Reviews - The Paris Apartment

253 reviews for:

Women. World War II. Paris. All of my things in one book. This story fell flat. The outcomes were very predictable. Maybe it’s because I have read so many books about women and World War II. I was however scared for Sophie and Estelle. So I was pulled in on some level.

jamheck's review against another edition

4.0

[audio] ww2 historical fiction! this one about an apartment in paris bequeathed to a young woman by her grandmother that, upon entering, she discovers has not been touched since the 1940s. the apartment is full of couture gowns and artwork and she is trying to figure out where they came from and what to do with it. the mystery unfolds over dual timelines and multiple perspectives.

jillmccracken's review against another edition

4.0

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen was such a beautiful and emotional read. As an historical fiction enthusiast, this novel set primarily in WWII Paris was right up my alley. The earlier chapters of the book, while a little difficult to follow due to the number of central characters, provided a great foundation to build this fascinating plot. As the stories began to interconnect, the dedication, strength and determination of these women was both riveting and poignant. Ms. Bowen’s writing style was easy to read and enjoyable. The Paris Aparment is not only a highly engaging story, but the character development was extremely well done. I really felt as though I knew these women and their motives for putting themselves in harm’s way. I appreciated the strong female protagonists, the fascinating storyline based on reality, and the satisfying conclusion. If you appreciate great historical fiction with strong female characters, you’ll enjoy this novel.

jaybee0615's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

majkaem's review against another edition

4.0

Táto kniha nám rozpovie 2 príbehy. Jeden je z prítomnosti, kde je hlavnou postavou Lia, ktorá zdedila byt v Paríži po svojej starej mame. Druhý príbeh je z rokov 1939-1943, teda z obdobia 2 sv. vojny. Autorke sa skvelo podarilo „prepínať“ medzi líniami. Prelýnanie mi vôbec neprekážalo a vedela som v ktorej časovej línií sa nachádzam.

Ako som už spomínala, Lia sa dostane k bytu, ktorý bol od roku 1943 neobývaný a patril jej starej mame Estelle. Lia sa do bytu poriadne pozrie a nájde znepokojivé informácie o živote jej starej mamy. Jej stará mama spolu aj so Sophie boli neuveriteľné odvážne a úžasné ženy, ktoré sa nebáli a bojovali proti nacistom. Povedala by som aj viac, ale myslím, že by som veľa vyspoilerovala. V tejto časti bolo dostatok napätia aj drámy.

Časová linka, ktorá sa odohráva v prítomnosti s Leiou bola o poznanie pozitívnejšie a čítala sa ľahšie. Taktiež tu bola silná romantická linka medzi ňou a Gabrielom. Gabriel bol odborník na umenie a Lia si ho najala, aby jej pomohol pozrieť sa bližšie na život jej starej mamy. Ale aby nám nebolo málo, autorka medzi postavami vytvorila vzťahy, ktoré sa nám ukážu až postupom času.

Jednotlivé kapitoly sa striedali nie len v rôznych časových líniách, ale aj z viacerých pohľadov, či už z pohľadu Lie, Estelle či Gabriela. Veľmi sa mi páčili autorkine poznámky na konci knihy, kde nám napísala, čo bolo reálne a skutočné a čo si už vymyslela.