 3.5 stars. At some points I had a hard time understanding the jump between past and present.
I did, however, enjoy Charlotte’s view and her story. I appreciated it more once I read some notes by the author.
I did, however, enjoy Charlotte’s view and her story. I appreciated it more once I read some notes by the author.