A heartwrenching and evocative wartime novel, perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Rachel Hore and Lucinda Riley.
Two mothers. Two daughters. Two families torn apart forever.
Paris, 1939. Elise and Juliette, both young mothers-to-be, are certain nothing can come between them. So, when war breaks out and Elise must flee the Nazis, she entrusts Juliette with her young daughter, playmate to Juliette’s own little girl.
But Juliette’s world is destroyed when a bomb falls on the neighbourhood of her small bookshop, La Librairie des Reves. Elise returns after the war to reclaim her daughter, only to learn that Juliette survived, along with a little girl – but which little girl? Elise’s desperate search for answers ultimately leads her to New York, and to Juliette, one final, fateful time.
The Paris Daughter is a story about mothers and daughters, the way loss transforms us, and the roads we find to beginning anew in the face of impossible odds.
The fate of three women, three friends and their children, in a Paris under German occupation, is both heartbreaking and alarming. The three women meet through happenstance when Elise and Juliette are pregnant. They go on to be good friends.
Great historical novel. It made me smile and nearly cry. I like how the woman supported each other during the war. This book is about the cruelties of war but more importantly it’s a book about motherhood and the difficult and often unthinkable decisions that a mother will make to protect her children and to help ensure their future. It’s a story of friendship and love, grief and despair with characters that you won’t soon forget. If you love historical novels don’t miss this story.
I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Set in France in WWII it covers so much in history that is shocking and unbelievable.
How could this have happened to real people! As a mother it was heart wrenching. The main characters, Elise, Juliette & Ruth, are all in the midst of a horrible situation and forced to make decisions to try to save their children. They didn’t have many choices but the options were there and making that choice must have been incredible. How were they to know if it was the right one?
The strength they showed, I can’t imagine how I would cope when forced into a situation like this. I had so much compassion for the ladies and what they went through but also for the children. Living within the world as it was must have been terrifying. Still, today, things like this are happening around the world. When will we ever learn. I haven’t read any of Kristin’s book before but certainly will now.
Kristin Harmel has an uncanny ability to seamlessly mix fictitious characters with real world events, engaging the reader and heightening their emotional response. While reading The Paris Daughter, I felt so strongly and grieved so deeply. I was constantly asking myself what I would do in the situations that the characters found themselves in. I loved the “greyness” of the characters; they were real people with positive and negative aspects, making good and bad decisions, just as we do in our own lives. This was the first novel of Kristin Harmel’s that I have read, and I’m now excited to go back and see what else she has to offer.
Two expatriate pregnant Americans meet in a park in Paris in September 1939, the very day WWII is declared. Despite their diverse circumstances, Elise the wife of an acclaimed artist with communist leanings and Juliette a bookseller, form a strong friendship. Of the women, it is their Jewish friend Ruth who must first consider the heartbreakingly difficult decision imposed by the Nazi occupation – what is best for the survival of her children? When her husband is captured as a saboteur, Elise too is forced to make that choice – fleeing south of the demarcation line with false papers and leaving her precious 3 year old with Juliette and her family. Upon liberation, Elise returns to Paris and finds the ruins of the Allied-bombed bookshop, her apartment stripped of art and possessions, all she held dear is lost.
Embittered and haunted Juliette, and her daughter Lucie, have relocated to New York and it is there almost 20 years later that the women’s encounter results in a bombshell revelation.
The story is ‘storm clouds of war approaching’ cliched, the revelation predictable, and certain plot lines improbable. Having said that it is loaded with historical fiction angst and sorrows, and the crash landing ending I was expecting was averted.
Thank you Good Reading for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel in exchange for an honest review.
Historical facts from World War II Paris have skilfully been woven into the story, which has a strong narrative line and well-drawn, believable characters. The primary characters are Juliette, who is the owner of a bookshop and Elise who is an artist. The two become firm friends and the novel follows the lives of these 2 characters before, during and after war. Ruth is a secondary character. She is a Jewish mother of two children.
The story is written in three parts; Part 1: Pre WWII Paris is about marriage, motherhood and friendship. Part 2: WWII Paris is about choices the 3 mothers make, the terror of war, and the emotional fallout of war. Part 3: post WWII Paris and 1960s New York is about surviving the war and creating new beginnings.
I have thoroughly enjoyed many WWII era historical fiction novels but I found this story devoid of humour. The description of Elise’s wood carvings brought much needed lightness and joy into an otherwise dark, heartbreaking and challenging read.
The novel was balanced with a topic that was both factual and imaginative. The first few chapters of the book were a little slow for me but once I got into it, I found myself enjoying the book and eager to turn the page, completing the book in just 3 days.
The concept of the friendship of two mothers and the love all mothers have for their children, putting them first above all. The facts in relation to the war, Jewish children being separated from their parents, the underground helping and supporting those families and the bombing of the Renault factory supported that the author had done her research and included facts and not just fiction. For me being a lover of art, I enjoyed the back story of Eloise and her husband being artist’s. The author’s ability to describe Matilda’s room in Paris and Lucie’s studio I wished I was there to witness what they had created.
The ending of the story was a compelling wrap up and offered the reader a conclusion to the story of friendship, a mother’s love and a time when the world was in turmoil. An excellent read which held my interest.
In 1939, two American-born pregnant women living in Paris develop a deep friendship. Elise is married to a brilliant, renowned arrogant artist. Juliette runs a bookstore with her loving husband and cares for her two young children. The children grow up like brothers and sisters.
The onset of WWII creates some impossible situations where families must separate to survive. Elise is forced to leave her daughter behind with Juliette’s family. Years later, this decision will haunt her as it tears her and Juliette’s friendship apart.
In the hands of a practised author, this story was easy to slip into. The point-of-view alternates between Elise and Juliette. Unlike most WWII stories, it takes place in France, not Britain, and the different perspective was interesting.
Harmel is gifted at immersing the reader in the scene. She has thoroughly researched the WWII period. Read The Author’s Note at the end of the book for more details.
This is my first Kristin Harmel read; it will not be my last.
I was lucky enough to be gifted this ARC through Good Reading for my review.
The Paris Daughter is an exquisitely researched and beautifully written story about the horrors of war, the bonds of friendship and the love of a mother for her child.
What kind of mother surrenders her only child to a friend, whom she has only known for a short while, knowing that this friend already has her hands full with three young children of her own?
I was challenged throughout this book to consider what I would do if I were in the same situation. The story beautifully and respectfully develops the anguish of both the surrendering and the receiving mothers, as they navigate the post-war times and deal with terrible personal tragedies.
I found the author’s note fascinating as Kristin Harmel reveals how common this practice was during the war and also explains how this fictional story meshes with real events.
I love this author and have read most of her books but consider this to be her best so far. I was captivated and couldn’t put it down and was surprised by the twist at the end. Readers of historical fiction will love this.
I loved this book. I have never read any of Kristin Harmel’s novels before, but she has become a firm favourite.
I liked the length of the chapters. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of the book and appreciate the research done in order to include this in the book.
I thought the book was a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of love and loss and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! I am a mother myself and couldn’t imagine being put in Elise or Juliette’s position.
The Paris Daughter is a beautifully composed historical fiction tale of hope, love and the desperation of mothers to protect their children. Set in Paris during World War II, the newest masterpiece by Kristin Harmel, is definitely a must read this winter. The two protagonists and mothers to be, Elise and Juliette, have much in common- they are both American expatriates who have settled in France with their husbands. The women forge a strong friendship almost immediately and lean on each other as they contemplate the threat of war and its consequences as it encroaches upon their lives. As German occupation ramps up in the city and bombs begin to drop, the lives of Elise and Juliette, and their families are upended. The friends make life changing decisions which have dire consequences and are only resolved after a fateful trip to New York once the war has ended.
I would recommend this novel to anybody who loves historical fiction and enjoys reading about life changing friendships.
The Paris Daughter was a wonderful read. I loved the war time story set in France and America as we are often told about how the war affected those living in Germany.
This book tugged on the heart strings, and allowed for empathy with the leading women making decisions no mother could ever have to face. I loved the stark contrast between the husbands and their impact on Elise and Juliette.
The twist in the story was picked up early on but with Kristin Harmel’s excellent writing I was turning the pages quickly to find out how it ended.
This is the first time I have heard or read this author Kristin Harmel. It was a book that made you think about your own life and the strangers you meet. At the end of the day do we really know ourselves and the people we love. What sacrifices have you made in your life for love? I give this book five stars as it was an easy read and very relatable. I enjoyed the reference to books in the story and feeling safe in the bookstore surrounded by books as it felt like home. I did like the paragraph that said : “There must be something we can do.” “You can pray for my children. And you can talk to yours about never turning their back on their fellow man. Maybe one day, we’ll all live in a better world.”
This is a beautiful book. It’s easy to read and it’s a tear jerker.
I recommend to women who have children .
It was set in 1939 two characters Elise and Juliette have a bond which they think is hard to break but then the war breaks out and Elise needs to leave and she has trust in Juliette to look after her her child.
Once the the war has finished Elise then reunites with her daughter the bookshop is destroyed she finds out that Juliette has gone missing and not to be found Elise’s search will take her to New York where she desperately tries to find her.
I recommend it to all woman and women who have children and strong friendship.
I give this book 10 out of 10.