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shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like I need a millennium to recover from this book, but then I’d never get a review out. Holy lord almighty this book hit me hard with emotions and feelings like no book has before. I am SERIOUSLY not kidding. This book was so well written, and the story takes you on one of those really enjoyable roller coasters that has A BUNCH of twists, turns and flips. I was not expecting a lot going into this - partially because of how I felt about Anne Rice’s The Mummy and Margaret George’s The Confessions of Young Nero. This book is heart wrenching like no other that I’ve read. I actually TEARED UP at the end.
annathebookish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
lacers526's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I was completely hooked. I really enjoyed Jess’ tenacity and strength throughout the novel, but also her vulnerability. Victorine (the titular orphan) was in the book less than I thought she would be, but she was cute when she was there. As most WWII stories are, this one is heartbreaking at times. There’s also love and hope and mystery. I would give the first half 3 stars, but the second half 5, so 4 it is!
I definitely recommend if you like WWII fiction and don’t mind a bit of a slow start.
kez91's review against another edition
5.0
I love Natasha's books because not only are they beautifully written and full of well rounded characters, but I also learn so much reading them! All the research that went into creating this story is evident in the little details, the locations, the descriptions of hotels and chateaux and photographs. The character of Jessica May is inspired by the life of Lee Miller, and some of the things that Jess (and in reality also Lee) has to endure in this book is astounding. The fact that appearing in a Kotex ad could be career-ending just speaks volumes of the way women were perceived and of the expectations placed on them in society. Throughout the French Photographer Jess struggles time and time again to be considered equal to the men performing the same jobs as her, and to rise above their perceptions of her as "just a model" and "just a woman". Her determination to be more than society expects is one of the things I loved most about Jessica.
I've read a fair few WW2 novels, but this one is unique for me in the way it is approached from the perspective of correspondents trying to report from the front line, and being censored and restricted in how honestly they can really portray the war. I think that this created such a huge divide between the realities of war and the way those people back home perceived it. The people that lived through the war, such as Jess in the book, had such a different outlook on the world as a result. The character of Amelia really illustrates this divide, as she has so little idea of the real dangers and atrocities when she arrives in Europe towards the end of the war- made up and in her stockings to find a handsome husband- and doesn't seem to really grasp what happened there.
As well as loving Jess and her determination and strength, I loved Dan. He was so kind and compassionate and caring, not only to Jess and to Victorine, but to his men, and he was all these things despite the things he had seen and done and experienced that could have hardened him. I also liked D'Arcy and Josh and the way they helped each other break down the walls they had each created and start to heal.
And the way all of these stories came together was beautiful and bittersweet and heartbreaking, and Natasha once again made me smile and sob and wish that everything could always work out even though I know it can't.
I was never a big reader of romance, but I picked up one of Natasha's books a few years ago and just loved it, as I have every book since. I love the historical settings, all the details that add so much to the story, the characters and the ways they are flawed and the ways they come together. Natasha is definitely a favourite author of mine, and I 100% recommend The French Photographer, and all of her other books.
I've read a fair few WW2 novels, but this one is unique for me in the way it is approached from the perspective of correspondents trying to report from the front line, and being censored and restricted in how honestly they can really portray the war. I think that this created such a huge divide between the realities of war and the way those people back home perceived it. The people that lived through the war, such as Jess in the book, had such a different outlook on the world as a result. The character of Amelia really illustrates this divide, as she has so little idea of the real dangers and atrocities when she arrives in Europe towards the end of the war- made up and in her stockings to find a handsome husband- and doesn't seem to really grasp what happened there.
As well as loving Jess and her determination and strength, I loved Dan. He was so kind and compassionate and caring, not only to Jess and to Victorine, but to his men, and he was all these things despite the things he had seen and done and experienced that could have hardened him. I also liked D'Arcy and Josh and the way they helped each other break down the walls they had each created and start to heal.
And the way all of these stories came together was beautiful and bittersweet and heartbreaking, and Natasha once again made me smile and sob and wish that everything could always work out even though I know it can't.
I was never a big reader of romance, but I picked up one of Natasha's books a few years ago and just loved it, as I have every book since. I love the historical settings, all the details that add so much to the story, the characters and the ways they are flawed and the ways they come together. Natasha is definitely a favourite author of mine, and I 100% recommend The French Photographer, and all of her other books.
jgully88's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kimlovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
3vannelsonrose's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I really liked the portions of the book that occurred in the historical setting, but the story from the modern setting was very disappointing. It felt like the modern story was supposed to be more character-driven, but I found those characters to be largely one-dimensional and annoying, largely as a result of how the narrator was written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Emotional abuse