The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn is a historical novel, set in the 1920s. There is romance, moral quandary, tragedy, heartache, and secrets and lies aplenty.

This is the second book in the family saga series, inspired by the author's grandmother and other family members. I enjoyed the first book Love in a Time of War, and found The Paris Sister even more poignant and moving.

This is the story of three sisters - Celie, Jessie and Etta, who end up living in different countries and even continents. Despite differences in their personalities, there is a special bond between them.

The Fry sisters are torn apart by the paths they followed.The stories of four strong-willed women are interwoven into one colourful tapestry. Adrienne Chinn has a gift of storytelling.
As Etta ponders to herself that "dreams and reality rarely mirror each other", it could be said about all Fry sisters and their mother. At the same time, they all refuse to be victims of their circumstances and want to create their own fate.

The Paris Sister is a spellbinding family saga/ historical novel, which transports readers to the roaring 1920s. It is a moving tale of compassion, forgiveness, courage and strength of character.

The compelling characters of four Fry women will live with you long after you close the book.

I can't wait for the third part of the family saga (and I'm seriously rooting for Christina and Celie).

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The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn is the second in the trilogy of the Fry Sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book “Love in the Time of War”. I was very happy to be able to read this second book. The series is about three sisters and their Mother. Each of the four women have now gone their own way and all are living in different countries. Etta is living in Italy, Celie is living in Canada, Jesse is living in Egypt and Mom lives in England. This is a post war story set in the 1920’s when changes are happening.
I love how Ms. Chinn develops her characters. They are rich, deep, interesting, compassionate and likeable. You get to feel as if you know them personally. You cry when they cry and cheer them on when something good is happening. I enjoy how the author meshes all these different characters into one family unit.
The settings of the different countries are magnificent. You feel like you are in the wilderness of Canada. You can see the wheat fields, the gardens and feel the wind in your hair. You can see the markets in Egypt and smell the spices. Italy and England are just as grand. The descriptions are vivid and realistic. You feel as if you have been transported.
I am looking forward to the third installment of the trilogy. If it is anything like the first two books, I can hardly wait.
Thank you to Ms. Chinn, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, the author has produced a book that totally captivated me – a substantial read, but one in which I was totally immersed throughout in the lives of Christina and her three daughters, scattered across the globe, each facing their own trials and tribulations, all set against a richly drawn historical and social backdrop extending from the end of WW1, through the Roaring Twenties, and ending with the Great Depression.

The Paris sister of the title is Etta – always the flighty one, she’s now a mother living with family in Capri, her desperate need for money driving her to travel to Paris – initially to raise money by selling her now notorious husband’s paintings but getting caught up in the vibrant social scene, neglecting her original plans and her many obligations. Her twin, Jessie, runs a clinic for the disadvantaged in politically turbulent Cairo – married to her Egyptian doctor husband Aziz she hopes for her own career in medicine, struggles with her relationship with traditional mother-in-law Layla, but has a strong yearning to be a mother. The eldest daughter Celie is married to Frank, and travels to Alberta where they eke out a life on the land, starting a wheat farm – where, after the romance of her youth and her involvement with social change during the war years, she finds it particularly difficult to cope with the constraints of life as a housewife and mother. And, back in London, mother Christina revisits a liaison from her past with the threat that a long-held secret is in danger of being revealed.

Just this once, I really mustn’t tell any more of the story – the author does it so much better, following the lives of all four women and telling it from their separate viewpoints (but always cleverly maintaining the connection between them), and each of the four intertwined storylines was simply wonderful. The research that went into such a vivid recreation of both the era and the locations must have been immense – and I especially enjoyed the blending of fiction with fact as the sisters variously encounter the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald (and the vibrant Zelda), Ernest Hemingway, and Lady Evelyn Herbert, all brought to life on the page. There’s romance aplenty, a focus on motherhood and the bonds of family, strong friendships, a sure touch with all the varied emotional content, fascinating historical detail that never weighs down the story, many moments of drama and intrigue and people behaving badly – and the wider supporting cast is every bit as well drawn as the principal characters. And the story-telling itself is just fantastic, perfectly paced, picking up momentum as the end grew closer – I flew through this book’s close to 500 pages in a couple of sittings, unable to tear myself away.

Could you start the series with this one, the second book? Yes, I think you could – there’s just enough catching up with the back story to make that comfortable. And as was the case in the first book of the series, the ending leaves a number of intriguing threads open, ready for the next instalment – and it’s one I’ll most certainly be eagerly awaiting. The publishers have called this book “an epic sweeping historical novel perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley” – and that certainly sums it up for me. Just wonderful – I loved it.

(Review copied to Amazon UK but link not yet available)

I really enjoyed reading this story about the very different lives of three sisters, living in different parts the world and their mother still living in London. The story is set in the time between the two World Wars . Rumblings in Egypt where Jessie lives, womans rights in Canada with Celie. Etta, the wild one, lives between Capri and a reckless life in Paris. Their widowed mother in London trying to retain her birthright whilst having an affair with a previous lover. It was really interesting to see how their lives developed whilst still keeping close ties with each other.

The Paris Sister is the second book in, The Fry Sisters series and it begins after the end of, The Great War, going into the decade known as the Roaring Twenties and ends just before the Wall Street crash.

Cecelia and her husband Frank Jeffries decide to move to Alberta, Canada, Frank wants to be a wheat farmer on the prairie and Celie is expecting the couple’s first child. Celie misses her old life, taking photographs and writing newspaper articles, Frank doesn’t want Celie working outside of the home, and he’s very moody and jealous.

Etta is married to Italian artist Carlos Marinetti, he's been accused of murder, Etta travels to Paris to sell his paintings and they need the money to pay the lawyers fees. Etta's drawn into Paris’s heady social scene, of never ending parties and she mixes with self-indulgent people like; F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Ernest and Hadley Hemingway. Etta’s not keen to return home to Capri and sort out the latest mischief her daughter Adriana has gotten into and her poor aunt Stefania is getting too old to cope.

Jessie is married to Doctor Aziz Khalid, they live in Cairo, her husband works at a hospital and Jessie and her sister-in-law Zara run a clinic for disadvantaged people. Jessie and Aziz desperately want to have a child, and her mother-in-law Layla is putting pressure on them and you can imagine what she thinks about Jessie’s dreams of one day becoming a doctor. The situation in Cairo is extremely volatile, some Egyptians want break away from British rule and form their own government.

Christiana Fry still lives in England, she has a secret from her past, she doesn’t want it exposed and it would have devastating consequences for one of her daughters.

I received a copy of The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK in exchange for an honest review. It was wonderful to catch up with the Fry sisters again, I read and enjoyed the first book, Love in a Time of War. Women roles changed a lot during WW I and many experienced freedom for the first time, and they didn’t want to give it up. I enjoyed reading about Cecelia and Jessie’s involvement during a time of major social change, cutting their hair shorter was rather radical and practical. At times the narrative was a little slow moving, this could be because the stories told from four points of view and in four different countries. I recommend both books for fans of expansive historical fiction, especially those who enjoy a complicated family saga and four stars from me.

The Paris Sister picks up directly after book 1 with the three Fry sisters married and scattered around the globe, leaving their mother, Christina, back in London with the family housekeeper.
The story covers almost a decade, from the end of The Great War to The Depression of 1929. It’s told through alternating chapters of the sisters and their mother, as well as through correspondence between them.
Love in a Time of War ended with Christina’s secret – one that could devastate her daughters, Celie, in particular – at risk of being exposed. She must surely hope that since the three sisters are so far away, that secret will remain buried. But that hope is about to be dashed, and whether she can maintain the lie – for that is what it is – is a dominant thread that moves the plot forward, challenges relationships, and creates even more turmoil.
Of the three sisters, I really liked, and felt for Celie. She has married Frank and emigrated to Canada, learning all too late that the love of her life, Max, is not dead after all. Celie, however, is a strong woman, determined to stay in her marriage, come what may. (And with Frank’s mood swings and not a little misogyny in his attitude to women working, she has more than enough to contend with.) Thankfully, she is blessed with a best friend, Mavis, who ensures that Celie does not succumb to a life of cooking, cleaning and motherhood, as Frank would have her do. Instead, Mavis encourages and helps Celie to be her own woman in so many ways. Without Mavis, Celie would have struggled more to stand by Frank. You might wonder whether that friendship – as wonderful and supportive as it seems – has actually held her back, more a curse than a blessing!
Jessie is another of my favourites, now in Egypt with her wonderful husband, Aziz, she has to tread an altogether different path, primarily because of his mother, Layla. Jessie understands, and witnesses first-hand, the limitations for women in Muslim society, and she doesn’t want that for their daughter. This raises tensions with Layla who tries to impose her will on Jessie and Aziz. Fortunately, Aziz backs his wife, although he does seem to be putting off some key decisions, mainly which religion they will raise her under. This topic is a hot potato, made even more difficult when Layla meets Jessie’s mother, Christina. The two grandmothers want different things, and are not above using sneaky tactics to get their way. It’s deliciously entertaining to see them spar with each other. Prepare to race through those scenes; you won’t want to put the book down. Their rivalry and one-upmanship puts the political debate of the time (over Suez, and British rule in Egypt) firmly in the shade.
Etta, the third sister, and Jessie’s fraternal twin, is, however, the black sheep of the family. She eloped with Carlo, intending to wed, only to find he was already married. When he is subsequently charged with his wife’s murder, they are separated, he in jail and Etta living with her rebellious daughter and Stephania on the beautiful island of Capri. It’s not a life Etta enjoys, and she spends a lot of her time in Paris, selling her husband’s art work to fund legal costs to get him released. However, the Roaring 20s are here, and Etta is mixing in circles where partying is the main activity. Etta comes across as thoughtless (especially in relation to her family) frivolous and unlikeable, putting herself before everyone and everything. When family members try to help, she digs in further, making matters worse.
Christina, their mother, interacts with them via correspondence, though she does visit Jessie, but has her own problems in the form of a blackmailing relative, and a long-lost love that she cannot resist. Together, the lives of the four women makes for fascinating reading, the pace picking up greatly towards the end in preparation for the third in the series. The story is open-ended as a result, with a cliffhanger that has me eagerly awaiting book three.
My thanks to the author for gifting me book one to read also, and to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book which I have reviewed freely.

This is the second book in a series but it can be read as a standalone. The story follows three sisters from 1919 to 1929. Two of the sisters live in Europe and one sister has just moved to Canada.

I enjoyed reading about the sisters. The chapters are titled with who is talking and the date/year. A lot of history is sprinkled in such as Chanel before it was well know and famous authors. What a time to be alive and experience those part of history before they were history. The sisters go through happy and sad times but all three persist.

As I had read the first book in this series it was easier for me to get in to this follow on book of the Fry sisters.
It could be read as a stand alone but may take you a little longer to get to grips with the story.
I found I tended to concentrate on each sister’s story separately, that way it’s not too confusing as the storyline is over a number of years.
Also it takes place in four countries & told from four points of view.
I do like a good historical fiction book & the author gives plenty of detail as she takes us back on this past era.
Women’s lives started to change after WW1 as more freedom was gained, with new experiences that they weren’t giving up.
At times the story moved slowly as we followed the lives of the three sisters & their mother but stay with it as it is a really interesting read.
A captivating story with many highs & lows as we follow the families struggles of heartbreak & joy at what life throws at them.
Overall an interesting read.

I didn't realise that this is the second book in a trilogy, although to be fair I soon picked up the characters and their backstories. Also this book isn't for me, however this isn't a reflection on the book itself, more the type of books that I normally enjoy. It does flit from one sister to another and to their mother, however this is clearly signposted and easy to follow, however I prefer stories set in small communities. If you enjoy family sagas I have no doubt that you would enjoy this one, it is well written but be warned that it does end on a cliffhanger.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influenced my review of the book.

This is the second book in the series but could be read as a stand alone.
The three sisters are spread all over the world.
The lure of Paris is to much for Etta and she leaves Capri hoping to do justice for the man she loves.
Celie is living in the Canadian outback, a tough life, with the man she doesn't love and a small daughter.
Jessie is in Egypt but can her marriage survive a tragic loss and an interfering mother in law.
The girls mother is in London with secrets of her own that threaten to be revealed with devastating consequences.

An enjoyable easy read. Brings to life the glamour of Paris in its heyday with the title character meeting such luminaries as Hemingway and the Scott Fitzgerald.

Three sisters, two are twins. All live on different continents, all have very different lifestyles. The hard-working farmer's wife. The nurse that wants to be a doctor. The sister that wants to be in Paris although her home is on Capri. The challenges faced by all of them as they live their lives. Tragedy, romance, courage and constraints imposed on females as they live in the 1920's. A contrast to how we are allowed to live our lives today.
Well executed and drawn out characters.

An emotional family drama set during the Roaring twenties.
I have not read the first book in this series, instead jumping in at book two of three. I absolutely need to read book one now.
The book is very wordy at 480 pages, and I loved it. The more descriptive for me the better.
Set during the 1920's we can see woman are starting to stand up for themselves and not be dominated by men anymore.
There is strife, there is drama, as there is in every family but at the end of the day there is the love of family.
This book features three sisters and their mother. The women all live in different parts of the world, one in Canada, one in Egypt and one in Paris.
There is a lot going on in this story as it takes place over years. What I found to make it easier to follow is if you concentrate on each woman and their story rather than concentrate on too many characters at once.
I really enjoyed this historical fiction and learning about the different foods, languages and customs of each country.
The widowed mother has a secret her daughters must not find out. It happened during her younger days when she was not married. Living in London she must now face her past.
One of the daughters lives in Alberta, Canada amongst the wheat fields.
Another daughter lives in Cairo running a health clinic. Another daughter lives in Paris trying to forget her past.
I enjoyed seeing how the women and their mother communicated by letter. Though they may not agree on everything there is always love, communication and encouragement.
The book is very well researched. I felt as if I were right there in the story experiencing all this with the characters.
This is a wonderful, wonderful book. The next book can't come out soon enough for me!

Pub Date 03 Feb 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I didnt realise this was book 2 in the series. Although I enjoyed the story I do wish I had read the first book beforehand. I can't help but wonder if I would have enjoyed it more of I had.

I came into this book as
A. I have a real love for this era
and
B. I loved the cover and the sound of this book, plus I have read the author before so was excited to read another of her books.

Largely I did enjoy this one, I liked the story and following the three sisters as we head into a new era; the 20's, but on the other hand, it fell short of my expectations - which is a shame, it didn't thrill me as I thought it would, but non-the-less it is a lovely story and one which many other readers of this genre and of this author will love it.

This is the second book in the Fry Sisters series, now I did read the previous book before this (still haven't posted my review for it though, oops!) and even though this does carry on the story of the three sisters from the first book, I do think both can be read easily as stand-alones, there is enough back-story information to fill in any gaps which may occur.

I liked that we see the three women on their own journey, each in a different part of the world; Etti has entered the Capri Parisian society, Chelle's new life in Canada isn't how she expected and Jessie is heartbroken in Eygpt. We get a look into each of their lives, which is always a good thing when you have a continuance series like this.

Overall, a good book full of historical detail and thought-provoking moments, not my favourite of this genre but still well worth a read.

When I read this book I did not realise that it was the second part of a trilogy. This answers why I found it difficult to get into and why I found that it ended abruptly and unsatisfactorily. Had I known it was mid way through a trilogy I don’t think that I would have read it. I found it disjointed and slow and do not want to read the third installment.

This is book two about three very different sisters. All living in different parts of the world. The story jumps from sister to sister and at times was a bit too wordy. While I did enjoy parts of the book it was just ok
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Firstly this must be announced as part of a trilogy and whilst it is possible to read and follow without having read book one, I do think it may have helped my understanding of the characters and their development in this novel. The story centres around three sisters who have very different lives in different locations. The Paris Sister refers to Etta who runs with a famous crowd of people in Paris whilst trying to sell her husbands artwork to fund his appeal against a sentence of murder. The story moved a little slowly for me and I found it a bit unbelievable in places, whilst being predictable in others. It remains an interesting enough historical family saga. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I came in on this second installment of the series but didn’t feel lost.
Three sisters on three separate continents weather life, love, and relationships during the roaring 20s.
I found Jessica’s story the most compelling and I liked Aziz the best.
Celia has harnessed herself to a man she doesn’t love and who increasingly become erratic.
Etta hobnobs with the literary darlings in Paris, which held no appeal to me.
Harry was a complete cad and wastrel.
It’s an interesting blend of cultures and relationships.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins Uk for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
I was unaware that this was the 2nd book in a series about the Fry sisters, of which there are three, and their mother.
Their mother is living in England, the three sisters are married and living in different parts of the world, Celia in Canada, Jesse in Egypt and Etta in Italy, though she spends a lot of time in Paris.
The story is told in short chapters, flipping between the sisters and their mothers and what is happening in their lives, they write letters to one another also.
I loved the story and was willing each sister on in their vastly different lives, each of them seem to keep secrets and their mother Christina has a huge secret she certainly doesn’t want exposed . The story moves at a fast pace and what an cliffhanger ending - more please.
I loved this book and all the characters and will definitely be watching for book 3.