A review by dmtcer
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman

4.0

A few years back my book group got tired of reading books on World War 2 - it seems every time we turned around someone had a new book on the topic. I never really grew weary of them, and I found each one has a different point of view - Paris Never Leaves You is different from other World War 2 books I have read. Charlotte and her daughter have escaped Paris and resettled in New York City; the war has been over 10 years, and Charlotte's daughter Vivi is now a teenager. The story of what happened to Charlotte and Vivi during the years of Paris under the four years of Germany's occupation of the city is told in flashback segments from Charlotte's memories.

Charlotte is a very private reserved person, and her daughter is being brought up American and does not understand her mother's secretive nature. A series of events open Vivi's eyes, and Charlotte struggles with overcoming her past. We hear stories of Parisian citizens and their pride in resisting the Nazi influence, mixed in with the terror of being branded a Jew (Juif), a collaborator, or of even being too prominent in any walk of life. Charlotte shows that life did continue on, and sometimes help can come from unlikely sources. It was true for Charlotte and Vivi even during their escape to New York.

I really enjoyed this book - I hated for it to end,honestly. I would like to know more of the story and what happens to the characters in the next phase of life.