Member Reviews

Pam Jenoff delivers another captivating tale of love, survival, and buried secrets with Last Twilight in Paris. Set against the haunting backdrop of postwar Europe, this novel intricately weaves past and present as Louise embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind a mysterious necklace and the tragic death of her wartime friend.

From the bustling streets of 1953 London to the shadowed remnants of Nazi-occupied Paris, Jenoff transports readers to a world of heartbreak and resilience. The story is deeply layered, connecting Louise’s postwar life to Helaine’s harrowing experiences at Lévitan, a once-glamorous Parisian department store turned Nazi prison. As Louise follows the trail of clues, the novel explores themes of resistance, sacrifice, and the indomitable power of love.

Rich in historical detail and inspired by true events, this gripping mystery tugs at your heartstrings while keeping you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale and The Paris Library, Last Twilight in Paris is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable darkness.

Was this review helpful?

This is a good historical fiction book. The author provides such wonderful descriptions. I learned a lot about how the camp prisoners were kept and more about the living conditions in Paris at the time.

Was this review helpful?

I am always extremely excited to get my hands on a new Pam Jenoff book. They are all incredibly researched, the stories intriguing and unlike any other I have read before. Which is quite a feat since I have read hundreds of WWII books. This one immediately caught my attention. A Jewish prison within Levitan. A department store in the heart of Paris. How were they able to keep the prisoners within such a confided space for so long. Going through and sorting all the possessions the Germans stole from the Jewish. It is astonishing the insane things that the Reich did. This book was told in a dual timeline. Bouncing between 1938, Paris and 1953, London.

Helaine was always told she was fragile since the fever stole her independence and confided her to her parents' mansion. She has finally convinced her mother that she needs to go outside and take in fresh air, while staying close to their neighborhood. Never in a million years did she think she would meet a generous man that would take her breath away. Louise has never fully let go of her friend being killed within Germany during the war. They were meant to be protected by the Red Cross, yet Fanny still ended up dead. The cause is always striking a chord with Louise. When she comes across a necklace at her new job that looks exactly like the one Franny had on her during her death. Louise knows she must follow the leads and figure out what happened to Franny that horrifying night.

I wish this book went a little bit deeper. Had a more information on the department store and the characters. I never fully connected with either Louise or Helanie and I wish had had. This book is still a fantastic read, nevertheless. It makes you wonder what other secrets will be unearthed about the Reich and why they did the things they did. Thank you to Pam Jenoff and Park Row Books for my gifted copy.

Was this review helpful?

Most casual readers and non-scholars are probably not familiar the Lévitan furniture store in Paris, which closed in 1941 and how it was reopened by the Nazis in 1943. I am grateful to Pam Jenoff for the complexity of her research, which is now available to casual readers in her historical fiction novel, Last Twilight in Paris, which I just finished reading. Jenoff's research brought to light information that most readers likely do not know. I do not want to review all the history about the Nazi's use of the Lévitan furniture store as a Jewish camp, but it is enough to know that in the Lévitan store, Nazi sold the furniture and goods stolen from the nearly 40,000 Jewish homes, which were seized when Jewish owners were arrested and deported. Jewish prisoners lived inside the store and unloaded and then sold furniture and household items that belonged to Jewish people, who had been sent to their deaths.

Last Twilight in Paris is a multiple timeline, dual POV novel. One narrator is a British woman in 1953, Louise, who seeks to understand how her friend, Franny, was murdered in WWII France. The other narrator is a young married Jewish woman, Helaine, who finds herself living and working at Lévitan. Jenoff gives both women a thoroughly established background and history. They each also have a husband. Readers learn about how the Red Cross ignored the POW camps, where British and American POWs were beaten and starved. The Red Cross also ignored what the Nazis were doing to Jewish prisoners. For the Red Cross, Jewish death camps did not exist, although by 1943, Allies and the Red Cross knew what was happening.

I do not want to give away any spoilers or relate anything about the terrific twist at the end of the novel. However, I was bothered by a lack of detail in what happened to Helaine's husband, Gabriel. This is a section of the novel that needs more clarity. The transition from musician to POW is a bit fuzzy. Espionage results in execution, even if not proved. Human lives meant nothing to the Nazis. Simply being suspected of revealing secrets to the allies, would results in a quick execution.

I did enjoy, Last Twilight in Paris, and I read it very quickly. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. I am recommending Last Twilight in Paris.

Was this review helpful?

A woman working in a store after the war finds a necklace, it looks familiar to her. She sets out on a journey to find the owner and the story behind the necklace. When she sets out on her journey she finds unexpected danger. If you like historical fiction this is a good choice for you. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @Netgalley and @HarlequinTradePub for this ARC. Louise works in a second hand shop and comes across a necklace in one of the rubbish bins. She knows she has seen this necklace before in the hands of a friend before her questionable death Now she needs find out where the necklace is from, who it belongs to and how it ended up in her shop. Another amazing story from @PamJenoff. #LastTwilightinParis #PamJenoff #Feb2025

Was this review helpful?

Based on the unlikely topic of a once glamorous department store, Levitan, turned into a Nazi prison during the German occupation, this is a book I could not put down. There are two narratives, a decade apart which are wonderfully described, involving a mysterious necklace, love and survival. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Pam Jenoff is by far one of my favorite authors. No one writes more beautiful and touching WWII novels and Last Twilight in Paris was no exception.
The plot was fresh and unique and I enjoyed seeing how she connected Helaine and Louise's stories. I look forward to purchasing this book for our library when it's released.

Five stars! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Was this review helpful?

Louise, a wife and mother raising a family in post-World War II England, discovers a necklace in a box marked with the name of a Parisian department store. Louise is sure she has seen the necklace before. Louise, who worked with the Red Cross during the war, is determined to find out more about the necklace. She leaves her family and travels to Paris. The story moves fluidly from WW II to post-war. The story is told from the point of view of Helaine, a young Jewish woman living in Paris during WWII, and Louise, who lives in post-war England. Their stories are connected. As the story unfolds t, the reader learns about the horrors of the war, women being held prisoner in a Parisian department store selling stolen goods taken from Jewish homes. And Louise’s time serving the Red Cross during the war. As the story unfolds, more is revealed about the women, the war, and their connection. There are twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This is a wonderful historical novel that is both heartbreaking and life-affirming. It's a book not to be missed.
I

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to HTP and Park Row Books for my advanced copy of Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff.

This is a World War II historical fiction set in 1950s London when Louise finds a necklace that reminds her of her time working with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe that sets her to find out more. It leads her to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there.

Pam Jenoff writes some of great World War II historical fiction and I have heard references to Lévitan so that's what drew me into this book. I liked that aspect of the book a lot more than the mystery, but liked how the story unfolded. This book had different aspects of WWII historical fiction that was different which i liked.

Was this review helpful?

Louise, a British wife and mother and Helaine, a Parisian Jew never met during WWII but their lives intersect as Louise discovers a necklace that she had last seen with her murdered friend in Germany. Excellent!

Was this review helpful?

The Last Twilight in Paris is an intense story of love, loss and treachery set in World War 2 and the decade after. Louise was a Red Cross volunteer during the war, distributing care packages to officers in German POW camps. Ten years later Louise is a housewife whose husband, like many others, came back from the war deeply scarred. While helping a friend in a second hand shop Louise comes across a necklace that she’s certain she has seen before, during the war. Helaine is a young Jewish woman in Paris, whose cellist husband disappears during a supposed concert tour in Germany. Franny is Louise’s friend an fellow Red Cross volunteer. An accomplished performer, Franny sings for those incarcerated in German camps. When Franny is killed by a hit and run driver Louise’s life is turned upside down. She doesn’t believe it’s an accident, and wonders what who the man Franny was speaking with just before her death and whether it has any connection to the necklace. Louise becomes obsessed with finding out the story of the necklace and convinces her husband to let her go to Paris for a few days to see what she can track down. She reaches out to her old boss Ian at the Red Cross to see if he can help, But Ian has moved on the greater things, and while he agrees to help, she finds that her personal attraction to Ian is still strong. But Ian is less than helpful and she doesn’t understand his resistance to looking for the owner of the necklace. Alternating between Helaine’s story and Louise's story, as we learn what happened to Franny, and the story of the Levitan, a department store come prison camp. The Last Twilight in Paris draws you in and never lets go. Compelling, heartbreaking, Last Twilight in Paris brings to life a little known story that deserves to be told.

Was this review helpful?

This is a brilliantly written book! I won’t lie; I requested this book for the Romance aspect, but I stayed for the captivating story. If you are a history buff, particularly World War II, this is the book for you. I was enraptured by both Louise and Helaine as they maneuvered their separate war-time experiences. The characters are easy to root for and the plot makes it impossible to put down. This is a must read!!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book. There seems to be an insatiable appetite for WWII fiction, and this title happily fills that need. Well researched, the novel is both historical fiction and mystery connecting 2 women during the war who both have an interest in a locket that forms a whole when connected to its companion piece. A French home goods department store serves as the setting for much of the book. Less harsh than concentration camps to the east, prisoners still worked grueling hours w little food sorting items stolen from wealthy Jews and sold to SS officers. An unexpected twist and sharing history man of us most likely did not know. Highly recommended for all public libraries.

Was this review helpful?

Such a beautiful historical fiction story based on the real drama of the Lévitan department store during the German occupation of Paris. Intertwined tales pulse with passion, deception, murder, and redemption. A must read for WWII fans who love a different perspective of the daily life sagas.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I will read anything Pam Jenoff writes. No one writes more beautiful and touching WWII novels and Last Twilight in Paris had the most interesting story line. I absolutely loved how she connected Helaine and Louise's stories and the ending was just so beautiful and touching.

Five stars! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Was this review helpful?

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
ALL THE FREAKING STARS!! Oh my heart! Jenoff sure does know how to write an emotionally moving book. I am a huge fan of her work and I think I own just about all over her books, and I have loved every single one of them. Jenoff is one of my all time favorite authors, her writing is beautiful, her research is top notch, and her way of storytelling and painting a mental image in the readers head is magical. This book made me feel all the feels from sadness, happiness, hope, and anger. I love historical fiction books that are centered around WWII, such as this one. Jenoff’s characters are always so well developed and I always find myself so invested. I adored the two MC’s in this book, Louise and Helaine. I enjoyed the alternative POVs and dual timelines between the two MC’s, one of which takes place during the war, and the other takes place right after the war. There is also a bit of mystery weaved throughout as well which centers around a special necklace. Don’t judge me, but I may have even teared up at the ending. Ohhhh how I adore you and your books Pam! Thank you for sharing your amazingly beautiful talent with us all to enjoy and cherish💓


𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦A book that will tear at your emotions
✦Amazing characters that are so well developed and easy to connect with
✦A beautifully written and well research historical fiction book centered around WWII
✦A bit of mystery and romance weaved throughout

Was this review helpful?

The Last Twilight in Paris is a WWII, historical fiction mystery that connects two women a decade after the war. The story begins in Paris in 1943, when we meet Helaine who is being imprisoned in a former Parisian department store called Levitan where prisoners sort items taken from Hewish families to be sold to the Germans.

Then in London in 1953, we meet Louise. She works at a second hand shop and discovers a necklace in one of the donation boxes that she had seen before, years earlier, while working for the Red Cross during the war. Louise believes that this necklace may be a clue to answers about her friend, Franny’s mysterious death during the war.

This emotional story is written in dual timeline and dual POV. It is a mystery with many unexpected twists. This story is one of friendship, love, sacrifice and survival. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not put it down. Historical fiction fans will definitely want to pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Last Twilight in Paris in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This latest book from one of my favorite historical fiction authors was engrossing. I enjoyed the dual timelines, especially because there weren't many years between the two stories, and because they revealed another side to the realities of survivors of the war . The story line of Louise, who had worked for the Red Cross in Europe during WWII, was especially interesting, Overall, a really interesting story and characters.

Was this review helpful?

Another great read from Pam Jenoff. I really enjoyed this one. Thank you to the publisher and author for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?