Publication date UK format 15/2/22 audio time 13h 50m book 428 pages
I would like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to pick this to read and review all my reviews are honest.
Synopsis
Paris, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France.’ Sliding the coded message in between the crisp pages of the hardback novel, bookstore owner Laurence slips out into the cold night to meet her resistance contact, pulling her woollen beret down further over her face. The silence of the night is suddenly shattered by an Allied plane rushing overhead, its tail aflame, heading down towards the forest. Her every nerve stands on end. She must try to rescue the pilot. But straying from her mission isn’t part of the plan, and if she is discovered it won’t only be her life at risk… America, years later: when Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence. Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square. Boarded up, it is in complete disrepair. Inside, she finds a tiny silver pendant hidden beneath the blackened, scorched floorboards. As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future? Inspired by true events, an epic and emotional novel about one woman’s strength to survive in the most difficult circumstances and the power of love in the face of darkness. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Lost Girls of Paris will be completely gripped from the very first page.
My Review
This was a brilliant historical fiction book that I struggled to put down. I really enjoyed the story-line and the real sense of community that came through from the book. It was so interesting. And being centred around a bookshop how can we not love it. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator and thought she brought a wonderful sense of atmosphere and tension to the reader. I took to the characters straight away and loved the fact it took me on a real roller coaster of a ride. I thought the author did an excellent job at bringing through her story real emotions.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating this wonderful intriguing story.
Where you can buy this book
Amazon US K UNLIMITED OR $3.99 , AUDIBLE, PB $12.99
Waterstones PB £10.99
B&N PB £12.99
Amazon UK K UNLIMITED OR £1.99, AUDIBLE, PB £10.99
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HAPPY READING