Heartfelt historical fiction
The Paris Daughter
New Adult, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, WWII War Fiction
Gallery Books
June 6, 2023
Kindle, Hardback, Audiobook, Audio CD
384
Paris, 1939: Young mothers Elise and Juliette become fast friends the day they meet in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. Though there is a shadow of war creeping across Europe, neither woman suspects that their lives are about to irrevocably change. When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she entrusts Juliette with the most precious thing in her life—her young daughter, playmate to Juliette’s own little girl. But nowhere is safe in war, not even a quiet little bookshop like Juliette’s Librairie des Rêves, and, when a bomb falls on their neighborhood, Juliette’s world is destroyed along with it. More than a year later, with the war finally ending, Elise returns to reunite with her daughter, only to find her friend’s bookstore reduced to rubble—and Juliette nowhere to be found. What happened to her daughter in those last, terrible moments? Juliette has seemingly vanished without a trace, taking all the answers with her. Elise’s desperate search leads her to New York—and to Juliette—one final, fateful time.
“The universe always leads you to exactly where you’re meant to be, for though it may be endless, there is a place in it for each and every one of us.”
Billed as a WWII historical fiction The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is that and so much more. When the Nazi occupation of Paris, France and its accompanying dangers force an artist, Elise, and her friend, Juliette a bookstore owner, to make life altering choices they cling to a hope in each other’s friendship and the goodness of strangers fighting in small ways for those most at risk. But unforseen circumstances compel them to confront the emotional guilt of those decisions even as they rationalize their necessity. While both are impacted by the trauma and loss caused by war, each will choose to deal with it differently creating lasting implications for all involved.
“This isn’t the life any of us were meant to have. But we are still the people we used to be.”
The Paris Daughter is an accurate portrayal of the heart wretching horrors civilians experienced during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Told through the eyes of both Elise and Juliette, life before and after the Nazi’s took over is a vivid backdrop to an interwoven relationship story which captivatingly explores the personal agony of making life altering choices when the safety and well-being of those closest are at stake. I love Kristin’s ability to connect the reader emotionally with her characters, who are authentic and relatable. Elise and Juliette have different perspectives that will draw you to their personal position and cause you to contemplate “what if I was put in that situation” thoughts.
The setting of France during WWI is also the locale for another of Kristin’s writings, The Book of Lost Names (which I reviewed in 2020). I loved how Kristin was able to intersect Elise’s story with a crucial part of The Book of Lost Names. If you haven’t already I would highly recomment you add that one to your TBR. The conclusion of The Paris Daughter is not at all what I expected (not in a bad way) and I was content with the resolution, considering there is never a complete happy ending when tragedy and loss are involved. From beginning to end The Paris Daughter was an engrossing read and an emotional experience, one that I can’t recommend highly enough even if you are not normally a fan of historical fiction. Kristin sums up her writing beautifully when she added in the author notes, ” When I write my novels, I’m not explicity trying to teach you a lesson. Rather, I’m hoping that you’re reminded of our place in the grand scheme of things – both in the events that have come before us, and in the events that are yet to come. I think that when we know more about the past we are better prepared to face the future, whatever comes our way. I also hope that when you read my books, you’re reminded of our incredible human capacity for love, resilience, and survival, even in the midst of terrible times.”
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
