The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy is a captivating historical fiction novel that weaves together two timelines: 1940s Casablanca and modern-day Morocco. The story follows young Josie, who flees war-torn Europe for Casablanca, and Zoe, a contemporary woman struggling with her own personal challenges. I throughly enjoyed this story and the two timelines, I will look out for more work by Valpy.

Wow! So glad I read this book and am sorry it took so long. This ARC has been on my digital TBR shelf since September 2021, and I had every intention of reading it sooner. But what finally propelled me to open the book and begin reading was when Val chose it for our Buddy Read in April 2023.

And we were both surprised at how much we liked this dual timeline novel that takes place in Casablanca. It’s the story of two women who both come from afar to the strange new city of Casablanca and must adjust to a different climate, culture, and people. Fourteen-year-old Josie, spunky and clever, chronicles her experiences in a journal during 1941-42. Thirty-something Zoe discovers the journal hidden in a house she and her husband rent in Casablanca in 2010. Josie’s story is influenced by the Second World War. Refugees from France, the family is expecting that this will be a brief stay before moving to the safety of America. Seventy years later Zoe arrives with her husband, who has taken a new job and works long hours. She explores the city on her own, cautiously making friends and embarking on a quilting project.

As Zoe reads Josie’s journal and becomes engaged in her story, so did I. Will their papers be approved so that they can travel to America? Is Josie’s father a spy? Is the family in danger? While Zoe’s story is not dangerous, it is moving and personal. I found myself caught up in both narratives and kept telling myself I would read “just one more chapter.”

Author Fiona Valpy describes how the novel “explores the legacy of loss and grief and how the power of love can help the most impossible wounds to heal.” I appreciated how Valpy weaves historic events and actual people into an unforgettable tale of hope, friendship, and second chances. I highly recommend this moving and memorable story.

Fiona Valpy weaves a magic spell with help from two young women living in 50 years apart. As we see the same town through their eyes, it reminds us that change, while often hard, is also good. I can close my eyes and almost see both versions of home.

The Storyteller of Casablanca is yet again another fantastic historical fiction set in WW2 by the excellent Fiona Valpy. I have not read much about the African cmapaign or even Casablanca before but I can assure you that I am going to research this more throughly. I absolutely loved this book both the characters and the storyline.

This book is one of the best books I've read so far this year! The story held me from beginning to end! I loved hearing the history of WWII in Africa, the interweaving story lines, the beautiful descriptions of Casablanca and the people, the importance of helping refugee women and children. Hands down LOVED this book. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed reading it the plot was interesting and the characters made me want to know more about them. I highly recommend.

This was a new author to me. It took me a while to read this, but I am glad that I did! This book has a dual timelines, foreign countries, and a new history to learn about.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc if this book. My opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Wow!!!!! This book was so captivating. Told in two different timelines Zoe in 2010 and Josie in 1941. Josie Amd her family escaped to Casablanca to then try to immigrate to America, so he was in Casablanca due to a job opportunity for her husband as the story unfolds there’s much to learn.. I will be thinking about this book for a while.
Definitely recommend.

A new author for me and this is a great book to read. I can’t imagine what all these people had to go through during WWII. I know this book is a work of fiction but is based on facts and to have to live in the fear and the conditions that they did just breaks my heart. The family and the kids in this book are quite something. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Thank you Fiona for writing such a great book!

Why did I leave it so long to finally read this book? I intended to read before release and as always happens, other books get in the way. I finally read this and I adored it.

I loved Zoe and Josie, both are incredible main characters. This might be up there as one of my favourites of Fiona’s books she has written and Beekeeper and Dressmaker are right up there.

This was stunningly written, deeply moving and I completely and utterly loved it.

Telling the story of both Zoe and Josie, I found myself completely drawn in and emotionally invested. There was so much I didn’t see coming, which made the book even more profound and impactful. I am all caught up with Fiona’s books now, so I’ll be eagerly waiting for more.

Like The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy, The Storyteller of Casablanca tells two stories in two timelines, and one is a story of World War II. As with most books using this approach, one story can be more powerful than the other. In this case, it is Josie's story of the war. Overall, the history is interesting, and the location is fascinating. However, the emotion of the book is not what I expected.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/12/the-storyteller-of-casablanca.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

This book checked off all my favorites. Dual timelines, foreign countries, and a new history to learn about.

This was an interesting and heartbreaking story. I liked learning about Casablanca. I feel like I've read a lot of war stories but never one that's taken place here. I liked the dual timelines - the diary entry posts from Josie from the past and the POV of Zoe in the present. Thy two POV were well balance as Josie's voice was younger and Zoe is an adult and can read more into the interactions and situations that Josie. I found the twists (and there are a few!) interesting and gut-wrenching. Even if I knew 1 or 2, I definitely didn't realize the big twist because it was so well hidden and welldone. The story slows just a bit in the middle as it lays the groundwork for both stories but I appreciated the details.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy is another great story from the WWII era with a split timeline. Zoe and Josie both live in the same house 70 years apart. Zoe finds Josie’s journal hidden in a floorboard of the house and is taken on a journey back to what Casablanca was like during WWII. There were a couple of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Fiona Valpy is an excellent story teller. I recommend this for anyone who likes split timeline books and a bit of different WWII history. Trigger warning: There is infant loss.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this!

I have to confess that when I initially started it, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, the story follows two females who both end up in Casablanca - one is Zoe who has moved there with her husband. Whilst in the house, she finds a journal and begins reading it - this is where our second leading lady is introduced, she is the owner of the journal and was in Casablanca as refugees during WW2.

Initially, I thought the swapping between times would be quite frustrating, but actually it was the opposite, it was so cleverly done that they blended together perfectly. The story is beautiful - I predicted one of the twists at the end but the other came as a surprise (a lovely one).

I'd highly recommend this book - both stories will get you hooked.

I don't know why, but The Storyteller of Casablanca never was rec'd by my kindle. I am unable to review this. Sorry.

I have read dozens of WWII historical fictions books but reading one set in Casablanca was a first for me. Fiona Valpy’s book captivated me from the start. Zoe Harris and recently arrived in Casablanca with her husband. Her relationship with her husband is strained and her days are lonely. Zoe finds a diary and keepsake box that was once owned by a Jewish 12-year-old girl in the 1940’s. While reading the diary, Zoe discovers that Josie Duval and her family were awaiting paperwork, so they could leave North Africa and escape to America and safety.

I recommend this book to other readers who love WWII historical fiction. In fact, all of Fiona Valpy’s books she has written that are set during this time have been fabulous. After reading a Valpy book, I feel like I leave the book knowing a little bit more about the French resistance of WWII. The unexpected twist at the end of the book was one of my favorite parts of this book. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this book.

I can't really explain why it took me so long to read The Storyteller of Casablanca. It might be that I had it mistaken with other books that had slightly disappointed me in the past. There's a slew of books along the lines of "The person with a strange job of somewhere exotic' - the beekeeper of Aleppo springs to mind,

The book wasn't what I expected. I was rather surprised. It's a bit cliched, follows well-worn tropes, and yet in spite of that, it's still very endearing.

The book follows two women - or a woman and a girl. One is a mother, expatriated to Casablanca with her husband and struggling to fit in. She has some mental and physical health issues, has forgotten how to communicate with her husband and needs a new community of friends. The other is a teen-aged girl from 1941, part of a wealthy Jewish family fleeing France in hope of moving to the USA via neutral Portugal.

The modern-day woman finds the diary of the girl under the floorboards of the house she's renting.

The books starts out feeling a bit obvious. The writing style is gauche and simplistic but as things progress, we are drawn into both lives. Not everything that happens is obvious - far from it - and we have to wonder how it is that the book came to be left there.

My irritation is with the pacing. If you found a book under the floorboards, a diary no less, wouldn't you just sit down and read it from cover to cover instead of seeming to drag it out over many weeks?

This is a surprisingly life-affirming book. Bad things happen but they could have been so much worse, and the ending is a lot less obvious than I expected. Very enjoyable. I'm kicking myself for taking so long to read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

I love this authors style of writing . Another great 5 star read from an author who is fast becoming one of my favs ❤️

Loved this historical novel set in Casablanca. It is in dual MC's with 70 years apart. Zoe and her husband are ex-pats from England. His company has transferred them there for his job, and they are hoping for a fresh start.
Joise, a 13 year old, is a Jew in Casablanca in 1941 thru 1942. She writes her time in Casablanca in a journal and hides it in her attic bedroom. Zoe finds it one day in her home and begins reading it.

I loved the character of Joise. I cared about her and was invested in her life. She had spunk. I also enjoyed reading her life story during WWII. Zoe, I didn't care for at the beginning that much. Her story at first was not as interesting, but by the end I came to care about her, too.

I think that's what makes a great book, when I go in not caring for a character, but the writer writes in a way that completely changes my attitude toward said character. Valpy, also, made me feel like I was in Casablanca during the war and during 2010. I felt as if I was haggling with the market sellers, smelling the ocean, taking trips to the library, sitting in Parc Murdach, and tasting the food.

This book is based on some actual true events during WWII. It's the first historical book I have read by Vapy, but it won't be the last. If you enjoy historical fiction books, I think you would enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Amazon Publishing for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Reading 📚😀📚
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