Member Review
Review by
Tracey B, Reviewer
If you’re looking for a light summer read, you might want to skip The Paris Daughter. Light, it is not. But it is beautifully written and does make you think—two fabulous traits of a great book. I kind of have a thing for World War II books, so I couldn’t resist it. Plus it’s about artists and book lovers. What?! That’s just the best.
It opens in Paris—another subject I find hard to resist—in 1939. Three mothers, Elise, Juliette, and Ruth become friends at Juliette and her husband’s bookstore in Bois de Boulogne. With war on the horizon, Ruth is the first forced to make a gut-wrenching decision. Elise is next. The book is told from the dual viewpoints of Elise and Juliette, but Ruth remains an important part.
One reason I like World War II books is because they typically force me to question myself. Would I make the same choices? How would I cope with unrelenting stress for years? Would I persevere in the face of heartbreak? I hope I never have to answer those questions. Too many have and still do.
But the themes of motherhood, love, friendship, endurance, and who we are at our core weave together to tell a heart-breaking, beautiful story. Keep the tissue box handy. 4.5 stars (just because it made me so sad) rounded up to 5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy.
It opens in Paris—another subject I find hard to resist—in 1939. Three mothers, Elise, Juliette, and Ruth become friends at Juliette and her husband’s bookstore in Bois de Boulogne. With war on the horizon, Ruth is the first forced to make a gut-wrenching decision. Elise is next. The book is told from the dual viewpoints of Elise and Juliette, but Ruth remains an important part.
One reason I like World War II books is because they typically force me to question myself. Would I make the same choices? How would I cope with unrelenting stress for years? Would I persevere in the face of heartbreak? I hope I never have to answer those questions. Too many have and still do.
But the themes of motherhood, love, friendship, endurance, and who we are at our core weave together to tell a heart-breaking, beautiful story. Keep the tissue box handy. 4.5 stars (just because it made me so sad) rounded up to 5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy.
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