The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

December 7, 2024

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

In 1939, Odile Souchet lands her dream job, at the American Library in Paris, where she finds the place she is meant to be and the friends she has been seeking. But the city is on the brink of war and when the Nazis occupy Paris, the staff at the American Library is determined to remain open and fight the Nazis with the power of books. Forty years later in a small town in Montana, a teenage girl strikes up a friendship with her reclusive neighbor, a French widow.

Another book that makes me proud to be a librarian. The novel has a dual timeline, one set during World War II and the other in 1980s Montana. Personally I found the World War II sections more interesting, since the 1980s parts have a lot of teenaged angst. Based on fact, the story honors the librarians who worked to protect the staff, the patrons and their collection. The American Library still exists today. Librarians are bad-ass - never forget it. My favorite quote: "the Nazis shot a librarian? That's like shooting a doctor!"

Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction set in France.

The original American Library in Paris

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

December 23, 2023

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

David is an American expatriate living in Paris in the 1950s. David's girlfriend Hella, another American, is in Spain trying to figure out what is going on in their relationship. David is strongly attracted to other men and is doing his best to fight/hide his inclinations, which are more acceptable in Paris than in America. When he becomes involved with a beautiful young Italian man named Giovanni, he begins a downward spiral that threatens to destroy both their lives.

I have been meaning to read this for a long time. I felt emotionally drained and sad at the end of the book. The two main characters struggle to come to terms with their identity, their masculinity, their sexuality. David knows on an intellectual level that he should fit into the expectations of society, his father, and his girlfriend, yet he is unable to resist Giovanni. His self-loathing prevents him from accepting Giovanni's love and seeking the life he secretly longs for, while Giovanni is willing to throw everything away for David. Daring for its time, still a classic today.

Paris in the 1950's

The Postcard by Anne Berest

April 14, 2023

The Postcard by Anne Berest

In 2003, a Jewish woman living in Paris receives a postcard, bearing only the names of four family members who died at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Years later, she tells her daughter Anne the story of her grandparents and about receiving the postcard. Anne becomes obsessed with tracking down the postcard's sender, exploring her family's history while also musing on what it means to be a Jew today as well as historically.

Part family history, part French history, part Jewish history, part mystery. This is a profoundly moving story of lost loves, survivors, and a family missing vital parts. Not an easy read, but one that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. This title is sure to win literary prizes and appear on best-books-of-the-year lists. Highly recommended. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Prisoners at Auschwitz, the main death camp, where the author's family perished

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

April 6, 2023

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Set in post-World War II Paris, American expatriate Tabitha meets budding chef Julia Child, who lives in the building across the street. Tabitha lives with her grandfather and "uncle" and tutors students in French and English while enjoying the Parisian nightlife. When an actor is found murdered in the basement of Julia's building after a late-night party at Julia's apartment, Tabitha feels compelled to find the killer.

Since I credit Julia Child's television show and cookbook with the fact that I can cook well, the title of this book screamed my name (my mother didn't allow anyone in the kitchen while she prepared meals, although I did learn from my grandmother how to boil canned asparagus for 45 minutes until it was gray slime as a special Thanksgiving treat). It's a decent mystery but unfortunately the narrative is slow-moving. The main character has to explain everything in detail, usually more than once. It's more interesting to show the action rather than describe or explain. I started skimming about halfway through. The author does get Julia's voice right - you can almost hear her talking - and there are fun cooking tips along the way (like how to make the perfect mayonnaise).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Julia Child in the tiny kitchen in her tiny Paris apartment, circa 1949

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

June 14, 2022

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

After getting fired from her job, alone and broke, Jess scrapes together enough cash to go to Paris where her brother Ben lives. He wasn't thrilled to hear that she was coming to stay with him, but he didn't say no. But when Jess arrives, Ben is not at his apartment and in fact is no where to be found. When he doesn't turn up, Jess starts to dig into his life, and soon discovers that the other residents of the building all have something to hide.

Meh. Not as good as The Guest List, Foley's previous book. The author is good at building suspense but the story is very slow moving and not that interesting. Jess is jumpy and paranoid all the time and often acts like an idiot (more so than most characters in books). Read The Guest List or Clare Macintosh's The Last Party instead if you're looking for psychological suspense fiction.

A cool old Paris apartment building

When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris

April 30, 2022

When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris

March 1815 - Napoleon is in exile, Louis XVII has been restored to the throne of France, and Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his family have traveled to Paris in hope of tracing Sebastian's long-lost mother, Sophie, Countess Hendon. At the same time, an international conference is being held in Paris. Sebastian locates Sophie, but comes upon her as she lies dying from an assailant's attack. Sophie had been living as mistress to Marechal Alexandre McClellan, a French nobleman of Scottish ancestry who was first one of Napoleon's generals and now had sworn allegiance to the king. When French authorities show no interest in pursuing who killed the notorious Englishwoman, Sebastian and his wife Hero take it on themselves to hunt down the murderer and bring them to justice.

With each book in this series, we learn a little more about Sebastian's background. This is the 17th book in the series and one of the best, IMHO. Like the previous books, it is filled with fantastic historical details and accuracy, blending real events and people seamlessly with fiction.

A Parisian cafe, 1815

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

August 20, 2022

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Dr. Greta Helsing, physician to paranormal beings, has been invited to a conference in Paris to present a paper about her work. Her good friend Edmund Ruthven the vampire accompanies her to spend a few days in Paris. But they observe some strange happenings, even with a supernatural conference in town. Little supernatural animals are turning up, as well as ghosts of the long-dead, demanding to know where the rest of their body parts are and a rogue vampire coven (they are all linked). Ruthven returns to England to deal with a structural issue at his family home, expecting to pick Greta up at the airport on Monday. But Greta disappears into thin air, and Ruthven and vampyre Sir Francis Varney (yes, that's vampyre with a y, and he gets all starry-eyed over Greta) travel to Paris to search for her in the Paris catacombs with the help of an amiable werewolf and a pair of psychopomps.

Such a fun and clever series! Vivian Shaw has put a lot of thought into the characters' backstories as well as adding new characters that make sense. This is the second book in the series (first book was Strange Practice) with a third book to follow.

FYI, there are urban explorers called cataphiles who explore the catacombs, take people on tours, and even hold parties and picnics there. The catacombs were created when the Paris cemeteries got too full to hold any more bodies, so the existing graves were excavated and the bones were hauled down to crypts below the streets of Paris.

The Paris Catacombs

The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs

June 10, 2020

The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs

Lucia Joyce, daughter of writer James Joyce, was a talented dancer in her own right.  Living in Jazz Age Paris, Lucia is exposed to all the latest ideas, a wide variety of artists and writers, and a night life that caters to all tastes.  But the family has some dark secrets that prove to be too much for Lucia's fragile psyche.  As her behavior becomes increasingly erratic, her family has her committed to a sanatorium and arrange for psychoanalyst Carl Jung to treat Lucia with the "talking cure."

Lucia's life began full of promise, but sadly her talent was never realized.  She excelled in gymnastic maneuvers as well as modern dance, and had artistic talent as well, studying drawing with Alexander Calder for a while.  Lucia pursued her interests to the point of obsession, whether it was dancing eight or more hours per day, making plans to open a dance school, or stalking her current love interest.  She was drawn to Irish writer Samuel Beckett and became obsessed with him, believing they were fated to be together even though Beckett was only interested in her father and did not return Lucia's adoration.  After Beckett spurned her, she transferred her hopes to Calder, although her obsession with Beckett stayed with her for the rest of her life.  While her father loved her dancing and considered her his muse, he wanted her to dance only for him and not professionally.  Her mother Nora did not approve of or support her dancing at all, and after a promising stage debut, her parents discouraged her from continuing with dance.  At the age of 22, Lucia decided she was not strong enough to be a dancer and that she would try teaching dance instead, but that soon fell apart as well.  Without the structure of dance, Lucia's life quickly fell apart.  After suffering a breakdown in 1930, Lucia became increasingly unstable mentally, and she was committed to a psychiatric hospital in 1934.  She remained institutionalized for the rest of her life.

Lucia Joyce doing her mermaid dance

Written in the first person in Lucia's own voice, the author provides a look into a damaged soul.  There are hints of incest with both her father and brother which are very disturbing.  Overall, I was interested in Lucia's life but the writing was a little flat.  There are too many descriptions of Lucia lurking in hallways waiting for Beckett, and also for Calder, although it does help to illustrate her obsessive nature.  Although her biography states that Beckett and Lucia were lovers for a short-time, Abbs does not have them consummate their relationship.  I did love the sepia-toned Jazz Age picture on the cover.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.

The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackin

July 1, 2019

The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackin

Two fashion icons:  Coco Chanel is French, born into poverty and raised at an orphanage, known for her simple lines and neutral color palette; Elsa Schiaparelli is Italian, from a wealthy background, and famous for her whimsical and colorful designs.  They manage rival couture salons in Paris prior to WWII, competing for the patronage and money of the wealthy and the titled while the threat of war creeps ever closer.  Lily Sutter, a widowed American artist visiting her brother, becomes acquainted with both designers through her brother’s titled lover.  Full of glitz, jazz, fashion, and parties, The Last Collection is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys the glamour of the golden age between the world wars.  Meticulously researched, this is solid historical fiction.  Perfect for summer reading, this is another one to toss in your suitcase or beach bag.