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td3 's review for:
Paris Never Leaves You
by Ellen Feldman
I found the premise of this newest book by Ellen Feldman intriguing. Set in a Paris bookstore during WW ll, Charlotte finds herself drawn into a forbidden romance during the German occupation in France.
Charlotte, who lost her husband earlier during the war, captures the attention of a German officer who visits the bookstore. Charlotte is the mother to a young daughter, Vivi who is suffering from malnutrition due to the scarcity of food. The German officer notices this and begins to bring food for the child. Charlotte struggles with accepting his offerings, but eventually gives in due to her concern for the child.
As you can guess, the relationship escalate as the Allied forces move into France and Charlotte and the officer both find themselves on the wrong side of things. The couple resorts to drastic measures to save themselves as the war comes to an end.
Through a stroke of luck, Charlotte ends up in the United States, with a wonderful job and a safe place to live. The problem is that Charlotte cannot find happiness due to her struggle with guilt and the lie she has been living with since she came to the United States.
I liked the story and the portrait it portrayed of France during the war. As for Charlotte’s romantic relationships, I felt as if she never allowed herself to fully acknowledge her feelings due to the guilt she carried. The story got off to a slow start and ended a bit abruptly, but it seemed Charlotte had set herself on the right path going forward, so in that sense it was a satisfying ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.
Charlotte, who lost her husband earlier during the war, captures the attention of a German officer who visits the bookstore. Charlotte is the mother to a young daughter, Vivi who is suffering from malnutrition due to the scarcity of food. The German officer notices this and begins to bring food for the child. Charlotte struggles with accepting his offerings, but eventually gives in due to her concern for the child.
As you can guess, the relationship escalate as the Allied forces move into France and Charlotte and the officer both find themselves on the wrong side of things. The couple resorts to drastic measures to save themselves as the war comes to an end.
Through a stroke of luck, Charlotte ends up in the United States, with a wonderful job and a safe place to live. The problem is that Charlotte cannot find happiness due to her struggle with guilt and the lie she has been living with since she came to the United States.
I liked the story and the portrait it portrayed of France during the war. As for Charlotte’s romantic relationships, I felt as if she never allowed herself to fully acknowledge her feelings due to the guilt she carried. The story got off to a slow start and ended a bit abruptly, but it seemed Charlotte had set herself on the right path going forward, so in that sense it was a satisfying ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.