The Ambassador's Daughter: Peace talks after World War I and trouble is already brewing

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff is set in Paris, 1919, during the peace conference after World War 1. Margot Rosenthal has been brought to Paris by her father, a German diplomat. At first, she hates being trapped in the congested city where she is seen as the enemy. But life waiting for her back in Berlin isn’t a more pleasant alternative. Margot strikes up a friendship with Krysia, an accomplished pianist who has a secret to protect, and an attraction to Georg, a handsome German naval officer who is tired of war. As her relationships grow, Margot begins to question everything she knows and thinks to be true. As the world’s leaders gather to rebuild after the devastation of the Great War, there is a delicate web of lies forming and trust is a luxury one cannot afford. 

A prequel to Ms. Jenoff’s The Kommandant’s Daughter and The Diplomat’s Wife, The Ambassador’s Wife is a slow burn story featuring the tenuous period between the two world wars. A time when everyone thought the worst was over and they were making assurances that it would never happen again. Little did they know that the foundations of the second world war are already brewing, as pride, hatred and political ideologies breed division and animosities. At the beginning of the story, Margot is very much a naive young woman despite having lived through war. She has been sheltered by her widowed father and maternal aunt. It is through Krysia that Margot sees the world in its stark realities. Overall, I enjoyed The Ambassador’s Wife. I look forward to reading Ms. Jenoff’s other stories. I recommend The Ambassador’s Wife. 

The Ambassador’s Daughter is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook