If you enjoy WWII books, pick this one up for sure! I love hearing these stories- as tragic as they are. Soaking up these pieces of history allows their stories to live on and it helps remember the lives that were lost. I think it’s so admirable that people put so much work into these and I especially love the ones that are able to pull out the beautiful love stories that can still be found amongst the most terrible of times.

I thought this book was a little all over the place. I wish it had been more focused. I really never got into the story, which is too bad since it seems like a worthwhile story to tell.

<i>Star-Crossed</i> is the true story of Annette Zelman, a Jewish young woman in Paris during World War II, and eventually Jean Jausion, the Catholic poet she fell in love with. Macadam and Worrall did an excellent job researching this book, and Christa Lewis did a good job narrating the audiobook.

I feel like the title/subtitle and blurb for this book are a little misleading. A great deal of the story focuses on Annette and her family, with Jean showing up much later in the story. This is understandable given that most of the personal information in the story came from Annette’s younger sister. However, for me personally, <spoiler>seeing how Annette dealt with boys before meeting Jean, it was hard to believe that Annette and Jean had the strong love suggested in the blurb.</spoiler> Tightening up the first half would improve the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This title definitely describes the tone of the book. Love knows no bounds and those in love never think twice about what the consequences might be. Memories of war torn Paris will have your heart wrenching for those that lived through it. The author does a great job painting the picture of what the world was like then and setting the mood and tone for this book. This book represents time and time again that family is there forever. I am not going to lie the betrayal is real in this book and something that I didn't expect and I don't think at the time those involved expected either. If you are interested in history, especially WWII this book will have you keep reading to find out what happened to these lovers.

"Star Crossed: A True Romeo and Juliet Story in Hitler's Paris" by Heather Dune Macadam is a poignant and haunting nonfiction audiobook that delves into the tragic life of Annette Zelman and her Catholic poet fiancé, Jean Jausion. Having read numerous Holocaust memoirs, I initially questioned the author's choice to focus on Annette, a seemingly ordinary young French Jewish girl living in Paris during the 1940s. She was just like any other 20-year-old, relishing in the joys of life, dancing, spending time with friends, and embarking on the promise of a long and happy existence. However, it becomes abundantly clear why this book was written, as Annette's story resonates with its devastating normalcy.

Annette was no resistance hero, no defiant warrior. She was simply a young girl who fell in love with Jean Jausion, a Catholic poet, a love that defied societal norms and led to her ultimate tragedy. The book underscores the profound reality that Annette's fate could have befallen anyone—your daughter, your sister, your mother, your best friend. Her crime was loving a man she wasn't supposed to. The deeper I delved into this book, the more heart-wrenching the tragedy became. Annette's life was not only destroyed, but her family was denied closure as all records of her time were systematically eradicated. Jean Jausion, her fiancé, who should have been her husband, was so shattered by her imprisonment that he perished in his desperate search for her. The untold potential of this deeply in love couple, cut down in their prime, leaves a profound ache in one's heart.

"Star Crossed" draws from a wealth of letters collected by the Zelman family, offering a well-researched narrative that weaves together the fragments of Annette's life. The book effectively references previous works to provide context and fill in the gaps, painting a vivid picture of this tragic love story against the backdrop of occupied Paris.

I highly recommend "Star Crossed" for its powerful storytelling and its ability to transport you into the lives of Annette Zelman and Jean Jausion. Thank you to NetGalley for providing access to this audiobook, and a special thank you to Tantor Audio for bringing this compelling story to life. However, be prepared for the heart-wrenching reality that this is not a tale with a happy ending for the Romeo and Juliet of occupied Paris. It serves as a stark reminder of the lives shattered and love denied during one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Star-Crossed has all the engaging elements of a good novel -- danger, romance, compelling characters -- in a true story about Nazi-occupied Paris during WWII. What makes Star-Crossed special is the depth of research that brings wartime Paris to life. Readers will feel as if they are sitting in a bustling cafe with Annette and Jean as their romance unfolds. Even as the duo rub shoulders with famous Parisians, readers know the future looks bleak. Authors Dune Macadam and Worrall infuse the tale with sparkling descriptive detail. I highly recommend Star-Crossed!

We often read or hear stories of the courage and bravery of Holocaust survivors. We also often read about the collective horror of the Holocaust, of the millions of people - Jews, political prisoners, LBGTQ+ people, Romany, resistors, people with intellectual, developmental, emotional or psychological challenges, resistors, and more - who suffered terrible hardships or physical torture, or who perished during that terrible period. Rarely do we read stories of individuals who may not have survived. Even more rarely do we read compelling stories of those individuals. We owe Heather Dune Macadam and Simon Worrall much appreciation for telling one of those stories. Star Crossed presents the story of the talented and dynamic Jewish French teenager Annette Zelman. Annette, one of the many children of a tailor/designer father and a hard-working mother, had a bright future as a student of the Beaux-Arts Academy. She frequented the Cafe de Flore, whose customers included de Beauvoir, Sartre, Picasso, and other celebrities of the art world. Annette falls in love with Jean, a young Catholic poet and son of a prominent doctor, but her future takes a dark turn when the Nazis occupy Paris. Annette is betrayed, picked up, and ends up in Auschwitz-Birkenau. With information gathered from family letters, interviews with her sister Michelle and others, and other archival sources, Macadam and Worrall tell a story that became hard for me to listen to but much harder to stop listening to. Some of the details are gruesome and most are heart-wrenching, yet I listened, and wept, well into the night. As the story became more and more emotionally-charged, I realized that this book may be better suited to reading than to listening. Although I very much liked Christa Lewis’ narration, it was naturally without emotion, whereas my reading of the words would have carried more feeling - my own feelings. But, whether in print or through this audiobook, Annette’s story as told by Macadam and Worrall is one worthy of a wide audience. Highly recommended.

Star Crossed by Heather Dune Macadam and Simon Worrall is the story of Annette Zelman as told by her younger sister Michele. Michele wanted Annette's story to be told and read by others.

Annette Zelman was one of the older Zelman children. She took care of her younger siblings while her parents made clothes. As she got older, Annette wanted to have more freedom for being responsible for her siblings. This is when she met Jean Jausion. They fell in love and wanted to marry. She was a French Jew and he was a Catholic. After announcing their intend to marry, Annette was arrested. This is how she ended up at Auschwitz.

Jean set out to try and find Annette even though his father was the one who turned Annette over. Jean died trying to find Annette and Annette died at Auschwitz. Their love is what lead to their deaths.

Even though Star Crossed is about their love, the story is mostly about Annette Zelman.

Christa Lewis' narration for the audiobook really brought Star Crossed to life.

Star-Crossed by Heather Dune Macadam and Simon Worrall
(Narrated by Christa Lewis)

This was an emotional true story happened in 1940 Paris. A tragic love story between a Jewish talented art Jewish student Annette Zelman and a young Catholic poet Jean Jausion.

Under the Nazi occupation in Paris, Annette and Jean were facing lots of challenges, not only being a Jewish, their families also disapproved because of their religious.

The story then followed along their wills to marry, Annette was sent to Auschwitz, Jean was involved in the underground resistance activity…

The book also uncovered their personal letters. The truly heartbroken story under the wartime.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, Heather Dune Macadam and Simon Worrall for this emotional audiobook.

Format: Audiobook (10h22m)
Pub date: Aug 22, 2023