I was blown away by The Paris Seamstress. I read a lot of WWII, female perspective fiction. I enjoy learning about the challenges overcome, feel that reading historical fiction helps honour those that came before and teaches us what to do or not to do in the future. Usually in a WWII book you are prepared to be emotionally wrung out by the end or even in the first 10%. The Paris Seamstress is different. It's not any less impactful but it's a very different story from a different outlook on WWII other than the heart of Europe, the front-line fighting or a concentration camp like we are familiar with.

Setting
Our lead gal has been sent to New York, USA in order to be out of the way of the Nazi's invading and about to occupy Paris. Our Parisian lead gal is in her late teens/early twenties through the book. She is about to have to fight hard just to survive on the streets and in the fashion industry of New York. Luckily she has had an upbringing in the Paris fashion scene and can copy fashions (or create her own) that will help her generate income. But first she has to break out and be noticed in New York.
One of the great things about how Natasha Lester has set-up The Paris Seamstress is that it could be any time period, and any woman's story of breaking into any industry. There are specifics of course here in terms of gender, the war creating a lack of supplies, and also being an immigrant but these are the 'things to overcome' that could be easily modified. The core of this story is about fighting to be seen, heard and become an influence on society in some way. Don't be dissuaded if you aren't big into fashion. Clothing is not the heart of the story; overcoming odds and persevering is what this book is really about.

Characters
The most endearing part of this story is the characters. Not only is our lead gal genuine, tough but emotional, and hard-working; she is also passionate in so many ways. Be it in her romantic relationships, her work or her desire to be successful or her sorrow over the losses of the war.
There are other wonderful supporting or 'almost main' characters including her business partners: another young gal working as a model and a man she meets on the boat on the way to New York (who cuts the fabrics economically). There is also a charming (and rich) suitor but you'll have to read it to learn about this mysterious man. I can't tell you about most of the other wonderful people we encounter as there are too many spoiler opportunities! Just know all the characters are well fleshed out and endearing in their own ways.

The War Carries On
We do experience (from a far) Pearl Harbour and the introduction of the USA into WWII. Lester also takes us back to the streets of Paris during occupation for a time and all around New York experiencing classes from dirt poor to filthy rich. These varying view points give a well rounded out feel for what WWII was like for those not in the heat of the battle or occupation; but instead living in a bustling city like New York. Even our time in Paris during occupation is a little surreal and a bit jolly at moments (which Lester does on purpose to show a point). Eventually of course the war does taper off and we find out what happens to our leading characters; but don't be deceived the war is still a major factor and is what drives many of our character decisions.

The 'Present' Story
Did I make it sound like the whole book was set in WWII time? Yeah I wish.
My sole complaint about The Paris Seamstress is I could have lost ALL of the present day story with the granddaughter of our fashionista in New York and missed not a lick of her story. There is a mystery throughout the book that she keeps alive; but I really didn't care about it at all to be honest. It felt unnecessary and the 'reveal' was way more relevant to the impact it made on our WWII characters than it was to the present time ones. I just wanted to keep being along for the stories of our characters during WWII. Of course the mystery ties everything together but honestly without it this is still be an amazing five star book. It felt like an editor told Lester something like, these days people like the split perspective in time for historical novels so add that in. I'd have preferred more scenes with our leading lady encountering high society and snobbery in New York, or our model's exploitation concerns than read about the present day granddaughter at all.

Overall
If you want to read about a strong female lead in WWII I think you'll really enjoy this. There is a lot about fashion but I'm not a very picky fashion girl and didn't find it boring. Most of the fashion talk is about conserving and using cheaper fabric, creating clothes women want to wear (not have to wear) and other feminist style ideas. There is a romance, and it is bittersweet. I can't say much more than that. For sure this is a novel about staying strong, ensuring you believe in yourself and that life is not fair but we find a way to carry forward and be content (if not truly happy). It is more driven by our characters than the mystery itself. I adored this book and cannot wait to recommend it out to all historical fiction fans and even readers outside the genre boundaries. A good story about people creates a space where the genre becomes irrelevant and is instead just a great character driven read.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This book started out as a page turner. I loved the parallel, intersecting narratives in different time periods told from several characters viewpoints. But the book went on too long and became too predictable and melodramatic. Several hundred pages in I had to abandon it. That said, our patrons were interested in it, so my public library did order a copy.

I constantly find myself saying that any book related or set in Paris is bound to draw me in, and that is completely true. But I’m also very interested in books set during the war. This book seemed to have it all, and it delivered.
In The Paris Seamstress, we can find a story about the war, about fashion and a story about family and about love.
I found every chapter to be interesting; the characters were complex and brought something to the story (I loved Will!). The story itself was very intriguing and with the POV of our two main characters, you start to put the pieces of the story together. The pace was great, easy to follow and fast to read, I often found myself reading way more than what I’d said I would read.
I loved reading about fashion, and while the Paris part is not as big as I’d like, I loved reading about how Estella joins Paris fashion with NY’s. I liked Fabienne’s story as well, and as I said, I loved Will, and Liss.
The book also broke my heart a little, in several moments but the ending was what I expected to be.
Natasha Lester certainly did a great job by writing this book and without a doubt I’ll read more of her books.

The loss, love, and war in this story has wrecked me. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and perhaps one of the best books I’ve ever read.

It is partly based on real life events and people. It’s set in New York and Paris, France, and so now Paris is at the top of my “places to visit” list.

Estella and Alex’s characters are impossible to forget. They come alive on the page and are people you wish were real, not fiction. The loss and love they share is hauntingly beautiful as is lingeringly painful.

Fabienne and Will are nice secondary characters who help close the loops. It’s as though Estella’s and Alex’s love reincarnates in a better and improved version of them and the times.

I love, love, love this book so much. It’s one of those I want to tell everyone who will listen to stop what they’re doing and read this now.

What a phenomenal and luring page turner. I knew this novel would be a wonderful journey, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. A secret on top of a secret on top of a secret! Wow, I was turning pages so fast - I thought it would catch fire!

One fatal night, innocent but courageous Estella finds herself in a dark alley where she stumbles upon her dying family friend and employee, who uses his last breathe to instruct Estella to deliver the documents to a British spy in order to save their beloved Paris from German attack. Estella follows the orders, and at the same time places herself in a big danger. Hours after her encounter with Alex, Estella is being placed on the train that whisks her away to the boat that eventually takes her to a new life in the city of all immigrants – New York. Estella expected many things and changes to happen to her once she arrived in New York, but she never expected to run into her very own identical twin. Intrigued yet?

The book goes back and forth between Estella (past) and Fabianne’s (present) stories. The very main character that holds all the cards together (until the last chapter) is Estella. The main story of the novel originally starts with an incident that takes place during the early 1900s that cause an initial chain reaction of secrets that will last over 100 years.

Thank you, NetGalley, Natasha Lester and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a free copy of this amazing book!

I would have loved to talked with Natasha about this book!! I loved it. I usually love historical fiction - but this one I knew was going to be special. It did not disappoint. Her research was incredible!! I loved the different timelines and felt like she did a fantastic job in keeping the story flowing smoothly.

I was excited to dive into The Paris Seamstress based on the synopsis and the great reviews I had read. I am usually a strict romance reader, but every once in a while I like to step out of my comfort zone. A sweeping historical fiction novel following two strong women, one a French seamstress living in the 1940s and the other an Australian curator, residing in 2015 sounded like the perfect book for me.

The beginning of this book grabbed me from the start. I loved learning about the 1930s and 40s fashion and the beautiful prose Lester used had me rooting for the spunky Estella right from the beginning. I was wholly invested in Estella's historical story and Fabienne's modern day life.

Around 40% in, the book started to get a little weird for me. I knew there would be twists and turns to the story, but frankly, Estella's love story skeeved me out a little bit. I also don't think the story really needed Estella's love interest's perspective. The majority of the book is told from Estella and Fabienne's point of view but a few times, the reader sees the world through the hero's eyes, and it is a little jarring. 

The high action scenes in the middle and at the end of the book were confusing and abrupt. I had to reread those scenes a few times to understand what happened. The villain of the story was pure evil, but unfortunately, his storyline with Estella finished with a whimper instead of the bang I was hoping for.

Fabienne is not nearly as large a part of the story as Estella, and frankly, I found her story harder to believe than even Estella's crazy tale. This book was trying to do a little too much, and parts of the story suffered under the weight of all the details.

Overall, I loved the first 40%, but I had to force myself to finish the last 60% of the book. Natasha Lester is clearly a gifted writer, and I would be willing to try another one of her books, but this one missed the mark. I wasn't really invested in Estella and her lover by the end. I liked Fabienne even if she lived in a crazy fairytale world of fashion and diamonds. Also, Sam deserved better!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

I love historical fiction, and I enjoyed this book. It moves between two time periods, WWII Paris and contemporary New York.

Estella escapes Nazi Europe and opens a fashion line with the help of friends. Years later, her granddaughter inherits the business but doesn't know the story of what happened with her grandmother and how the business actually started.

Great characters and an interesting plot make this a worthy addition to the WWII historical fiction list.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. It is the story about a young woman Estella Bissette, who is forced to flee France during the German Occupation of France During the war years. She arrived in New York with a dress. a few francs and the determination to take what life has given her, a chance to make a mark on the fashion industry with her clothes.

This book tells the story of her granddaughter also in the late 20th century and how she was determined to keep up the company her grandmother had started all those years ago.

This book was ripe with characters that were all a part of this journey and what they brought to the story is so good. Estella never did see her mom again, however the love of her life Alex Montrose did. There was so much more to this story but I do not want to spoil it for anyone so I just will say that while all of these characters struggled, some to do the right thing, or others to try to love with all their being, the book is the best I have read about this era in World history.

The descriptions of everything made me feel like I was there, and I could actually feel the love, the heartbreak, the struggles, the things the war caused so many millions of people their deaths, but knowing that it is better to love fiercely and to never let go.

I gave this book 5 stars and want to thank Natasha Lester for a great book.

This is a dual time line historical fiction. The author has done extensive research that blends well into the story lines. There is a little mystery, some espionage during WWII, and a lot of friendship and love.

One time line is centered on Paris when Estelle is forced to leave before the Nazis take over Paris. Her mother tells her that she is part American and she has the paperwork so her daughter can leave on the last ship taking Americans out of Europe. She is confused at her mother's confession but uses her sewing skills to start a new life in America. She leaves Paris with nothing but a showing machine and a dream to design clothes in America. The second time line takes place in modern times in Australia and NYC. Fabienne is the granddaughter of Estelle and is starting a new job in Australia when she goes back to NYC to see her grandmother. She has uncovered some information in her father's papers and has questions for hr grandmother about family history. As Estelle explains her past, the reader gets taken back in history with them to both NYC and Paris.


This is a lovely story about the love between a grandmother and granddaughter. It's about love and family and how you can face the future by learning more about the past.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall: 5 Narration: 4 Story: 5

The Paris Seamstress

Told from two points of view three-quarters of a century apart, this book mixes historic fiction with discoveries of long-held family secrets, the influence of family, experience and questions resonate through the pages. Estella has only ever known her mother’s love, raised in Paris and spending her time learning fashion, construction and the joys of being young and carefree in Paris. Until the German occupation, and her realization that the Paris she once knew is changing for the worse, pitting neighbor and friend against one another, closing shops and putting everyone on edge. When she follows her mother on one of her much-extended forays into the night, she is quickly thrown into a world she didn’t know existed: the resistance operatives, a devastatingly handsome man, a dead friend and her ‘American’ papers. Placed on one of the last ‘evacuation’ ships out of France that will carry American ex-pats out of the Nazi dangers, she’s not sure if or when she’ll ever see her mother again, or get answers to the many questions she now has.

Fabienne is reeling from the death of her father, and visiting her ill grandmother, Estella, before heading back to Australia to start her new position as fashion curator for a museum. This journey, like so many others, has her grandmother working to convince her to take over Stella Designs, the fashion house started in the 1940’s in New York, bringing a whole new ‘view’ of fashionable to the American public. Doubting her own talent, and still unsettled by both her father’s death and her own relationship ending, she’s convinced that running Stella Designs is not for her. Until a series of questions pop up: stories that her grandmother could relay and share, until she suffers a fatal stroke. Left with a box that contains some letters, a book as well as her grandmother’s extensive property holdings, including a house in Paris, the business and more questions.

There is not really a way to describe the compelling nature of these stories and characters: from the descriptions and atmosphere that come alive in Paris of the day: from the changes to the near-desperate grasping to moments that will allow the horrors of the occupation and war to diminish, if only for a moment. To Estella’s startling discovery of her own father and creation story, her mother’s work as an operative for the Resistance and her determination that Estella should leave the only city she’d ever known to have a chance at her dreams and a good life. From discovering Lena and the juggle between attraction and self-preservation where Alex is concerned, the horror at the past her mother endured and her own struggles as a new entrant into the New York fashion world, one that believes Parisian fashion, even the outdated, copied and badly reproduced styles are the only way. To Fabienne as she unravels the stories of her Grandmother’s past while trying to find her own road to travel. A chance encounter in Paris with Will and his sister Melissa that will bring her a world of hurt and hope, understanding the three witches on her grandmother’s pendant, finding her design chops along with her own courage to move forward and take on her dreams, in the fashion world and in love. Each moment of self-doubt, fear, struggle and even the determination to move on and forward as both Estella and Fabienne grow and build worlds that invite us in to experience and enjoy them – tastes, smells, colors and textures all combine in ways that are unique and palpable – each new revelation adds another layer of understanding of choices, challenges and above all, demanding attention as the story takes you in directions unexpected.

Narration for this story is provided by Penelope Rawlins and she managed to take the multiple characters and bring out their ‘moments’: Estella’s determination and enjoyment of the simple moments, her core of steel when challenged, the joy and sadness as the moments come to her, present and easy to visualize each moment and phase, feeling that survivor deep within. For Fabienne, the tone was decidedly less mature, yet when pressed the influence and strength learned from Estella are clear and palpable. Seamless transitions from accents, enunciation and switching between the multitude of secondary characters to our main women, the performance was exceptional in a story that held so many twists and moments that were connected with a near-palpable thread, never losing the moments where present honors past or vice versa. I can’t decide which version was my favorite – having both read and listened to the story, but if you want a story that will take you away - this is it.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio as well as an eArc from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9RD /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Paris - 1940

Estella Bissette, age 22, is a seamstress working in Paris. She lives with her mother, Jeanne, who is also a seamstress. They work in an atelier with other women. For the most part, they make fabric flowers that are sold to couture houses to add to the dresses they create.

While refugees from France, Belgium. and the Netherlands are fleeing the threat of the German army and passing through Paris, mother and daughter have decided to stay where they are. Here they have jobs and a place to live. Some of the couturiers are still making lavish clothes.

Jeanne told Estella that her father died shortly after she married him and left her pregnant. With the war looming, Jeanne wants Estella to sail to New York. She produces papers saying her father was an American and she has U.S. citizenship. She insists that Jeanne take her mother’s sewing machine and sewing box with her to continue with her craft.

On the ship, Estella meets an American named Sam. His parents are medical people with the Red Cross and returning to the U.S. A medical student himself, Sam prefers dressmaking and is impressed with Estella’s work.

In New York, Estella looks for work in the Manhattan Garment District. After several jobs and after meeting new friends, she decides to form her own company and calls it Stella Designs.

2015 - New York

Fabienne, age 29, is the granddaughter of Estella, now age 97, whose son was Xander Bissette and who died at age 74 of a stroke. Fabienne lives in Australia and is soon to start the job of her dreams. She has enjoyed being with her grandmother and has met a man in Paris that she really likes. But he works in New York and she works in Australia. Will there be a way they can be together?

This story switches back and forth in time from when Estella was a girl to the older woman she is today. The book starts out well and I thought for sure Estella would be a young, ambitious woman who would work hard in New York to perfect her craft. I found I did not care for her character. She wants overnight success and acts as though she knows as much as current dressmakers twice her age. From there, readers are taken through so many plots and sub-plots that I felt my head spinning as I tried to keep up with who was who. I just did not like how much the author tried to cram into one book. It was overdone and I was very disappointed.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book. It is so very well written and I have to say that I was sucked into the story right away.

I ended up going to sleep way past my regular bedtime reading this book and was so tired the next day but it was so worth it.

I do highly recommend this book.

Book Review: The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester

I have been on a historical fiction kinda kick lately. I have read The Nightingale and started The Alice Network. When I heard The Paris Seamstress was going to be out this fall I knew I needed to read.

This book follows two timeline- present day and 1940s (WW2) in Paris and New York. It follows Estella Bissette as she flees France in the midst of the war to NY. Estella worked in a coutiere in France and has a dream to start her fashion line. This story follows as Estella builds her dream.

There is a mystery about a twin sister, World War II spy, and a baby. This story kept me engaged.

I think the one complaint is how the story unravel in present day. I felt it was unnecessary storyline. I understood that it was about the legacy that Estella leftover but it just felt forced.

My feels: If you enjoy historical fiction this is a great book to pick up. I love how it incorporated the world of American and Parisian fashion along the backdrop of war.

I give this book 4 stars.

I will publish this review on What to Read Next Blog on September 26, 2018.

The Paris Seamstress follows Jeanne Bissette and her daughter Estella as they work in an atelier - a dressmaker's workshop - in Paris in June 1940 and Estella alone as she makes her way to New York (her father, a casualty in WWI, was an American citizen, giving her dual citizenship which her French mother does not share) as the German's close in on Paris. Fabienne takes over the tale in New York from May 2015. There were times I found this particular back-and-forth a bit confusing, but this story is really special.

We see Europe in the depths of WWII, the problems in free Paris and depravations in occupied France. We see New York City as it gears up for war, and the fashion industry as the war affects it, as well. And we see the concerted efforts of the British, American and French underground as they do their all to help the Allies win the war.

Natasha Lester wraps this story around and through events of the times, actual personalities in both Paris and NYC and keeps the story tight and the personalities warm. This was a novel I can happily recommend to friends and family.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Natasha Lester, and Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

The Paris Seamstress is a wonderfully evocative novel about Estella, a seamstress and aspiring fashion designer in 1940s New York, and her granddaughter Fabienne in the present-day. A love for clothing and designs that women actually want to wear connects both women, and Lester does a masterful job in immersing us in Estella's world.

I loved Estella's story. I felt for how she had to give up her beloved mother and the life they shared in Paris, to save herself from the Germans and build a new life in New York. I love how realistic her work life felt, with her strong desire to create original, forward-thinking fashion, yet being constrained by her boss's directive to simply copy fashions from Paris that are several seasons old and just making their way to America.

Most of all, I loved the romance she had with Alex, a British spy undercover as an American lawyer, and the complications that arise when she realizes Alex is dating a woman who disconcertingly looks exactly like Estella. I love how it forces Estella to come to terms with some uncomfortable truths about her mother's past, and how these end up impacting Estella's present life and future career. The historical background is ever-present, as Alex has to involve Estella in an important mission, and Estella then has to learn that her own personal concerns pale in comparison to the greater good of fighting against the Nazis. 

The complications that keep Estella and Alex from their happily ever after become frustrating after a while, but it's also a testament to the strength of Lester's characters that I wanted so badly for the couple to just get together already. The twists and turns do become soap operatic after a while, but in a deliciously exciting way, and I loved seeing the family secrets unfold and spill over into Estella's reality.

Fabienne's half of the story, told in intersecting chapters throughout, is somewhat less compelling to me, though it may just be because the world she inhabits is a lot more familiar than the one Estella lives in. Fabienne is a fashion curator who is too intimidated by her grandmother's legacy to pursue her own interest in fashion design. She meets a handsome stranger at the Met Gala celebrating a retrospective of Estella's work, and the rest of her story is about gathering up the courage to pursue her heart both in romance and in her career. She also ends up discovering a mystery about her family's past, and her untangling of this parallels Estella's own investigation in the past.

The Paris Seamstress is a lush and evocative story, and it's an absolute pleasure to lose oneself in during a quiet weekend. I absolutely loved all the talk about fashion, and all the glitzy glittery glamour of the worlds Lester describes. And I loved the romances and the way both women and their men had to learn to be courageous in the pursuit of their own happiness.

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Thank you to Forever Romance for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog on Sept 24, 8 am ET.

The Paris Seamstress from Natasha Lester. I would give this book more than 5 stars if possible. I don't think I have used this many tissues reading a book since The Nightingale. This is dual timeline novel. I enjoyed both timelines very much.

"For readers of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale comes a World War II novel that spans generations, crosses oceans, and proves just how much two young women are willing to sacrifice for love and family." 1940: As the Germans advance upon Paris, young seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee everything she's ever known. She's bound for New York City with her signature gold dress, a few francs, and a dream: to make her mark on the world of fashion.

Present day: Fabienne Bissette journeys to the Met's annual gala for an exhibit featuring the work of her ailing grandmother - a legend of women's fashion design. But as Fabienne begins to learn more about her beloved grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and family secrets that will dramatically change her own life.

The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester. If you love historical fiction you will love this novel by Natasha Lester. I read this book through Netgalley. I found fascinating the history and descriptions of the clothing.

Such a beautifully, moving story. I absolutely fell right into the story and didn't want to put it down. I had literal tears multiple times...I was truly invested in these characters. If you are a Historical Fiction fan, add this one to your list!

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It was a fun read but nothing I would rave about. I love novels set in World War II and this was not an exception there. I also love the alternating perspectives of Estella and her granddaughter Fabienne. That’s where the love stops. There were times where I found myself skimming through to get to something more interesting and I especially disliked the drawn out love scenes. They just felt out of place in this and maybe that was the point but I could have done without it. There are also so many convoluted character arcs that at times I was confused about what was happening.

That’s really all I have to say. Rather indifferent on this one...