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shelleybaird's review against another edition
4.0
Once again Natasha Lester has shown how incredible research combined with amazing storytelling results in a novel that you can't put down. In The French Photographer, Lester has created lead characters you will fall in love with, cheer for and cry with.
This dual narrative set in WWII and the early 2000s, charts the journey of the novel's lead character Jessica May, a photojournalist as she covers the war for US Vogue. During this time, Jessica takes on the sexism that existed in both media and military establishments of the day with a dynamic force and determination. Lester acknowledges this character was inspired by American photographer and photojournalist Lee Miller, whose WWII stories included the liberation of Paris and the concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau. The novel does not shy away from including these events and this is when we get to experience some of Jessica's May soaring highs and crushing lows.
The second part of the narrative introduces us to art curator D'Arcy Hallworth and it is through D'Arcy that we learn about what happened to Jessica May after WWII. D'Arcy is a complex character herself but to say anything more would be to head straight into spoiler territory.
I throughly enjoyed The French Photographer and can't wait for Natasha Lester's next novel!
This dual narrative set in WWII and the early 2000s, charts the journey of the novel's lead character Jessica May, a photojournalist as she covers the war for US Vogue. During this time, Jessica takes on the sexism that existed in both media and military establishments of the day with a dynamic force and determination. Lester acknowledges this character was inspired by American photographer and photojournalist Lee Miller, whose WWII stories included the liberation of Paris and the concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau. The novel does not shy away from including these events and this is when we get to experience some of Jessica's May soaring highs and crushing lows.
The second part of the narrative introduces us to art curator D'Arcy Hallworth and it is through D'Arcy that we learn about what happened to Jessica May after WWII. D'Arcy is a complex character herself but to say anything more would be to head straight into spoiler territory.
I throughly enjoyed The French Photographer and can't wait for Natasha Lester's next novel!
stinkerbellen's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
books_with_tutusandsons's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 / 5*
I generally tend to stay away from ww2 stories cause they break my heart, but I've heard so many great things about this author that I wanted to give it a try. And I wasn't wrong to - it has everything I love - a little bit of glamour lifestyle, a great story, amazing characters and overall wonderful writing.
This is a story about female reporters and photographers in the ww2 Europe. It is based on true story and some true characters and that's what I cherish the most. That I get to learn about things I didn't get to learn in school (it was more important to know all the dates of the German occupation of every European country), especially the stories about the fights women had to fight to be seen equal and worthy just as any man during that specific time.
Reading stories like these reminds me of all the brave and strong women that had the guts to fight back and stand for their beliefs. It reminds me that we can never take for granted the life we get to live now, to have the kind of life they have fought for. But it also shows me that it's not over and that there is still a lot to strive for. Cause there is a long path ahead of us, and it is on to us to make the world a better and a safer place for our daughters and granddaughters.
I generally tend to stay away from ww2 stories cause they break my heart, but I've heard so many great things about this author that I wanted to give it a try. And I wasn't wrong to - it has everything I love - a little bit of glamour lifestyle, a great story, amazing characters and overall wonderful writing.
This is a story about female reporters and photographers in the ww2 Europe. It is based on true story and some true characters and that's what I cherish the most. That I get to learn about things I didn't get to learn in school (it was more important to know all the dates of the German occupation of every European country), especially the stories about the fights women had to fight to be seen equal and worthy just as any man during that specific time.
Reading stories like these reminds me of all the brave and strong women that had the guts to fight back and stand for their beliefs. It reminds me that we can never take for granted the life we get to live now, to have the kind of life they have fought for. But it also shows me that it's not over and that there is still a lot to strive for. Cause there is a long path ahead of us, and it is on to us to make the world a better and a safer place for our daughters and granddaughters.
lottathebookish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition
3.0
Another WW2 story with a dual to timeline. I really enjoyed the war story and the characters and I loved Jess. I was rooting for her all along so I was disappointed with the ending.
However, with all its faults, this book made me realise what a lot of misogyny there still was in the 1940s and also that there is no black and white in war but at least a hundred shades of grey.
However, with all its faults, this book made me realise what a lot of misogyny there still was in the 1940s and also that there is no black and white in war but at least a hundred shades of grey.
lrawlings's review against another edition
1.0
The story, with many twists and turns, was good. The characters were difficult to like at first, but I eventually came to love them. I experienced the same from Lester’s other book I read. The women are all very ambitious, unscrupulously so initially.
iwanttoreadallthebooks's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed The Paris Orphan by Natasha Lester, but not as much as I loved her previous book The Paris Seamstress. Compelling characters, two well-told storylines that fit seamlessly together in the end, and I loved the little references to The Paris Seamstress. However, I worry that if Lester continues to write similar books that she will be at risk of being formulaic, as The Paris Orphan and The Paris Seamstress seemed to follow the same pattern in terms of plot and going back and forth between two characters in two different time periods that end up connecting in the end. But overall, a well-crafted historical fiction novel and I definitely look forward to whatever Natasha Lester writes next.
4 stars.
4 stars.
atticusmammy's review against another edition
1.0
I just couldn’t get in to this book. I didn’t care about any of the characters and found it all quite boring.
_jamaicangirlreads85's review against another edition
5.0
Being a complete Natasha Lester fan, The Paris Orphan did not disappoint. All the feelings of an emotional roller coaster in one brilliantly written story. I absolutely loved this book!