Vianne Mercier leaves Paris after being rejected by her one surviving relative following the deaths her her other family members. She has a passion for fahion and longs to be a designer rather than a simple seamstress. She bravely embarks on a voyage to New York to follow her dream and escape her grief.
The Girl From Paris is an historical novel which It begins in the later days of the First World War before moving ahead to the mid 1920s.
Vianne is heartbroken by the deaths of her sister and mother when a bomb explodes in Paris and her father then dies as well due to his grief. Her brother has been traumatised by his experiences of war and rejects her in favour of starting a new life with his wife. Vianne leaves her home country to seek fresh opportunities in New York and finds herself working for renowned designer Eloise Chappelle, quickly establishing her flair and skill in the fashion world.
There is a big twist which makes for compelling reading as we await seeing how secrets unfold. Vianne also has an opportunity to love but needs to reconcile this with her desire to have a career.
The descriptions of the war and 1920s life are brought to life using vivid imagery and wonderful details about the culutre and fashion. Many of the clothes details were intricate and I think plenty of research had been completed by the author. However, the ending was much too abrupt and didn’t leave me with a sense of conclusion.
Vianne rushes through the crowded streets of Paris as the German bombs begin to fall. As she rounds the corner she sees the familiar spires of the old church burst into flames. Too late, she realizes that her mother and sister are trapped inside…
Paris, 1918. The end of war is in sight, and young seamstress Vianne Mercier is longing for the day when she can stop sewing military uniforms and start creating the beautiful dresses that she has been dreaming up in her head.
But just when it seems like peace is within reach, Vianne’s mother and sister are killed in a terrible air raid. To make matters worse, Vianne’s brother has returned home a changed man. Controlling and cruel, he presents Vianne with an ultimatum; give up her dreams of becoming a designer, or be forced onto the streets, penniless and alone.
With nothing left for her in Paris but sad memories, she decides to sail for New York. Determined not to look back, she throws herself into her new life—spending her days sewing dresses for wealthy Upper East Side women, and her evenings dancing the Charleston to Duke Ellington in the new downtown clubs. When Vianne meets handsome Italian Giorgio Conti, he encourages her career, and she feels safe for the first time since she lost her family.
Then news of a terrible accident compels Vianne to suddenly return to France, where she discovers proof of a wartime secret that changes everything she thought she knew about her family. Facing the threat of sickness and ruin, the people who forced Vianne out of her home now suddenly need her help.
Will Vianne find the courage to follow her heart, return to New York and her life with Giorgio? Or will duty bind her to the family she had left behind and force her to remain in France?
From Amazon Charts bestseller Ella Carey comes an utterly gripping and emotional historical wartime novel about the terrible choices people made during humanity’s darkest days. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Rhys Bowen and The Nightingale will adore this novel.
Author Bio:
Ella Carey is the USA Today and Amazon charts bestselling author of eight novels of historical fiction. Ella’s novels have reached over one million readers and have been translated into fourteen languages. Ella has recently signed a six book deal in Germany and a nine book deal in Denmark. Ella’s latest novels are A New York Secret, and The Lost Girl of Berlin, both published with Bookouture in 2021. The Girl from Paris is the third novel in this new series, and will publish in January, 2022. Ella has a music degree in classical piano, and an arts degree majoring in English and history. Her novels have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. For further information:
