The historical timeline in 1939 France as the Nazis invade was stronger than the 1993 timeline when Jeanne discovers her father, Wendell, hid the story of her birth from her. I really loved how books and the power of words played such an important role in the story of French Resistance. Laurence owns a bookstore, and is known for her book prescriptions, of books and poems meeting the emotional needs of the purchaser. As the Nazis begin to terrorize the community, Laurence will become involved with the resistance, first forming a Resistance book club, reading books from a secret press disseminating the truth of the war. This is a book with many ramifications for todays’s world. Recommended and thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Set in 2 timelines, this book moves from Nazi era Paris to the modern day. Laurence works with the French Resistance using her bookstore as a meeting point, and present day Jeanne finds much more than she had expected in the life of this brave French woman and her efforts during WWII.

It's the 1940s and the Nazis have taken over the town where a young lady, living alone, owns a book store. Laurence doesn't just own a book store, she prescribes poems and books to the people of the town like a prescription a doctor would give them, to help them with whatever need they have.
What else does a young woman living alone in France during the most dangerous time of her life do? She joins the French resistance.
She puts her life on the line for the people who have now become her family and for the freedom of France but can she survive what the resistance is asking her to do? Can she help liberate her people and end the Nazi invasion?

I needed a moment after I was done with this book. The tears I didn't know I was crying, slipping silently down my cheeks was all the noise I could handle.
Laurence, took root in my soul right from the first moment I read her name. I felt like I was right there with her. Living her life, feeling her emotions, reading the books through her eyes. I was catapulted into a world I never dreamed I would see.
Right from the beginning she was never going to give up France to the Nazis. She was not going to collaborate. She was not going to hand over her radio.
I ask myself would I have been brave enough to join the resistance? I honestly hope I would but the dangers she faced.... She was an amazing hero in a time where a lone woman should have been keeping her head down.
She meets Wendell during one of her missions and the sparks flew. I could feel their passion flaming down my spine. Every page I needed to know if they ever found their way back to each other.

The rest of the story is set in the 1990s where Jeanne, a detective now in early retirement finds out the lady she buried, her mother, wasn't really her mother and now her father Wendell has some explaining to do. After Wendell gives Jeanne the deeds to the bookstore in France, they both travel to France in hopes of finding out what really happen to Laurence and why she had to send Jeanne as a baby away to the safety of her Father.

I was torn between both times, I had to know what happened and the storylines merge perfectly. It was artfully done and the ending, horrific as it was, was just the kind of closure my heart needed,

It was magnificent. Truly, I have read dozens and dozens of books set in this era and this one sent me on a whirlwind through time. If you love a really well written, flawlessly researched that will have you turning pages with the force of an atom bomb, this is the book for you. Grab a box of tissues and a cup of tea and know you would be getting up for hours.

5 stars

Wow so many family secrets bringing an emotional and heart wrenching story. Jeanne & Laurence are both such strong women. The tie they have together explains it. What a gift this book is. Make sure to read it.

What a beautiful, beautiful book! I laughed. I cried. I was moved. Powerful. Absorbing . Wonderful. A masterpiece

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book very much, however the contemporary story didn't work for me. I would much rather have read the book strictly from the 1940s historical section and have it end there. Other than that I enjoyed the book very much.

Having enjoyed reading her previous books, it was great to be back in a Siobhan Curhan novel.

A dual timeline always excites me, and I can’t wait to discover how and when the links between past and present will be made and how they will affect our characters – I say ‘our’ as Siobhan’s writing really does draw me into her books. Her storytelling, descriptions and characters wrap me up and I am not an observer reading the pages, I am amongst them, feeling their fear and emotions. It is a treat to get to inhabit her creative world, all be it briefly.

The characters instantly became ones whose stories I wanted to know, whose journeys I had to follow. For Jeanne and Wendall as they revisit France in the 1990’s, it is his journey to heal and make peace with the past, while it is her journey to discover so much she never knew. For Laurance and her book club friends it is about doing what they can to survive the Occupation in body and spirit. Laurence’s bookstore is like a warm hug in dark and difficult times, and I certainly felt the love and sense of community it brought to her and her town. In fact, I wanted to visit, to browse the shelves and the see just what kind of book she would prescribe to me.

This book is engaging, emotional and with a compelling storyline. It is pure book magic from page to page and a feast of literary love to nourish the soul. It is a great reminder to never underestimate the magical power of books.

Having now consumed three Siobham Curham novels, all I can say is I want more.

The Paris Network is a must for this year’s reading list for book lovers and book worms, especially those who enjoy historical novels with family secrets to unravel.

A great dual timeline story of Jeanne in the present and wartime Laurence. I especially loved Laurence's story with the great bravery she showed with her secret book club and her work for the resistance and the heartbreaking choices she had to make. Highly recommended for fans of this era

Books play a significant part in Siobhan Curham's latest release The Paris Network, a dual time narrative set in 1993 and World War II.

The story begins in the present (1993) with a funeral and a revelation that sees Jeanne and her father, Wendell, journey to France, to discover the fate of a woman whose identity Wendell has kept secret since World War II.

Laurence is the proprietor of The Book Dispensary, a book shop with a difference. Along with her books, Laurence provides her friends and customers with literary 'prescriptions' – specific quotes from books or poems to provide inspiration and comfort to help them through difficult times.

When the Germans occupy her village, Laurence's first act of defiance is to hide her radio and when ordered to remove books banned by the Nazis from her shelves, Laurence decides to fight back by forming a Resistance book club. A small group of trusted friends meet regularly to read books on the banned list, one of which is All Quiet on the Western Front, considered to be unpatriotic as it made the Germans look weak.

Also on the banned list is Hitler's own book, Mein Kampf, published in French, which outlined his plans for France. Laurence copies passages from this book for her pamphlets and distributes them secretly to the villagers knowing that to be caught would mean her death.

Wanting to do more, Laurence becomes a member of the French Resistance, using books, once again, this time to pass messages, and through her involvement with the Resistance is instrumental in rescuing an American pilot.

I enjoyed how books were central to Laurence's stance. How she used those banned books for propaganda and how risky her book club was. While I was aware certain books were banned, the reasons were quite a revelation. The reason why All Quiet on the Western Front made it to the list has already been mentioned, but I was amazed that Oliver Twist was a banned book, although it makes sense given that Fagin, a Jew, is one of the main characters.

The Paris Network is a touching portrayal of one woman's courageous fight against the Nazis and the consequences of a wartime romance. A compelling read that I'm very happy to recommend.

Two timelines - always delightful. One in wartorn France and a mysterious woman called Laurence and then a book
discovered in an attic amongst her father's possessions where Jeanne discovers she is the owner of a closed and
abandoned book shop in a small village in France.

The story takes on from this pivotal point and gives explanations as to why Jeanne never had a connection with
her mother, and the sadness she feels that her father could not have told her this story before he passed away.
Jeanne decides to go back to France and discover the hidden story behind the notebook. She discovers a story of
courageousness and resistance, of a strong, supportive mother who decided to give up on her infant daughter to
save her life though she herself would die.

This is based on a true story and shows the indomitable spirit to overcome obstacles however hard and difficult they
may be. For Jeanne to find a community who knew her story, knew about her existence as an infant and who warmly welcomed her back as their own was very heartfelt.

As usual WW both I and II have given us innumerable good stories. Add this to the lot.

The Paris Network features many of the elements that I most love in historical fiction; a dual timeline set partly during the Second World War, inspiring characters, a sense of intrigue and danger, and I learned something new about the period despite this being a familiar topic.
The book opens with a disturbing prologue featuring an unnamed character whose plaintive first-person narrative makes it clear that not only have they already been subjected to a horrifying ordeal, worse is yet to come. It does quickly become obvious who this character is but how they end up here isn't revealed until much later in the novel.
Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Laurence's childhood sweetheart, Luc has been called up to the Maginot Line to defend France. There's a terrible inevitability to this early part of the book as the misleading months of the phoney war eventually draw to a close and much of the country is occupied by the German army. As the small town where Laurence has only recently opened her bookstore on the site of her mother's old dress shop is taken over by the Nazis, her fear and devastation becomes almost palpable. These chapters are told from her perspective which gives them a sense of suspenseful immediacy, particularly as she becomes increasingly determined to fight for liberty any way she can.
Although not a novel about the Holocaust, the forthcoming atrocities are acknowledged and it's a sickening act of violence that persuades Laurence that like her childhood hero, Saint Jeanne (Joan of Arc), she is prepared to die for France. Although she becomes actively involved in the Resistance, hers is a quieter act of defiance in many ways too, yet no less powerful; as the Nazis ban books, she realises the power of words and ideas are more vital than ever. Many people reading The Paris Network will be able to recall the times when literature provided the solace or inspiration they needed and will relate to Laurence's belief, passed on from her mother, that humans need stories more than they need food.
The importance of words is a theme that runs throughout The Paris Network, from the poems that Laurence dispenses to her friends as balms for their soul to the incredible bravery of the underground publishing industry in France that resisted, informed and persuaded despite the very real risk of death. Emily Dickinson's Hope, Rilke's Go to the Limits of Your Longing, Steinbeck's The Moon is Down and many more poems, novels and essays are woven into the narrative. Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Paul Éluard's poem, Liberté become particularly and very poignantly integral to the plot as Laurence's love for her country and the man she unexpectedly meets bring her joy and despair.
The chapters set during the war are always going to be the most moving but the storyline following Jeanne is still engrossing and two connected plots complement one another perfectly. When Jeanne discovers her father has kept a secret from her for years, the revelation doesn't come as a surprise but as she and Wendell travel to France to learn more about what happened to Laurence, there are some deeply emotional scenes with cleverly smooth transitions between the two periods.
The Paris Network is a gripping, beautifully written tribute to the courage of those who resisted the Nazis, both through their brave deeds and their refusal to lose their belief in liberty and freedom. It's also a potent reminder of why oppressors ban and burn books; words capture our hearts and minds even when our lives are torn apart. I finished The Paris Network in floods of tears; absolutely heartbreaking and yet tremendously uplifting, I thoroughly recommend it!

What a beautiful read...
Being a book lover, starting off the story with a bookshop setting captures your attention immediately doesn't it..
Alternating between two timelines really immerses you into the story too.
We meet Jeanne, a young woman who upon the death of her mother, travels to France to try to uncover her family history...
We meet Laurence, a bookstore owner trying to survive amongst all the chaos of the war in Paris, 1940.
What I loved so much about this story was how important books were to people during the war years, the importance of them at such a difficult time. A note here and there with a book was sometimes what people needed to get them through it all.
Jeanne uncovers a past she knew nothing about, gaining an insight into a woman she never knew. How important she was in the community and to Jeanne's family...
I found this to be such a brave yet heartbreaking story so full of emotion
It tugs at your heart for sure.
We see how brave people can be, how resilient they are when needed but most importantly how courageous they are in their fight for what they believe in.
Loved this story, well worth your time..

Are you like me and fell in love with The Alice Network, The Nightingale, and The Lost Girls of Paris? The Paris Network will quickly rise in the WWII Historical Fiction Fan Favorites. Siobhan Curham created such lovable characters, believable plot, and vivid details for every lover of the genre, book clubs, women empowerment and literature in general.

Synopsis: It's Paris in 1940, Laurence receives a tattered books with the instructions "you must go to the cafe and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him I sent you. Tell him you are there to save the people of France." Bookstore owner Laurence, must be brave and strong, if she wants to save the country she loves, in true Jean of Arc fashion, from Nazi Germany rule. Interlaced in this tale is a modern character, presented as Laurence's daughter who was removed from France by British RAF planes in the light of the moon, during the height of WWII, Jeanne. Jeanne and Wendell, her father, travel to Paris to piece together parts of the mysterious woman, Laurence's life, and the secrets that have been kept for many, many years. This story is inspired by a true story of a women whose bravery knew no bounds, the emotional tale of survival and resistance.

Personal Review: 4 Stars

This book combined so many of my favorite things. Set in a rural provincial area of France, with quick resistance missions to the City of Lights, a bookstore that prescribed literature for ailments of the heart, a bookclub that met to read banned books, and feminine empowerment are just a few of the factors that made me fall in love with this novel. Although it took a while for me to get to know the characters, and become emotionally invested in them, it happened all at once about 25 percent into the book. The beginning really has you craving to know more about Jeanne's mother Laurence and the secrets that she kept. I loved the element of the bookstore, an apothecary of sorts that prescribed books as antidotes for heartbreak, distress, and other maladies, with Laurence at the front typing prescriptions for classic tales on her typewriter to patrons. As the story was pieced together, and truths revealed, I found myself so emotionally invested in these characters - it was difficult to end it! Bravo Siobhan Curham for this excellent tale of French Resistance in the face of Nazi terror.

I am drawn to books with the words “Bookstore” “Books” “Letters” “Libraries” and I’ve read many books with one or more of these words in their title during the past two years. Almost all, if not all, have been set in France with a focus on the work of the French Resistance. And, all have used the dual time-line format in The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham.

I enjoyed The Paris Network. The dual time line - 1940’s and 1993 - worked well as far as switching from one era to the other. The historical facts in this novel were interesting and detailed. They added to my knowledge of how the Resistance movement functioned and the incredible risks to life and freedom taken by movement members to save France from the Nazis. Every small act of defiance encouraged villagers under siege to join them or, at least, silently support their efforts.

Learning more about the role books played in passing messages between Resistance members added to my knowledge of how the Resistance communicated with one another. The retaliations townsfolk experienced if labeled a “traitor” to German rule were horrifying but realistic. The burning of every book in Laurence’s bookshop rang true to what we recently witnessed in our own country. As a member of a long-established book club I loved the idea of a clandestine book club reading books banned by the Nazis. Banning books today is another sad indication that 60+ years later not much has changed.

So, given all this, why did I rate this book at only four stars? The Paris Network’s historical aspects call for a five star rating. But, quite a bit of the present day storyline felt incomplete to me. For example, Jeanne was a police detective dismissed from her job but we don’t know why. She appears to be approaching 50 years of age yet did not have a professional persona. In fact, she seemed immature and petulant to me. I didn’t dislike this character…I just didn’t know who she really was and had a hard time relating to her story.

Many dual-time novels have a romantic component that can take away from the main story. The Paris Network's romance took place during the war and was believable. I was pleased to see there was not such a story in the modern timeframe.

In her Author’s Notes Siobhan wrote, “Writing this novel and having to get beneath the skin of the people who were courageous enough to risk everything for the written word and liberty made my passion for books run even deeper than before. I hope that reading it does the same for you.”

Reading The Paris Network validated my love of books and the difference they can make in a reader’s life. It strengthened my belief that taking a risk for one’s country and democracy is vitally important to Liberte.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this digital copy of The Paris Network in exchange for my honest review.

3.3 Stars

One Liner: A few hits and misses

*Minority Opinion*

Paris, 1940: Laurence has her bookshop, The Book Dispensary, and sells books, prescribing poems/ quotes to the buyers. The talk of war seems nothing more than a distant nightmare until it cuts too close to home. The Nazi army camps in her village, and Laurence is determined to not bow down. Becoming a part of the Resistance seems like a natural thing to do.
But when an unexpected development puts her in grave danger, Laurence knows she has little to no chances of survival.
America, 1993: Jeanne discovers that her life wasn’t what she assumed it to be. Being a female cop forced into early retirement before her 50th birthday was bad enough. But the truth is disturbing and fills her with questions. What is the story behind the bookstore she inherited? What does a tiny village in France have to do with her? Where do Laurence and Jeanne’s lives merge and how?

What I Like:
• The portrayal of resistance is beautiful. It isn’t just about picking up arms or getting into physical fights. Laurence shows how her kind of resistance is equally important.
• After reading graphic descriptions of the atrocities multiple times, a lighter version was enough for me.
• Books play a vital role in the story. There’s a list of the resistance book club reads at the end.
• The side characters are intriguing in Laurence’s track. Together, they create the atmosphere needed for the setting.
• There’s no forced love track for Jeanne, which I appreciate.

What Didn’t Work For Me:
• The dual timeline books always have the risk of imbalance, and it happened here. The focus is more on the past (which I like). The contemporary track feels more like a prop. In fact, the contemporary track could be removed and substituted with an epilogue (either in the third person or from Wendell’s POV). That would make the book even better (not to mention cut it down from 400+ pages to around 350).
• I understand the importance of hope, but reading so many hopefully’s annoyed me. The same goes for the number of times we are reminded about Jeanne being a cop. It makes no difference to the story.
• I’m not sure if I missed or if there’s no proper reason provided for Gigi’s behavior (whatever is shared and hinted at is not enough). Her character arc is odd, and I still don’t understand why she has so much space.

To sum up, The Paris Network is a decent book based on true events but doesn’t have the wow factor. Pretty much a mixed bag for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow, this book spoke to bookish soul. I devoured it in a 24 hour period; lost in a world of bookshops, hidden messages within books, dangerous liaisons, a small French town seized by the Nazi and the constant fight for liberty.

The characters in this book stole my heart, and inspired me with their bravery. The main character Laurence runs a bookshop and she writes personalised prescriptions for her customers based on what poems or lines from a book she thinks they need. I ADORE this idea. And I went down a huge rabbit hole of reading all the poems mentioned, which was a lovely diversion.

My favourite World War 2 novel has aways been The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, but The Paris Network is neck and neck with it. From now on if anyone asks me for a recommendation for a historical fiction recommendation from this period, these two will be top of my list.

I was lucky enough to get an ebook from the publishers, but have immediately ordered a paper copy for bookshelves as I need this book on my shelves. I know I'll reread it again.

A MUST READ for historical fiction fans and bibliophiles.

There are a couple of reasons I chose to read The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham. First, I loved Beyond This Broken Sky by the author. It was one of my favorite historical fiction reads of 2021. And the book description sounded interesting.
Little did I know that I would almost instantly feel connected to the book in so many more ways than one can imagine. Two stand out as very personal to me.
1. The main character’s name is Jeanne. So is mine.
2. The main character is named so because of her mother’s love of Joan of Arc. So am I.
Eerie coincidence, of course, but instantly endeared me to the character.
Add in a love of books and dabbling in local theater, and really, the book can’t hit many more of the targets for me.
On an even more personal note, I also recently found out the truth about my birth family. So, this novel really hit on several levels.
But again, that is all specific to me. What about someone who has none of these connections?
It is still a fantastic historical fiction novel. The author captures the attitudes of the French people as they move from “it’s a phony war” to the disbelief regarding German callousness and ambition, to the realization they need to fight to save their country.
That overall arc is clear in the novel, but the way the author relays all of this through Laurence, Gigi, and the townspeople is heartfelt and realistic.
There are also stark portrayals of bravery and cowardice. And Laurence’s “dispensary of books” is a fascinating concept that I wish someone would establish now. That is some genius.
The Paris Network is another fine novel by the author, and I look forward to the next one.

What a beautiful story of hope and courage. I always enjoy Siobhan Curran’s writing and her dual timeline stories really bring the characters to life.
Laurence and Jeanne’s story is so emotional and I loved how the book prescriptions given by Laurence gave such hope to her friends. The idea of the power of words in the books read by the resistance bookclub to fight against the horrific things happening in the Nazi occupation was such a strong message of ‘liberte’

Paris 1940, Laurence owns a bookstore in war torn France. She hides coded messages in between the pages of books from her bookstore. She goes out in the middle of the night, in the bitter cold to meet her resistance contact. She passes the books to them with the coded messages inside. And one night an allied plane with its tail on fire suddenly crashes one night, she knows she must do everything she can to rescue the pilot. But deviating from her plan could mean risking not only her life but many others who are depending on her. Many years later, in America Jeanne finds an old box in her father’s garage. She discovers that she has inherited a bookstore in France from a woman she knows nothing about, named Laurence. Her father never told Jeanne about the woman. So, she travels to France to find out anything she can about the mysterious woman. Jeanne finds the bookstore in a little village in Paris. The bookstore is in complete shambles, is boarded up and in need of so many repairs. Jeanne uncovers the amazing and incredible story of Laurence and discovers the hero of who she was. This book was so moving, heartbreaking and inspirational. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out what was going to happen next. This story was based on true events and that made me feel so pulled in to the story that I forgot where I was. I couldn’t put this book down as it was so full of inspiration, hope and heartbreak. This time slip historical fiction is an absolute must read. Words cannot describe how phenomenal this story was.

Thank you Siobhan Curham for such a wonderful and beautiful story filled with inspiration and hope. This story was so emotional and unputdownable I didn’t want it to end but I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

This is a new author for me and I flew through this dual timeline story rooted in the resistance in France during WWII. The story is chock full of every emotion and action to keep you turning the pages. I liked the writing and the heroic characters.