When I saw that Kristen Harmel had a book out that I hadn’t read yet, I immediately put it on my waitlist. Finally, my turn came. The book is called The Paris Daughter.
I don’t always love reading books by my favorite authors. I always am apprehensive worrying that the author is going to throw out a dud and then my favorite author won’t be my favorite anymore. It’s funny, I don’t worry about that nearly as much with a new author. It’s silly I know.
The book is historical fiction and takes place during WWII and then fast-forwards about 20 years. Those of you who don’t like books that flip back and forth from one time period to another will be happy to know that this book doesn’t do that.
The story is about three women who come together because of a bookstore and their children. Each woman experiences the war in their own way yet converges together years later to try to heal and make things right.
Here is what Amazon has to say:
“Paris, 1939: Young mothers Elise and Juliette become fast friends the day they meet in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. Though there is a shadow of war creeping across Europe, neither woman suspects that their lives are about to irrevocably change.
When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she entrusts Juliette with the most precious thing in her life—her young daughter, playmate to Juliette’s own little girl. But nowhere is safe in war, not even a quiet little bookshop like Juliette’s Librairie des Rêves, and, when a bomb falls on their neighborhood, Juliette’s world is destroyed along with it.
More than a year later, with the war finally ending, Elise returns to reunite with her daughter, only to find her friend’s bookstore reduced to rubble—and Juliette nowhere to be found. What happened to her daughter in those last, terrible moments? Juliette has seemingly vanished without a trace, taking all the answers with her. Elise’s desperate search leads her to New York—and to Juliette—one final, fateful time.”
Amazon readers gave the book 4.6 stars. I’ll agree. It was a good book. If you’re looking for a summer read, this would be a good pick. I know some people don’t like WWII books because they are hard because of concentration camps. This one does not involve concentration camps in a graphic way. I do recommend it. You can find it HERE on Amazon.
Thanks .. I am always looking for a good read.
I just got through reading this book and really liked it. I would recommend this for a good summer read.
Thanks, Jo. I really enjoy your book reviews. I’ve always been an avid reader and this sounds like it might interest me. I’m reading Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen. It takes place at the beginning of WWII in London. I’m usually not much of a Rhys Bowen fan but this one is holding my interest so far.