Scan barcode
A review by barbaraf
The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman
3.0
So I am giving this 3 stars - 4 for the last 100 pages or so because I liked the ending and 2 for the first 2/3 of the book which was a bit too schmoopie for me. Some readers (who really like romantic sensually charged writing) would really enjoy the first part but I prefer more mystery and drama to keep my attention. The book is set in alternating times - the late 1890's and start of WWII.
Marthe de Florian is a Parisian courtesan during the turn of the century or Belle Époque (beautiful years) leading up to WWI. It was France's golden age, a time of economic prosperity and innovation as well as artistic freedom and creative thought (the infamous Paris salon era). Marthe escapes the poverty of her childhood due to her ravenous beauty and sexual prowess. She becomes a kept woman for an extremely wealthy married aristocrat, Charles. He supports her love of everything beautiful and leaves her set for life. Her greatest regret is the son Henri she gave up for adoption as a teenager. She is reunited with him later on after his adoptive parents pass away.
Fast forward to 1939 and we meet Solange Beaugiron, Marthe's granddaughter who is introduced to Marthe through the now widowed Henri. The two become close with Solange using her grandmother's intimate story as a basis for a novel (kinda weird telling your dalliances to your grandaughter). Solange also discovers her deceased mother was Jewish and left her some priceless Hebrew manuscripts that she takes to a bookseller in Paris's Jewish Quarter. There she meets Alex the owner's son and they fall in love. France is now on the verge of German occupation and chaos ensues as they all try to desperately escape.
The basis for the novel is a fascinating story in itself:
Inside the Paris apartment untouched for 70 years: Treasure trove finally revealed after owner locked up and fled at outbreak of WWII | Daily Mail Online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323297/Inside-Paris-apartment-untouched-70-years-Treasure-trove-finally-revealed-owner-locked-fled-outbreak-WWII.html
I would have loved it if the author had told us more about Martha's dreadful childhood and loss of her sister and less detail about her amorous interludes with Charles. There was too much reference to her body, breasts and 'rouged' nipples for my taste. I think there was more to Martha's story than that. The ending was well done though and I sailed through the last part when the fear of Nazi invasion became a reality, Paris was under constant siege and the citizens (especially the Jews) had to abandon everyone and everything they loved to survive.
Marthe de Florian is a Parisian courtesan during the turn of the century or Belle Époque (beautiful years) leading up to WWI. It was France's golden age, a time of economic prosperity and innovation as well as artistic freedom and creative thought (the infamous Paris salon era). Marthe escapes the poverty of her childhood due to her ravenous beauty and sexual prowess. She becomes a kept woman for an extremely wealthy married aristocrat, Charles. He supports her love of everything beautiful and leaves her set for life. Her greatest regret is the son Henri she gave up for adoption as a teenager. She is reunited with him later on after his adoptive parents pass away.
Fast forward to 1939 and we meet Solange Beaugiron, Marthe's granddaughter who is introduced to Marthe through the now widowed Henri. The two become close with Solange using her grandmother's intimate story as a basis for a novel (kinda weird telling your dalliances to your grandaughter). Solange also discovers her deceased mother was Jewish and left her some priceless Hebrew manuscripts that she takes to a bookseller in Paris's Jewish Quarter. There she meets Alex the owner's son and they fall in love. France is now on the verge of German occupation and chaos ensues as they all try to desperately escape.
The basis for the novel is a fascinating story in itself:
Inside the Paris apartment untouched for 70 years: Treasure trove finally revealed after owner locked up and fled at outbreak of WWII | Daily Mail Online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323297/Inside-Paris-apartment-untouched-70-years-Treasure-trove-finally-revealed-owner-locked-fled-outbreak-WWII.html
I would have loved it if the author had told us more about Martha's dreadful childhood and loss of her sister and less detail about her amorous interludes with Charles. There was too much reference to her body, breasts and 'rouged' nipples for my taste. I think there was more to Martha's story than that. The ending was well done though and I sailed through the last part when the fear of Nazi invasion became a reality, Paris was under constant siege and the citizens (especially the Jews) had to abandon everyone and everything they loved to survive.