The Paris Network comes out in a few days. This novel set in dual timelines of the 1940s & 1993 had me hooked. It's the first I've read from a French perspective shortly after France has joined the war effort. Naturally there are a lot of comparisons to other historical fiction stories set in WWII. Personally I enjoyed this more than either The Alice Network or The Paris Library; for me this is up there with The Rose Code (a favorite). My grandparents met during the war, so Laurence’s story hits a special note for me.

This story is also a beautiful homage to the importance of the written word in dark times.

My only issue with the story is the believability that a retired detective didn’t already know a little from her personal background checks for her job or from the documents for her passport application. (But this feels nitpicky. My husband is in law enforcement, and I used to assist Americans with passport applications, and I’m sure those were all different in the 90s.) It didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story.

Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for access to the audio ARC. I’ve already preordered a copy of this, am planning to give a copy as a gift, and have purchased a couple of the author’s previous works. 4.5-5 stars

CW: The story starts with a mother's funeral.

Name of Book: The Paris Network
Author: Siobhan Curham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Time Period: Alternates between 1939 Nazi regime in France during WWII and US 1993
Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date: February 15, 2022
My Rating: 4+

1939: A woman named Laurence is an owner of a bookstore and has organized a group of women in France to read books that were banned by the Nazis. When the Germans invade her homeland and take away their freedom, Laurence joins the network of the French Resistance to help get back their freedom.

1993: After the funeral of her mother, Jeanne finds a box of her mother’s things. She discovers that the woman who raised her is not her biological mother but her dad Wendell, is her biological father.
Her father reveals to her that he was in the Airforce in France and met Laurence.
Now he and Jeanne return to France to find out more about what happened to Laurence in 1943.
It may seem that I revealed too much about this story but there is so much more. It is a very emotional read!
A wonderful quote is: “I am not afraid ~ I was born to do this.”

There is no doubt Siobhan Curham did extensive research. Although historical fiction and true a few liberties were taken, it is still based on fact. BTW: She also wrote " An American in Paris".
Narrator Laurence Bouvard ~Yes her name is Laurence! ~ does a beautiful performance of the characters.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 15, 2022.

Personal Note: Aww another historical fiction with the woman on the cover typically in period costume looking away!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audiobook.

This was beautifully written. The characters made you fall in love with them, the historical details were on point. The narrator was amazing. I absolutely loved this!

This book has left me speechless. So heartbreakingly beautiful. Probably one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given to a historical fiction novel. I don’t often read this genre but I decided to make a difference when I saw the audiobook version up for review on Netgalley. So a huge thank you to Bookouture for giving me the chance to discover The Paris Network before its release on the 15th of February.

On the one hand The Paris Network is set during the Second World War. It tells the story of Laurence, a young bookseller who organises a secret book club in which they read and discuss books forbidden by the Nazis. On the other hand, in 1993, we get to know Jeanne who has just discovered that the mom she has always known isn’t her real mother and together with her father they travel to France to find out what happened to her birth mother.

This dual timeline worked well for me. I was hooked within the first few minutes of starting this audiobook. The writing is not only beautiful but also gives plenty of historical details. It was very well-researched! And the narrator is superb. I found it really refreshing to have a narrator who actually speaks French. In previous audiobooks I disliked the Americanised French when pronounced by someone who clearly doesn’t speak French.

I also loved how books played a big part in this story. Any booklover who loves to hunt for special editions, who loves to collect multiple versions of their favourite classic, who loves to go browsing in used bookstores, will love The Paris Network too! At some points while listening I started feeling this horrible sense of dread when I knew something horrible was about to happen. Like I said, some parts just left me speechless and with tears in my eyes. So be aware, this book will tug on your heartstrings like no other has before!

Given this glowing review it’ll come as no surprise that I highly recommend The Paris Network to anyone who loves a good historical fiction. I will definitely be reading more of Siobhan Curham’s work as this was my first.

This book was incredibly beautiful in all aspects. I loved how the author went back and forth between the protagonist and her daughter in present day. I loved being on the journey with the daughter to find out who her real mother was and her heroism. I thought the author did a good job of creating exceptional characters and I found myself wanting to continue listening wherever I was.

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
Narrated by Laurence Bouvard

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you can definitely add this book to your TBR. Author Siobhan Curham (An American in Paris), also known for her YA fiction, seems to have unearthed a new-found passion for telling WWII stories that grip and fascinate.

To give you a brief and spoiler-free idea of the book, this is a story that covers different time zones, POVs and countries. We meet Laurence in France - 1940, and Jeanne - in the 1990s in America - the various POVs are divided per chapter, so it was easy to follow. After the death of her mother, Jeanne discovers a mysterious box in her father's garage. She is surprised to learn that she inherited a bookstore in a small village just outside Paris. As she and her father travels to France, the story of a WWII heroine, Laurence, slowly unfolds. We learn what happens if you discover that your mother was in fact a vital part of the French resistance, the heartbreak and horror of Nazi-occupied France (war violence trigger), and the inspirational woman who provide 'book prescriptions' to keep her village's hope up.

Seeing that this is an audiobook review, we need to talk about the narration of course. The book is narrated by Laurence Bouvard, and she is doing a brilliant job! Apart from the perfect synchronicity of having the same name as the lead character in "The Paris Network", her warm, well-paced and engaging narration was a pleasure to listen to. In a book filled with intriguing and different characters - spanning across continents - she was able to, using tone and accent, distinguish them enough from each other. The narration, flow of the story and the engaging writing complemented each other well. I would definitely recommend the audio format of this book!

I will give this book 4/5 - it was gripping right from the start and a truly heartwarming - and heartbreaking story. I do have a few unanswered questions that I won't share here, at the risk of spoilers, but it was indeed an excellent story!

This book is due for (world-wide?) publication on 15 February 2022 and I'd like to thank #NetGalley for the advance review copy. #TheParisNetwork

An absolutely beautiful historical fiction read that follows Laurence, French bookshop keeper, and her journey of defiance and heroism in German occupied France during World War 2. This dual era story is for historical fiction lovers and bibliophiles alike; the prose of using books and words to fight back - it’s absolutely fantastic .

I found myself learning new facts about famous books and their history during WWII; so intrigued that I paused my reading to look up the facts and was simply fascinated!

While I wouldn’t consider this book a riveting page turner that I couldn’t put down - it was a breath of fresh air in a genre and era that often has so many stories that seem so similar.

The Paris Network stands out, and for all good reasons! I would definitely recommend for those who are fans of historical war-centered fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Siobhan Curham & the publisher for this wonderful audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Laurence Sidot, the owner of The Book Dispensary in La Vallee du Cerf, France seeks out books for her customers. As WWII starts the Nazis start banning books. Laurence ends up joining the resistance, and created a book club. Members are aware they are in danger of reading banned books. The Resistance uses her books for “coded messages” to pass along messages. One day she helps protect an American pilot.
Add in danger, romance, and fighting for a cause, this novel draws the reader in. I absolutely devoured this audio. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Siobhan for this advanced audio copy. The narrator was wonderful as well. This book publishes February 15, 2022

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
Narrated by Laurence Bouvard

The Paris Network takes place in two timelines, 1939 and several years after that, and 1993. In 1939 La Vallee du Cerf, France, Laurence Sidot has turned her family store into The Book Dispensary. Laurence's parents are dead and there are rumors of horrible things happening inside and outside of France. Surely the rumors aren't true. Sadly, Laurence and the people of her town learn first hand how bad things can get when the Germans take over her town. Soon people that Laurence has grown up with are being carted away or shot and she cannot stand by and watch these atrocities happen. Whether it's by reading all the books on the banned list or actively participating as a member of the French Resistance, Laurence is going to fight back.

In 1993, Jeanne's mother has just died and she learns she has inherited a bookstore, in a tiny French village, from a woman named Laurence. Her dad can tell her little about this woman because he only knew her a short time but he knows he loved Laurence and that she was a hero. Jeanne and her father travel to La Vallee du Cerf to attempt to claim her property and to find out what happened to Laurence after the village priest handed baby Jeanne off to Jeanne's pilot father.

Books play a big part in this story, both past and present. The banned books give insight into just some of the ways the Nazis wanted to curtail ability to reason among the people they were persecuting. Books became a way of passing on messages among the resistance and quoting books in pamphlets allowed Laurence to spread the word of just what the Nazis had planned for the people they were conquering. As her village people starve, Laurence does what she can for them, including helping pilots to land and distribute supplies to help her people fight for their lives.

The dual timeline works very well for me in this story. We know early on that the woman Jeanne thought was her mom was not her birth mother. But to find out the fate of her birth mother, Jeanne must visit the village of La Vallee du Cerf and piece together what happened there. Now she understands why the woman she thought was her mother seemed to resent her so much. The narrator of this audiobook brings this story to life.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

WW2 drama set in France and later day America. it is a work of fiction and had to keep reminding myself of this. Not sure things would have happened as they did however it was a sweet story. Love story between a french woman and American pilot resulting in a child who is adopted and taken to America. Good narration with all the accents to cover. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

The Paris Network
Author: Siobhan Curham
Launch date: 15 February 2022
ARC review. This audiobook was given to me from the publisher and the author.

Set in the nazi regime in France during the Second World War we meet Laurence who is a French lady and an bookstore owner.

The story starts with a tear breaking introduction part where her best friend from her childhood is sent to war to join the military.

Difficult times engulf the young Laurence her life when the Germans invade her hometown. Times of absolute darkness lie in wait for her and her beloved ones. The Germain soldiers take the inhabitants their freedom away.

Filled with warmth in her heart and dedicated to give her people their freedom back, Laurence joins the French Resistance and with this brave action she risk her own life.

"I'm not afraid
I'm born to do this "
Laurence

And then suddenly there is this unexpected starlight that shines over Laurence and her friends their life. Laurence gets pregnant and give birth to a baby girl named Jeanne. The little girl make them forget the darkness around them.

Past and present alternate each other and Jeanne grows up. We meet Jeanne during her aldult years. When Jeanne attent at the funeral of her mom she finds out that the woman who raised her is not her biological mom.

Shocked by this unexpected encounter that cross her path, she confronts her dad.

Jeanne her dad turned out to be a former member of the American Airforce during the Second World War and that's how he and her biological mom Laurence met in France. When her father admits that Laurence is the biological mom of his daughter, the both of them travel to France together.

Is Jeanne ready to find out about the War past of her mom that awaits her in France?

Every word would be to short to describe my feelings about this book.
All i can say is that I'm hoping with my whole heart that this book would be made into a movie. Every person need to read this book to experience for themselves what for emotions it cause.

May the Second World War never be forgotten.

Trigger warnings:
War violence

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham and audiobook narrated by Laurence Bouvard is an excellent dual timeline historical fiction that has it all: history, mystery, suspense, intrigue, and kept me guessing until the very end.

I have really enjoyed every book by Ms. Curham that I have read thus far and this one is no exception. I guess one could say at this point I am a huge fan. She seems to deliver such an excellent historical fiction novel experience that has every element that I could hope for in a great book.

I devoured this gem in less than two days. What can I say? I was hooked.

The book weaves between present day and WWII. Here we see two separate stories between two generations of women within the same family ( Jeanne and Laurence) and the author does a tremendous job at bringing both women’s stories together and ties it all up seamlessly.

I also learned more about a different facet of Resistance within France…that of the covert book sellers, distributers, and publishers of the “controversial and banned “ books. I knew the list was long, and the “reasons” the Nazis created the list, and the burning of said books, but this novel sheds more light on this complicated and horrendous process. I appreciate the author’s research and ability to bring this subject matter into the spotlight.

5/5 stars for the book and audiobook both

Thank you NG and Bookouture Audio for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/15/22.

In her father’s garage Jeanne discovers information that she has inherited a bookstore near Paris from a woman named Laurence, a woman who is a total stranger to Jeanne. She travels to France to try to find out what her connection to this woman is, only to find the little shop boarded up. Inside the store she finds a silver pendant and begins a journey into the past. In Occupied Paris, Laurence is working for the Resistance, delivering secrets to the allies inside books, and then one night she witnesses an allied pilot crash land in the French countryside. She risks everything to save the pilot, but will her sacrifice be in vain? A beautiful story about people who risked everything to save the world….and each other

Although it took a little for me to get into it, the Paris Network is a great historical fiction for fans of Kate Quinn and Martha Hall Kelly. There were also aspects that remind to of With Love from London—a daughter inheriting a bookstore after her mother dies, which leads to a journey of discovering who the mother actually was. For fans of historical fiction, two perspectives/time lines, and books about books, this one is a solid pick.

Inspired by true events, an epic and emotional novel about one woman’s strength to survive in the most difficult circumstances and the power of love in the face of darkness. This was one of those books that sucked me in from the beginning and didn’t let go until I finished!