This is a dual timeline story of love, loss, survival, and grief. I enjoyed the bond the mother and daughter had and how fiercely the mother protected her daughter. The timelines didn’t flow very well, many times I had to go back and re-read the beginning of the timeline switch to readjust my mindset. I enjoyed the storyline in France during Nazi regime. The later storyline didn’t mesh well with the earlier timeline and felt odd. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Charlotte Foret lived through WWII with her her baby daughter, Vivi, by running her bookstore and the help of a generous German officer. There was more to this officer than Charlotte initially thought and as their relationship develops, I was rooting for them. However, I found the book a bit lacking in plot drama that kept me fully invested. Overall, I’m eating this book 3 stars. I real a lot of historical fiction from this time period and this book was just okay in my opinion.

This book is about a woman and her daughter and tells about their lives in occupied France during WWII and then in the US 10 years later. It was very interesting to read about how hard life in occupied France was. The extreme hunger and lack of essentials like soap would have been so difficult. Especially with a baby. But the part during that time was difficult to follow because it jumped around a lot and had lots of names to keep up with.

The part in the US wasn't much easier to follow. There were still a lot of people to keep up with and I was confused by some relationships at first.

The mother daughter relax was very interesting. They were almost more friends than mother daughter. The daughter was also going through an identity crisis of sorts.

In the end things aren't always as they seem and lots of things were revealed. But I felt a lack of closure.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Read if you: Want an emotional and memorable read about secrets from WWII Paris that linger after the end of the war.

I'm not *as* enamoured of this book as are the other reviewers, but if you want a vivid portrayal of life in WWII Paris, you should definitely read this book. It brutally depicts the suffering endured by Parisians, including the public humiliation of Parisian women who slept with German officers.

Librarians/booksellers: WWII historical fiction remains very popular; your historical fiction fans will want this.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this read, when I read/listen (Kindle VoiceView) to these WWII stories, it is difficult to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and to know how or what you would have done or sacrificed just in order to survive. Charlotte was “one tough cookie”. I liked the writing style and the storyline was done very well. Sometimes morality and trying to do the right thing changes when the circumstances are out of the norm. Did I find this offensive? Heck no….. Great book!
Each of the WWII books I’ve read has a different aspect and view and this one drew upon the sacrifices of one woman trying to keep herself and her daughter alive. Sometimes secrets are kept best because the questioner didn’t ask the right question. I highly recommend, really enjoyed this one. I would almost say this is a deep heartfelt love story with a lot of historical fiction going on. Well worth the time invested.
I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest unbiased opinion. Loved this book, high 5 stars!!!

This was definitely a different take on a WWII fiction than I've read before - and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Charlotte owned a bookshop in Paris during the Nazi occupation, but when we begin reading her story, she works at a publishing house in America. Paris Never Leaves You tells the story of Charlotte and Vivi, but the obvious scars from her past didn't come from the cause you would think.

I liked the mystery of Charlotte's past, and this novel really portrayed well how complicated and messy wartime makes the personal side of life as well, not just the war on the front lines.

It's a time period I really enjoying reading but I had issues with this book. While I love dual time period books I found myself doing double takes when the scene would jump from either one setting to another or back in time. Oh, I get the memories and such but the transitions just didn't work for me. I found myself having to reread paragraphs and that just takes the fun out of it.

With so many 4/5 star reviews for this book obviously it appears to be just me with issues. I made it 45% of the way and just can't do it anymore.

This book is one of the few historical fiction books that not only tells what the characters go through during WWII, it tells of their lives after the war ends, of how they move forward and begin building new lives after the unthinkable has happened.

This is a beautifully written, unforgettable survival story. It's not the darkest Holocaust era novel, but Feldman deftly reveals that the simplest surface situation all have hidden complications. The horrors of Nazi occupation in Paris, the fraught with ambiguity mother-daughter relationship , the female of the 1950s career path, the emigration experience to America are all intriguing. It's like a trip to and then an escape from wartime Paris to hustling New York. And this is one of the most gorgeous book covers of the year.

2.5 stars

I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from St. Martin's Griffin through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Ellen Feldman, St. Martin's Press Griffin, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really wanted to like this book - I really did. But, I truly believe that I am burned out on WWII books, and this book just not stand up to the great books of the time period. The plot just didn't do it for me in many parts of the book - I am sure that it all really did happen in real life, but it just didn't work for me.

The two timelines are not clearly identified so it is confusing to read a paragraph and then to realize that the time period had shifted. I just couldn't get into the book at all.

I cannot recommend this book - I wish that I could, but I cannot.

I didn't even finish the first chapter of this book. The prologue was very disturbing and the first chapter was slow moving. Marginal purchase.

A Haunting Past, and an Uncertain Future
One of my favorite movies to show to my 11th grade U.S. History students has always been “Midnight in Paris,” for its themes on falling in love with a city, with art, with music…and of realizing that there is not better time to be alive than the one in which you live. The main character in the movie, an American screenwriter, muses on how romantic Paris is in the rain, and how it seems so odd to him that anyone would choose to live somewhere else. I thought about that a great deal as I dove into “Paris Never Leaves You,” because for our heroine, Charlotte, the exact opposite is true. She feels haunted by her old life in Paris during the Nazi occupation, and worries that at some point her barely buried demons will catch up to her. She relishes life in New York City, with its comparative anonymity, and is proud of the life she has built for herself and her daughter Vivi. In fact, she probably wonders why anyone would choose to live in Paris instead.

As I continued to read, my mind turned away from whimsical movies, and towards darker present realities. “Paris Never Leaves You,” seems particularly timely, with its themes of oppression, in groups vs. out groups, racial discrimination, and resistance. Naturally, with a backdrop of WWII and Nazi occupation, Ellen Feldman touches frequently on the idea of discrimination based on religious identity, both in her brief mentions of detainment in Drancy, and with Vivi’s heartbreak over not being invited to a party because the anti-Semitic grandmother of the girl throwing it can’t bear the thought of having a Jew in her home. Charlotte and Vivi lived through mass deportations, and through being looked down upon by the Nazi occupiers and French resistance fighters alike. When Charlotte fell in love with a German soldier and doctor, who took care of herself and an infant Vivi, she was threatened by her fellow Parisians for consorting with the enemy, while also facing the ever-present of midnight roundups at the hands of the Nazis.

The idea of herself as a betrayer of her country wounds Charlotte deeply, creating a chasm of grief and shame that she is still grappling with years later while living in New York, and those feelings are brought to the forefront of the story when she receives a letter from her former lover. Her feelings of being complicit because she took food and medical supplies while allowing her Jewish neighbors to be beaten and deported, echo our modern feelings that those who stand silently by during times of protest and grief over the brutal treatment of minorities are likewise complicit in the oppression and bloodshed. Failing to stick up for neighbors being deported because of their religion due to fears for one’s safety may not really be so different from avoiding protests against racial discrimination due to fear for oneself. And just as many of us have had to start the uncomfortable business of self-reflection of our own ingrained bias, and the bias of our family, friends, and political figures, so must Charlotte come to terms with her actions — and lack of action — during the war.

Ellen Feldman does an excellent job of weaving historical accuracy into her fictional story, even bringing to light something I had not previously considered: how would, and could, a Jew serve in Hitler’s military? She also examines a more temporal, but no less intriguing, question: how would, and could, an otherwise patriotic women fall in love with a man she perceives to be the enemy? The jumps between the past and present were a bit jarring at times, but overall they did not detract from the arc of the story. My main critique of the book lies in the avoidance of describing Charlotte and Vivi’s time in Drancy, and the fact that at times it seemed almost like talk of concentration camps was intentionally glossed over or avoided. I believe this is because the point of this story was different than what we typically expect from this time period, and spending too much time exploring that angle might have complicated the plot, but all the same it sometimes felt like a glaring omission. One other word of warning, this book is certainly not for the Happily Ever After crowd, because the ending is decidedly bittersweet. Yet, despite my sadness over some aspects of the ending, I find myself recommending this book with no reservations. “Paris Never Leaves You” raises many stirring questions, while doing an outstanding job of highlighting the importance of living for the future while letting go of the ghosts of the past, and explores aspects of WWII and its aftermath that are rarely written about, making it a worthy edition to any summer reading list.

I really enjoyed the storyline. It goes back and forth between the occupation and 10 years later. I was just as hooked in the past as in the present. There's a nice twist from the past that explains the character's reactions in the present time. The last 15% of the book is very heart felt. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley, Ellen Feldman, and St Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I had some issues with this book but I am thankful I read it. The author chose to show the main character's life during the war and after the war and I thought it enhanced the story tremendously. For whatever reason, most historical fiction writers only focus on World War 2 when in my opinion there is still so much to be written about the aftermath.

Charlotte is the mother of a young girl and is working in a Paris bookstore during World War 2. The story will alternate between that part of her life as well as in the 1950s when she is living in New York and works for a publishing house. Occasionally the story will feature a different character but for the most part the focus is on Charlotte. One of my criticisms of the book is it was jarring when all of the sudden the action would shift to a new character. The author waited way too long to start having these random character appearances in the story. Either have this story be told from multiple perspectives from the beginning or don't do it at all. I hate to say it but it felt like lazy writing in that it moved the story along but in the easiest way possible.

Antisemitism was prevalent in the 1950s in the United States and yet it doesn't get written much about in historical fiction books. It wouldn’t have been realistic if the author ignored it completely as it is something a character like Charlotte or her daughter would have faced during that time period. While the storyline of a girl not being invited to a party might seem like such a simple thing, it added a complex layer to the story which gave it more depth.

Charlotte was an interesting character but I'm going to have to pretty much leave it at that so I don't get into spoilers. I will say there was something very surprising in the story to the point in which my jaw dropped while reading. If I was in a book club it would be the very first thing I would want to talk about so I could find out everyone's opinion on it. Even though the writing is a bit uneven there are quite a few things to discuss about the story and characters. A book doesn't have to be perfect in order for it to be thought provoking. There is some substance here even if the execution is a bit off.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and I'm really excited to read more of her work. I really enjoy books that are works of fiction but bring up true facts about the past many of us aren't aware of. Paris Never Leaves You is a beautiful love story. One woman's journey to save herself and her young daughter when Jews are being starved and sent away to the camps. Even though I have read numerous stories both fiction and nonfiction about this period in time, it always hurts my heart and teaches me something. The story follows along with the main characters journey in occupied Paris and then flashing forward to 1950's and her life after the war living in New York.
Charlotte is a young widow raising her daughter alone in Paris. She has a job she loves working at the bookstore and people to help her with her little girl. When the Nazi's invade Paris Charlotte is scared and worried how she can keep herself and her child safe. Both of them are starving and in need of nutrition. When a German walks into the bookshop offering her food and milk for little Vivi Charlotte is torn. How can she possibly take from the enemy, but how can she not accept the handout she knows her daughter needs. The officer says he is a doctor and wants to help, and will do his best to keep them safe. But why? Charlotte will soon learn the officer is not who he appears to be.
1950's and Charlotte and Vivi are living in New York thriving. Charlotte works in publishing and Vivi is a smart young girl attending private school. Vivi was so young she doesn't remember anything about her life or struggles in Paris. Hannah and Horace opened their hearts and home to this little family and have become very close. As Vivi gets older she wants to know more about her father, who he was and where she came from. People at school are teasing her for being Jewish and she starts to ask Charlotte questions about her past. This will force Charlotte to admit to secrets she's been keeping, and to confront her past head on.

Great book about WWII which makes you think about just what you would do, shows the gray area of survival in a sympatheticway

This book was too difficult to follow. It didn’t flow well between the timelines and Charlotte’s memories. I also found it difficult to connect with the characters. I gave up about 7 chapters in and quickly skimmed the rest. Others seemed to have enjoyed it, so take my opinion for what it is, just mine. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more.

Flashing between German-occupied Paris and Post War New York, Paris Never Leaves You follows the story of Charlotte and her daughter Vivi as they navigate different worlds and try to survive after WWII. Charlotte’s story is emotional as she remembers a different life back in Paris, and the slow build of events and secrets that bring her to New York.

I was drawn into this story within the first pages. The opening scene transfers a reader back in time to Paris, you can just feel the emotion right off the bat. Throughout the novel, you gain a sense of what Charlotte deals with post-war, the guilt that plagues her. You start to build a new understanding of what it means to survive and the weight of survival.

Paris Never Leaves You is a must read for historical fiction readers. It is emotional and beautifully written!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellen Feldman, and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book sounded like a combination of all the stories I love...Paris, a bookstore, WWII, but unfortunately it was such a struggle for me. I typically love a dual timeline story, but for some reason this one just did not flow easily for me. I didn't feel the imagery and emotions as much as I would have expected to. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

A letter arriving at Charlotte's desk in NYC, causes her to relive her period of life in Paris during the German occupation. She feels guilt that she and her baby daughter, Vivi, survived those years thanks to a German army doctor who also has a secret. Now in NYC ten years later, all the feelings, guilt and secrets she has kept inside herself have come to the fore. Also, Vivi, at 14 years, is asking questions about her father, her Jewishness, her family with typical teenage angst. All together this makes for an intense read of identity and survivor's quilt.