A very well written and researched novel about a brave group of women spies from WW II, told from different perspectives. Pam Jenoff is a fabulous author of historical fiction. The story not only shows their vulnerabilities but also their strengths. A very engaging story. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy..

What a wonderful read this book was. Already a fan of Pam Jenoff's, this book was what everyone expects from her - beautifully written and engaging World War 2 women's fiction. And also as usual, it was meticulously researched and evoked a visual of that era of France and England that I thought would be hard to put more detail into. I absolutely adored the dual story of Grace finding out about Eleanor's involvement in the intelligence area and Marie's story of evading capture by the Germans. This is unlike my usual fare in that it isn't focused on the plight of those in the concentration camps but about the stories of those fighting back from the underground and from the resistance.
Absolutely wonderful. A+. Pick it up!

The Lost Girls of Paris is a poignant tale of friendship, sisterhood and sacrifice, where love and hope are found in times of despair and tragedy. Narrating from 3 different POVs - Grace Healey in 1946 New York; Eleanor and Marie in 1943 - 1944 England and Paris - this story takes place during and shortly after WWII.

1946: One day passing through the Grand Central Station on her way to work, Grace finds a brown suitcase underneath a bench. Curiosity gets the better of her and she opens the suitcase. There are a stack of photographs - each of a different woman. Soon after, Grace learns that the suitcase once belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg who was killed in an accident earlier that morning. This piques her curiosity to investigate further about these women in the photographs. She discovers that they were spies deployed to Occupied Europe for covert operations, under the Special Operations Executive (SOE) organisation founded and headed by Eleanor Trigg. However, 12 of these women vanished without news. Grace determines to seek the truth, hoping to give these women & their families the closure they need to move on.

This historical fiction which is inspired by true events is a well-researched, well-written and well-paced read. I enjoyed my first book by Pam Jenoff immensely! The plot is solid and focused from beginning to the end. There was a little elements of romance, but just enough to add more "flavour" to the story. As always, I have a soft spot for fiction inspired by true events, as they are both entertaining and educational at the same time. I did not know about SOE until I read this book. What an eye-opener! These are brave women - mothers and daughters - risking their lives in a cause they believe would end the war.

I got all teary-eyed reading this book. Jenoff's evocative writing is remarkable! She writes mellifluously, eloquently and I enjoyed every pages of the book. My only complain is that it ended too soon! Yes, that is how much I enjoyed her writing! All the three main characters - Eleanor, Marie and Grace - are endearing. I enjoyed their backstories and there are depths and dimensions in them. Supporting characters are pretty well-developed too. I love how all these characters played a balance role in the story. They complement one another.

The Lost Girls of Paris is must read historical fiction! It has the perfect balance of plot and characters, engaging writing and the intriguing mystery in it will not disappoint! This is one remarkable tale of strength, courage and faith that will touch your heart and leave you teary-eyed.


***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Hanover Square Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

This is a great historical fiction novel set in the later days of WWII in Europe as well as 1946 New York City. Reminiscent of The Alice Network, it fictionalizes the tale of a group of incredibly brave woman who were dropped in France to work for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) in order to sabotage the German army. I will be recommending it to friends and customers alike.

This book tells an incredible story of a group of women who are instrumental in the resistance movement during WWII.

The story goes back and forth between 1944 and 1946. The main character in the 1946 story, Grace, find photos in a suitcase in Grand Central Station and works tirelessly to identify the women in the pictures.

These pictures lead us to Eleanor Trigg, the leader of the secret female agents that were deployed to France as radio operators. Eleanor recruits Marie, the main character in the 1944 story, who grows from a shy, meek woman into a strong, dedicated woman who gives her all to the resistance.

The characters in this book are well developed and unforgettable. I highly recommend this book as it is well written and hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

I was very fortunate to receive an advance readers copy of this book from Hanover Square Press and #NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I was very excited when I saw that this book was available for review. First of all I have read and enjoyed other books that Pam Jenoff has written and so was pretty sure off the bat that I would enjoy this one. Secondly, the theme of the book was a focus on the women who served undercover during the second World War and this has always been a subject that fascinated me. As I was reading an advance copy, it did not include any notes from the author as to where she did her research and I look forward to finding out when it actually is available in print. I grew up reading books about the second World War. My father had a whole bookcase filled with mostly first person accounts of wartime experiences many written shortly after the war. included among them were Moondrop from Gascony (Anne-Marie Walters), Born for Sacrifice - The True Story of 'Madeleine' Heroic British Secret Agent In Paris (Noor Inayat Khan) by Jean Overton Fuller and Carve Her Name With Pride - The Story of Violette Szabo G.C. by R.J. Minney. These books are still a part of my collection and as I was reading Pam Jenoff's fictional account of one woman's search to find out more about the women who served overseas, these were the books that came to mind for me.

The Lost Girls of Paris actually begins in New York in 1946 not all that long after the war has ended and while the effects of the war still carry a heavy emotional burden especially for those like Grace Healey who lost her husband shortly before his expected embarkation and how has been dealing with survivor's guilt ever since. Through a curious set of circumstances Grace finds herself in the possession of pictures of a number of unknown (to her) young women. She learns that the owner of the pictures was killed in a car/pedestrian accident and determines that she will do her level best to discover who these pictures should be returned to and what significance they might have. Her search for answers is one of the major threads in the book.

Another character we meet in this story is Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Eleanor was not British born but came to England and was involved in war work that drew her to the attention of those in power. They recognized her abilities and instincts and placed her in charge of a program to train young women to go undercover in Nazi-occupied Europe in the hopes that they would be less easy to be identified as spies by the Germans.

The third important female character that we meet is a young single mother struggling to support her child who she sees only on week-ends. She is approached with the idea that she, as someone who speaks French like a native, could be a valuable asset to her country. The reader experiences her training as she struggles and overcomes all the challenges that are placed in her way. As "Marie" she bonds with the other girls she trains with and learns how to be an effective radio communicator. Her picture is one of the twelve that Grace Healey has found and what happened to her while in France is one of the stories that the reader will discover.

I was immediately drawn into this story and had great trouble putting it down. It felt real and I could only imagine what it must have been like for each of these three women. Grace has been working with refugees, and their stories although peripheral to the main story still pulled at my heart and made me feel for those refugees of our own era who also in many cases have little choice but to leave if they want to be safe. Eleanor bears a burden of knowing that she is sending women out to possibly meet their death and takes that responsibility very seriously. This makes her seem cold at times but she pushes her girls so that they will learn how to protect themselves and when the war ends and with it her job she does not give up in her care for them. Marie heads into France and does her very best. She falls in love with one of the men who helped train her but eventually is captured in large part because of her love for him. As a reader I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to her.

Most people when they think of war and wartime service think of men. This book will let many readers learn that women too had an important role to play and that they served with courage, stamina and strength. For those who want romance, you will find elements of it here. For those who want mystery, it is there in plenty. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in wartime history and look forward to seeing it in print with a word from the author.
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Pam Jenoff has done it again, with a heart stopping, emotional novel alternating between NYC in 1946 and England and France in 1944. I could not put the book down, reading about Marie Roux, recruited and trained by Eleanor Trigg to be one of the few women used during the war to transmit information. Marie meets Julian, the leader of the Vesper group in France, as she risks her life for the war effort. Meanwhile, Grace is in postwar NY, where she finds a suitcase in Grand Central that contains photos of twelve girls. The story weaves in and out as Marie, Julian, Eleanor and Grace leave their mark. I loved this one and highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a great book! I genuinely enjoyed all the characters and their stories. I certainly didn't feel that there was any "down-time", the plot moved along without periods on inactivity. WWII isn't my typical historical fiction time period, but I heard great things about the author, and I'll definitely be picking up more of her books!

Love Pam Jenoff and her stories. This one was a great historical fiction with intriguing characters and a terrific setting. Wasn't sure I totally bought into the urgent desire of the protagonist to solve the mystery. However, I am a fan and will keep reading Jenoff's books.

Pam Jenoff.’s new book #TheLostGirlsOfParis, will not disappoint her fans. Her clear and concise writing style captures the reader and holds his attention throughout the entire novel. The idea of a female spy network during world war two opens up an avenue of speculation. This novel approach to the many World War II books available sets it apart from the others. Although the writing occasionally feels like it’s targeting a young adult audience in the romance angle, she manages to hold your attention. At times, because of this romance angle, it seems to lose the focus of a truly believable story.

“The Lost Girls of Paris” takes place during and shortly after World War II and is set in New York and Paris during a very difficult time in history. This story is a fact-filled and fast-paced tale of espionage, the struggle for women’s rights, and the bravery of men and women told against the backdrop of a horrific war. Yes, there are some love interests in the story, but they take a backseat to the struggles for freedom and are not the main focus of the story at all. This is a well written book for the most part and engaging throughout the beginning and middle, but the ending was a bit tangled and rushed, in my opinion, and not as clear as the rest of the book. It left me somewhat disappointed and subtracted a star from the four stars I would have rated it had I stopped halfway through. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

REVIEW
This is a story about three brave women - set against various timescapes, both during WWII and after the war. It's an exploration of female secret agents, and it is fascinating.

PRAISE
"Pam Jenoff deftly brings to life the history of ordinary women who left behind their home front lives to do the extraordinary—act as secret operatives in occupied territory. Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war."

—Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

"Pam Jenoff's meticulous research and gorgeous historical world-building lift her books to must-buy status. Her latest interweaves the gritty World War II exploits of England's female spies with the post-war struggle of damaged survivors trying to build new lives in the fallout of tragedy. An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!"

—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK

AUTHOR
Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels of historical fiction, including the New York Times bestseller The Orphan's Tale. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. Jenoff’s novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Eleanor is put in charge of a women's division of spies during World War Two. Marie is recruited to be one of those spies. Three years later, Grace finds a suitcase with photographs of women. What is the truth behind what happened to those girl's in Paris?

This was an extremely intriguing and well-written book. Each viewpoint (Eleanor's as she made the hard decisions, Marie's in the field, and Grace as she tries to follow the clues she has) were so compelling I had moments of disappointment when I shifted from one to the other. The life of a radio operator in occupied France was really brought to life.

I would have liked to have seen more of Marie's life in France. I understand her time was short because of the betrayal that led to the girls being lost, but her romance felt as though it overshadowed the work she'd trained to do.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book I would recommend to readers of World War Two.

This was the first book I’ve read from Pam Jenoff and I think I’m going to have to go read some more of hers! This book was fast-paced, engaging, and a well researched mystery that delves into the lives of the women who were a part of the Special Operation Executive (SOE), a clandestine British spy network operating in France in WWII.

Told from the perspective of 3 women, the story follows Grace Healey, a young widow as she stars to re-build her life in New York after the loss of her husband in the war. On her way into work one morning she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase that contains photographs of women who Grace soon finds out were operatives for the SOE. Grace starts digging into the past to find out who these women were.

Along with Grace, the book follows Eleanor Triggs, the woman responsible for the women’s division of the SOE, as well as Marie, a young single mother who joins the F-division of the SOE as a radio transmitter. We see Marie’s perspective of the goings on in France and Eleanor’s war-time experiences back in London and then Eleanor’s investigations into what happened to her operatives that never returned home after the war. The two timelines start to converge on each other as Grace finds out the truth of the lost girls.

I personally really like dual time-line stories and Jenoff does an excellent job of managing the timing of converging the story-lines as the book progressed. I liked all 3 of the main characters and would have to say Eleanor’s sections were my favorite. I did feel that the 3 perspectives made it hard to get to know all of the characters in a deep way and I would’ve liked to have spent more time with Marie in France.

I was fascinated by the role the women of the SOE and the dangers they faced and the book reminded me a lot of The Alice Network. The author did a fantastic job of telling the story of the courageous actions of this under-recognized group of women and their role in history. The novel had a compelling plot, strong female characters and the writing was excellent. I would highly recommend this book.

Great storyline set during and after WWII with three different point of views by three very strong, independent women. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this is a book for you! I just recently started reading historical fiction this year due to my book club group always recommending them! I found this novel was deeply profound and genuine while also very well detailed in the times it needed to be. Thank you for the advanced copy and for the opportunity to be able to read and review for both the author and NetGalley!

Thank you to #netgalley and #parkrowbooks for my free copy of The Lost Girls of Paris in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Pam Jenoff doesn’t disappoint! She’s one of my must-read-her-newest-release authors.

Fans of Pam Jenoff (The Orphan Tales) will enjoy her newest histfic release, The Lost Girls of Paris. This engaging page turner tells the story of a courageous and brave ring of women spies in WW11. Told from three perspectives and two alternating time periods from 1943-1946, the story revolves around three women: Eleanor, leader of the British secret agents; Marie, a young mother turned spy; and Grace, an inquisitive young woman and Manhattan resident. One day in Grand Central Station, Grace stumbles upon a mystery surrounding the fate of twelve female British spies who never returned home from WW11. Based on true events, the story shines a light on these women of valor. Important themes include heroism, bravery, friendship, determination, and courage. Recommended for fans of WW11 histfic and for readers who appreciate stories of strong women facing the hardest of circumstances.

3 1/2 rounded up to 4⭐️s. I enjoyed Pam Jenoff's latest historical fiction/mystery, set during and after WWII. In general I find the dual timeline structure overused, but this one worked well due to the close proximity of the storylines, and how they intersected logically. From The Willard Hotel in Washington to a bank vault in Zurich, and so many settings in-between, the plot moves along at a perfect pace in this "who-done-it" war story. One of the romance interludes was a bit too contrived for me, but I loved the strong female characters and how they related to each other. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

If you haven’t read Pam Jenoff’s books, do so immediately! She is one of the authors who can write a book and I know I will love it without knowing anything about it. If historical fiction is your thing, this is the book for you. Actually, all of Pam’s books are fantastic! She writes stories that make you cry, that glue you to the pages, bring you into the character’s lives and don’t let you go until long after the book is over.



The Lost Girls of Paris

1946, Manhattan

Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.



This book combines some of my favorite things- 1940’s, New York City, mystery, and excellent writing and turns it all into a five-star novel. You can pre-order now, due out in February 2019.

Absolutely LOVED this book!!! One of my favorite books this year. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. These woman were so brave. I loved everything about this book- the writing style, characters and story. I simply loved reading about Grace, Eleanor and Marie.

Grace accidentally stumbles across photos she found in a suitcase abandoned in Grand Central Terminal. She is persistent in trying to find out who they are. Eleanor trains girls to go behind enemy lines in Occupied France where they will transmit information back and forth between London. Eleanor is protective of these girls and does everything on her power to find out what happened to them. Marie is a single mother who was recruited by Eleanor.

From the moment I started reading the first page I was hooked. Grace, Eleanor and Marie were three very strong women. I loved how Eleanor was able to find the truth about what happened to her girls. The ending was perfect. I know need to go read The Orphan's Tale and the author's previous books.

I definitely recommend this book. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) and the author, Pam Jenoff, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

What a page turner! The structure of this novel, with the three POVs and how their stories entangle, lends itself so perfectly to a compelling, fast-paced, and addictive story -- made even better by the fact its all inspired by true events and a ring of female spies. I appreciate the research and care that went into crafting this war-time novel.