Paris during WW2, Brigitte and her daughter Sophie are Jews living in terror as the Nazis invade their beautiful city. Present day, Sophie has Alzheimer’s and her daughter Esther is notified when a discovery is made in a Parisian apartment…
The Last Day In Paris is a dual timeline novel set during WW2 and in the present day.
Esther is struggling as a single parent in the present day while her mum has dementia. Unexpectedly she receives a phone call from an art dealer in Pairs who claims to have found something that Esther needs to see urgently. A painting and letter have been found hidden by Esther’s grandmother Brigitte during WW2 as she tried to protect her husband’s artistic legacy.
The book is written from multiple perspectives to show a variety of characters and experiences. The bravery of individuals in the face of the horror of Nazi brutality is inspiring. Danger is never far away in the past timeline but hope continues to glimmer in the darkness as love stays constant. It is the emotional details that really stay with you after completing the book. Esther may not have been traumatised in the same way as her mother and grandmother but holding a family together after divorce is also powerful emotionally.
The historical and geographical details brings the plot and characters to life, and has clearly been well researcged. This is the first book in a new series so there are some plot strands that are not concluded in preparation for the future novels.
The Last Day In Paris is an engaging and vividly descriptive dual timeline book.
Book Description:
“No, Mama, please don’t make me leave!” Sophie cries, clutching her teddy bear as her blue eyes fill with tears. “I’d rather be here in Paris with you, than far away somewhere safe…”
Paris, 1940: All over Paris, families are being pulled from their beds in the middle of the night. And ever since her husband was shot in cold blood, Brigitte Goldstein has known she is running out of time. She and her daughter Sophie are Jewish, so it won’t be long until the Nazis bang on their door.
But before she leaves, Brigitte must find her beloved husband’s painting, which was seized by the Nazis. She desperately hopes that if she saves it from destruction, then a piece of him will live on forever. And perhaps one day her daughter will uncover her father’s legacy, and the secret hidden inside…
Working in a museum under a false identity is Brigitte’s only hope. Until she meets Isabelle Valette, who confides in hushed tones that she is part of the Resistance. And when her new friend tells her of a train leaving Paris that can take children to safety, Brigitte knows her daughter must be on it, even if it breaks her heart.
But getting Sophie onto the train is dangerous. If they are caught smuggling a Jewish child out of Paris, they will be killed. And with the enemy closing in, can Brigitte get her beloved daughter to safety before it is too late?
The first utterly gripping novel in the Paris Sisters series, this is the story of two brave women and a secret that will tie them together forever, as the Second World War rages around them. Perfect for fans of Roberta Kagan, Kristin Hannah, and Fiona Valpy.
Author Bio:
Suzanne Kelman is a 2015 Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Finalist, Multi-Award-Winning Screenwriter and a Film Producer. As well as working in film she is also an International Amazon Bestselling Fiction Author of the Southlea Bay Series – The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, Rejected Writers Take the Stage and The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding. Born in the United Kingdom, she now resides in Washington State.
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