I know as I write this review that I am in the minority. I have read so many review that have such high praise for this book and I could only repeatedly ask if I was reading the same book. In no way am I saying this book is atrocious but it missed the mark for me. I found that I was forcing myself to continue with the book and WW2 historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.

Now you most likely want to know what I think is wrong with the book. I do think the story deserved to be told. Character development was poorly developed. I struggled to connect with any characters.

The writing just felt flat. It could possibly be blamed on the translation?

The Paris Children is inspired by real historical events and that’s one of the reasons I enjoy this genre so much. Madeleine Levy is the granddaughter of a WW1 hero who happens to be Jewish. Once the 2nd World War hits hero or not this family is now a target by the SS.

This was an interesting story and more on the tell side verses show. Written in 3rd person there were aspects I enjoyed - courage, family, dedication and love but ultimately I found the details a little much. The slower pace also slowed my reading down and I found it hard to connect with the characters.

That being said I enjoyed the historical aspect, learning about this family I was unfamiliar with has me googling and educating myself a little more. The author definitely did her homework in the research department.

My thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction books about WWII and this one was another great addition to my library. Having read another book about the forgery of papers to help children and adults escape from France, I was already familiar with the story line. However, this was a very moving tale that touched me. My heart ached for all of the people who were affected by Hitler’s evil machinations and it soared for all of those who worked behind the scenes to prevent his atrocities. I was once again encouraged and reminded that there are wonderful people who demonstrate the positive aspects of mankind. The characters are well developed and you will find yourself caring deeply about so many of them.

Madeleine was an amazing woman and her efforts on behalf of the Jewish people, even while dealing with a hearing loss, was nothing short of miraculous. What a wonderful story of love and loss, family and friends, tragedy and achievements, evil and good.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I will definitely read more books by this amazing author!

Historical fiction at its best,I love Gloria Goldreichs books and this one goes to the top of the list. So well written so emotionally moving,highly recommend.#netgalley #sourcebooks

Fantastic story about a champion during the Holocaust, one who refused to let children go without a home and showed the world what was truly needed: a heart.

This biofiction was such a compelling and fast read and I truly appreciate a main character with a hearing lost who persevered no matter what. The setting was authentic and scary and showed what it meant to live in a German occupied territory- danger everywhere and to not know who to trust.

WWI and WWII have given us such a lot of literature from both sides of the Wars and from every angle possible. This is another very good read dealing with the Resistance in France and with a particular emphasis on the Jews in France, trying desperately to look after not just their own French Jews but also lending a hand to those flooding into France seeking refuge before going on to safer shores.

Madeline and Claude are young people caught up in the violence and trying their very best to help their fellow men just escape. Madeline has been put in charge of saving children and this is fraught with danger and there is such a lot of emotion involved. The children know that they have lost their parents forever, taken before them brutally and their only hope is to escape. It is a sad story repeated over and over again in stories and each story is never boring, never repetitious as each child or adult facing the Nazis is unique.

I am so glad I got to know Madeline Levy through this book though I was sad that her ending was brutal. The grand daughter of Alfred Dreyfus a hero of WWI she and her family were earmarked by the Nazis very early on and their hopes for survival was poor.

For those who like history this is a must read.

Madeleine Levy is the daughter of the famous French Jewish war hero, Alfred Dreyfus. Set in Paris during the rise of the tension leading up to and during World War Two, the reader gets a glimpse into the persecution that the Jewish French people faced after the Germans invaded their country. Madeleine joins the Resistance with her family and boyfriend, Claude. They work to help smuggle as many Jewish children as they can out of France so they escape the concentration camps.

I love reading about stories from World War Two that I wasn’t previously aware of. Madeleine Levy’s life is fascinating and I really appreciated Goldreich’s depiction of her life. She was very realistic in her thinking and Goldreich made her family and Claude easy to connect with. The plot lost me in some parts and I wished we got to read about the actual journey that Claude made into the Swiss Alps with numerous children to save their lives. The part of this novel that really shone for me was the ending. Madeleine’s bravery and sacrifices are made abundantly clear. I really enjoyed this as a piece of historical fiction and I feel as though it stayed very honest to the real story.

Wow!!!! This is a beautifully written story! I seriously could not stop reading this book!! Highly highly recommend! Historical fiction at its best!

While teaching World History, I love to get my hands on any historical fiction novel that weaves in true stories. WWII especially is like cat nip for me.

The Paris Children is a beautifully written novel about a horrible time during the war. I love how it dealt with the resistance and trying to help Jewish children survive.

The research was well done and I would def recommend this novel.

I totally enjoyed reading this book. Couldn't put it down. Perfect read at the end of the day. Definitely recommend.

"Such demonstrations will spread. A mitosis of irrational hatred. One rally this week. Two rallies next week. A contagion of evil." (sounds like history repeating itself today)

"We are living in an era of absurdity and wickedness."

"We know that love, in the end, triumphs over hatred, that better days will come.

"While it is true that we live in fearsome times, this life is worth it's grief."

Madeleine Levi, the granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus a famous French WW I patriot, is part of the French resistance. Her passion in life is to help as many Jewish orphans escape France as possible. Claude her boyfriend has the same goal. The question is what will happen to them if the Nazis catch them.

This was a fascinating look at true events that this new-to-me author portrayed beautifully amidst the horrors of the Nazi takeover of France and the massive deportation of Jews to death camps leaving their children orphaned and alone. Madeleine's connection to her grandfather, Alfred Dreyfus, was fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the role that every single member of Madeleine's family played in one way or another in helping the Jewish. This family was very inspirational to the others involved in the resistance.

Definitely an outstanding read for those interested in World War II fiction.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

The Paris Children tells the story of Madeline Levy, a member of the French Resistance Movement during the German invasion of France. She dedicated her life to saving Jewish children during war time. Madeline Levy and her entire family contributed tremendous support to the French Resistance each in their individual way. Her sister Simone was a master forger of documents, supplying much needed identification, food vouchers and other required documents for Jewish survival. Her grandmother and mother procured clothes and needed ancillary items. All combined they were responsible for saving countless lives. Madeline was a social worker by trade thus enabling her to secure positions where she could excel in her resistance supporting roles. She was a brave and fierce advisory to the Germans. She becomes one of the Nazi’s most wanted for her role in the destruction of several bridges creating a major disruption to the movement of people to prison camps. Her life was lived during an exceptionally dark time and was nothing short of heroic.

The story of her life is informative and interesting, the story telling itself here lacked luster. This was not a gripping read until the last 20 percent of the book. There is far too much time spent dwelling on her love for Claude who doesn’t have a large presence in the book other than her constant pining for him. Although I enjoyed the book, I was glad to finally finish.

Unknown unsung heroine

I enjoy WWII historical novels, especially with women main characters. Having just finished The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Hamel, I had become intrigued by the female counterfeiters of papers during the war, and even found a minor character in common between the books. The Paris Children was obviously a labor of love for the author, who must have spent a lot of time researching her subject. I had never before heard of the Jewish Scouts movement and was so in awe of this aspect of the resistance. Another reviewer mentioned the somewhat dry writing style; I concur. But the subject matter was so amazing, exciting but heartbreaking, that it makes you want to keep reading until the week hours (which I did).

Thank you to the publisher for a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

While this biopic/ historical fiction story is detailed and inspiring in its honesty, due to it being written in third person the books does not connect with readers. I felt no pull towards these characters, only a detached sort of awareness of what was happening to them. I am not inclined to read books that do not allow connections to grow between readers and characters, as such I could only read part of this book. The historical accuracy and attention to detail were exquisite, but the lack of love for the characters kept this from being a great read.

The Paris Children by Gloria Goldreich is based on the life of Madeleine Levy, the granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus. Madeleine is a young woman who grew up in Paris and worked for the Resistance during WW II in helping to get Jewish children out of France.

I love to read historical fiction about WW II. The value of historical fiction is that the reader gets to be emotionally involved with what really happened. Unfortunately, this is where this novel was disappointing to me. It read like a report. I did not develop an emotional connection to the characters. I do value all of the descriptions but I wanted it to read less like a report and more like a good novel. Maybe if it had been written in first person from Madeleine’s, Claude’s, and her grandmother Lucy’s points of view, it would have worked better. In the middle of the book, I found myself skimming paragraphs. The end of the book comes quickly and abruptly. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sincere and thoughtful fictionalization of the life of Madeline Levy, who heroically smuggled Jewish children out of Paris and later died at Auschwitz. The novel opens with the death of her grandfather Alfred Dreyfus, framing the family's commitment to the Jewish faith and to France. Madeline, a social worker, finds herself unable to turn away when Paris falls and, along with her sister Simone, who turns her calligraphy skills to forging documents, becomes part of the Resistance. She's in love, too, with Claude, who inspires and assists. This is a surprisingly dry novel for such a big thing. Recognizing that this is abut Madeline, it helps too, if you know a bit about Alfred Dreyfus and the Dreyfus family (I found myself googling). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of WWII fiction interested in the efforts of those who have gone unheralded.

Dr Pierre Paul is speaking of a death to come. Alfred is dying and his kidneys are failing. I lost interest in the characters and events.

This was a great story that was not told well. I felt like it had been translated poorly into English; the dialogue was stilted and terms were presented repeatedly in both French and English. And I do mean repeatedly. Once is great, twice is a nice reminder, more than that is really unnecessary.

Madeleine is involved in the Jewish Scouts in Paris and, together with her boyfriend, undertakes the saving of children as the Nazis invade and hold the country. It should have been a nail-biter. There should have been emotion and intensity, but I never felt it. I was disappointed.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story, based on a true story of one woman’s fight against the wrath of Hitler, had some high points. The characters felt real as did their fight. However, I got a bit lost in the numerous battles of hers through the middle of the story.