The Dressmaker's Gift: a story of resilience and survival

The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy is the story of three women faced with impossible choices during a desperate time. Paris, 1940, the city is occupied by the Nazis, three young seamstresses, Claire, Mireille, and Vivienne, go about their normal lives as best they can. Each hiding secrets. After seeing the horrors of the Nazis first hand, Mireille joins the French Resistance. Claire becomes involved with a German officer and Vivienne keeps her secrets very close to the vest. 2017, Paris, Claire’s granddaughter, Harriet, arrives in the city to begin an internship at a local public relations agency. Still grieving from her mother’s sudden death, Harriet discovers she is living and working in the same building her grandmother lived and worked in many years ago. As she begins to learn the story of her grandmother, she unravels a story darker and more painful than she ever managed. How do they survive history’s darkest times and how will they be judged for those choices? 

Fiona Valpy is a phenomenal storyteller! She has a way to open up the stories of the past through the eyes of those who lived it with all its complicities. The Beekeeper’s Promise (2018) introduced Mireille and in The Dressmaker’s Gift, readers can experience her story. Ms. Valpy doesn’t shy away from the horrors that were experienced during the war. Filled with emotional and heartbreaking moments, The Dressmaker’s Gift is a story of hope, courage and resilience. From the beginning, the story of Claire, Mireille and Vivienne gripped me until I couldn’t let go. Reading the choices they were forced to make and actions that they took to survive, I kept asking myself would we be able to do the same today? What would we do in times of impossible choices? I also enjoyed Harriet’s story as she finds a new sense of purpose and personal strength as she learns her grandmother’s story. I highly recommend The Dressmaker’s Gift as well as The Beekeeper’s Promise. 

The Dressmaker’s Gift is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Beekeeper's Promise: a story of two women finding the courage to fight back

The Beekeeper’s Promise by Fiona Valpy is the story of two women. One lives during the World War II occupation of France and the other is a modern woman trying to put together the pieces of her shattered life and find herself again. Heartbroken and in need of a new start, Abi Howes takes a summer job at the Château Bellevue in the rural village of Coulliac, France. The voices of the past surround Abi as she stays at the château. She finds herself drawn to the story of one remarkable woman. A story that may change her summer and her life. Eliane Martin tends the beehives in the gardens of the Château Bellevue. There she meets Mathieu Dubosq and falls in love for the first time but as the rumors of war darken any hope for the future, she must decide to join the fight for France’s liberty or accept her new reality. Will Abi find a new meaning and purpose in life? Will Eliane find the courage to do what she must to survive? 

The Beekeeper’s Promise is an amazing story of two women who are faced with adversity which tests them body and soul. A growing number of books are now featuring stories of the French Resistance during World War II; but there are so many stories that can be told that it is not repetitive. Ms. Valpy has been able to bring the stories of the French Resistance to life as one community quietly but quickly standing up and fighting back. I’ve read a few criticisms that there seems to be no connection between Abi in 2017 and Eliane during the war. However, as Abi hears Eliane’s story, she finds the courage to move on from her painful past. I interpret it as Abi deciding that if Eliane can face the Nazis with the hope to survive, she can face the ghosts of her past and move on. The two women’s stories don’t need to be similar to find meaning and the strength to say “if she can do it, so can I.” I enjoyed this story so much that I wanted to see both women survive and thrive. I highly recommend The Beekeeper’s Promise. 

The Beekeeper’s Promise is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

An Ordinary Life: one woman's journey through turbulent times

An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse is a story of one woman’s life as she lives through World War II and settles into life after. The story opens on Christmas Eve, 2019, Ninety-four year old Molly sets to write an important letter, a letter she has put off for far too long. She wakes up in the hospital, having suffered a stroke. While she has lost the ability to speak, her mind is still active and alive with her memories. The story then transports us to London, 1940s, as a young, nineteen year old Molly tries to find an excuse not to go out with friends. Little does she know that this night will change her life forever. She meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance and all is right with the world. But the realities of war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice and she finds herself going undercover for the French Resistance and other dangerous activities, all in the name of the war effort. As the war comes to an end and life returns to normal, Molly finds herself witnessing the ever-changing world with a heavy secret on her heart, a secret that only her sister knows. Witness a life of courage, strength and unbelievable love of a life that is anything but ordinary. 

With a title like An Ordinary Life, you know you are on a roller coaster of a life which is not so ordinary. From the opening prologue to the closing epilogue, Molly’s story is one of heartache and sacrifice as she must find a way to survive. At one part, a character tells Molly that war changes everything as time is compressed and stolen. It is so true as the rest of her story is one of compressed and stolen time. Despite the passage of time, her memories are vivid as if the events were yesterday. I loved Molly’s spunk and determination. She wanted a life more than was expected of her and boy, did she live it. An Ordinary Life is a beautiful story of courage, strength and love. A story of finding the love of your life and doing your best to fit a lifetime of love in the time you have because with war, you never know if you’ll get any more. Despite the loss and heartache she experiences, Molly is able to fill her life with love, family and experiences that anyone would consider an extraordinary life. Ms. Prowse does not disappoint for a story of high emotions, personal sacrifice and life lessons learned. I highly recommend An Ordinary Life. 

An Ordinary Life is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

Lana's War: a WWII French Resistance story on the Riviera

Lana’s War by Anita Abriel is a story of loss, courage and strength in uncertain times. Paris, 1943, Lana Hartmann is a happy woman. Despite the Nazi occupation of Paris, she is on cloud nine. She is happily married to Frederic and she has learned that they are now expecting a baby. Her happy world ends in a heartbeat. While on her way to tell Frederic her happy news, she witnesses a SS officer shoot and kill Frederic because he dared hide a Jewish child he was teaching. Later that day, it becomes evident that she loses the baby as well. Fast forward three months, Lana is going through the motions of life when she gets the offer that will change her life. A man offers her the chance to stop the man who killed her husband. The French Resistance needs her help on the Riviera. As the daughter of a Russian countess, she has the perfect background to socialize with the community of Russian aristocrats who socialize and sympathize with the German officers who occupy the area. Together with Guy Pascal, she gathers information and finds ways to bring the Jewish people to safety. She doesn’t expect to become attached to a young Jewish girl left on her own. Will she succeed in her mission? Or will her attachments lead to her capture?

Lana’s War is the second book I’ve read by Anita Abriel and she writes a story that pulls you in and keeps you intrigued until the end. I enjoyed reading Lana’s journey as she deals with the sudden loss of her husband and their baby. At the beginning of the story, she is a woman without a care in the world, despite the growing Nazi presence in Paris. As long as she has Frederic, she doesn't care about anything else. She learns quickly that the war will touch you and everything you care about eventually. She’s prepared to do what she can to avenge her husband and their baby. I loved that intrigue and the uncertainty of who Lana could trust and who she shouldn’t. Even as a member of the Resistance, is Guy a man she can trust with her life? The relationship between Guy and Lana was also great as they treated each other with cold indifference before they slowly learned to trust each other. The story was wonderful, filled with suspense and drama. I eagerly devoured the pages as I wanted to see if Lana completes her mission and survives. Unfortunately, I felt the ending was rushed but it doesn’t take away from the story. Overall, I enjoyed Lana’s War and highly recommended it. If you love World War II stories and stories about the French Resistance, you will enjoy Lana’s War. 

Lana’s War is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Book of Lost Names: a WWII story of survival and courage

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is a story of the French Resistance, the underground network which worked to fight against the Germans during the French occupation. The story opens in May 2005 when a German librarian is featured in newspapers as he announces that he wishes to return the books the Nazis looted from their rightful owners. An elderly woman sees the article and recognizes the book the librarian is holding is hers! She sets out to Berlin to retrieve the book and remembers the events which centers around it. The story then rewinds to France, 1942 when Eva Traube is a student living with her parents. She gets a warning from a friend that the police are rounded up the Jews and shipping them off. Not heeding the warning, Eva’s father is taken in the night and Eva and her mother must now run for their lives. They reach the small village in the Free Zone where Eva becomes a member of the underground network and their dangerous work against the Germans. Will Eva be safe? Will she survive? Will she be reunited with her father?

The Book of Lost Names is a gripping, heartbreaking and inspirational story of a people’s resilience and fortitude to fight back. From the opening chapter to the final pages, Ms. Harmel takes the reader on a journey of heartbreak and danger. Every character was great. Even the villains with their nasty attitudes are those you love to hate. I loved Eva with her courage and resolve although she was a bit naïve at times. Based on the real French Resistance, it captivated me as I realized that people did fight back and at the cost of their lives to save many more. It is hard to imagine the strength and courage these people had to risk life and limb for their cause. As one character notes, “With courage and a bit of faith,” the individuals of the Resistance did what they could to fight back, never truly knowing if it would work or if they would survive. Many of the events and attitudes in the book are eerily similar to events happening today and it saddens me that we still haven’t learned our lesson. I highly recommend The Book of Lost Names.

The Book of Lost Names

is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

The Winemaker''s Wife: a beautiful story during a horrible time in history

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel is a story of war, of survival, of betrayal and of redemption. The story opens in May 1940, Ines Chauveau and her husband, Michel have been married for almost a year. They live among the vineyards of the Champagne regions and produce some of the finest Champagne. News comes to them that the Germans have invaded France and Michel begins his preparations. Fast forward to June 2019, Liv Kent is 41 years old, jobless, childless and on the verge of divorce when her eccentric grandmother, Edith Thierry, arrives and takes to her Paris. The story travels back and forth between 1940-1943 as Ines, Michel and their friends, Theo Laurent, the head winemaker and his wife, Celine, deal with the German occupation and June 2019 as Liv is trying to figure out what her Grandma Edith needs to tell her but seems very reluctant to do so. Liv meets Julien Cohn, a family friend and lawyer who knows parts of Edith’s story but can’t reveal what he knows without betrayal attorney-client privilege. What horrors do Ines, Michel, Theo and Celine must endure in order to survive? What is the connection to Liv and Edith now?

Last year, I reviewed Ms. Harmel’s The Room on Rue Amelie and loved it. When I had the opportunity to read The Winemaker’s Wife, I eagerly looked forward to it. Both books feature events surrounding the French Resistance between World War II. While I enjoyed The Room on Rue Amelie, I loved The Winemaker’s Wife! This book was filled with drama, action, intrigue and tears from the opening chapter to the closing pages. I enjoyed every character and loved how they evolved and did their part during the war. There are great moments which I can’t discuss as it will give away major plot twists, but it is a story of great endurance and survival. Most American history class teach World War II with a brief synopsis of the war before 1941 when the Americans officially entered the war, so I enjoyed reading about the French Resistance and the underground which fought against German occupation. One of my favorite quotes from the book is from Grandma Edith who says, “Many people lose more than they can image, and they find a way to carry one.” This statement certainly describes the individuals who fought against unbelievable odds to survive. I highly, highly recommend The Winemaker’s Wife. It is an amazing, beautiful story with twists and turns that just when you think you see where the story is heading, you’re wrong! It will not disappoint!

The Winemaker’s Wife

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Room on Rue Amelie: a beautiful story of strength of the human spirit

The Room on Rue Amelie by Krisitn Harmel is a story of the French Resistance in World War II. The story opens in March 2002 as a elderly woman is dying and her husband begins to recall when they met in occupied France. Flash back to December 1938, when American Ruby Henderson meets Marcel Benoit and falls in love. They marry and move to Paris to his apartment on Rue Amelie. It is a dangerous move as the rumbles of war are being to spread. By September 1939, Hitler invades Poland and World War II has begun. In their apartment building, Ruby befriends the Dacher family, a Jewish couple with an 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte. By October 1940, Hitler has occupied Paris and trouble for Ruby and the Dacher family. Soon Ruby and Charlotte are pulled in the French Resistance as part of the chain which helps lead fallen Allied pilots out of France. A choice that puts them all in danger. Despite the risks, they fearlessly help the pilots to the next stop along the escape line. Will they be discovered? Will they survive the war?

The Room on Rue Amelie is a beautiful story about the strength of the human spirit in times of great turmoil. While the book was marketed to fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and it does remind me of that story as the French Resistance is a major thread of both books, The Room on Rue Amelie tells another side of the French Resistance and focused more on the characters’ lives as they deal with the occupation of Paris and the harsh treatments of the Jewish. I enjoyed each character as they played their part in the struggle against the occupation. I cried with them when tragedy happened and I held my breath as they got closer to danger. I highly recommend The Room on Rue Amelie. If you have read The Nightingale, you will enjoy The Room on Rue Amelie.

The Room on Rue Amelie

is available now in hardcover and eBook

Paperback will be available on October 23, 2018

The Nightingale: the story of two sisters during the French Resistance of World War II

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is the story of two sisters during the French Resistance movement fighting the German occupation of France in World War II. After the sudden death of the mother, sisters, Vianne and Isabelle were separated as their father couldn’t bear to see their faces and take care of their needs. Vianne soon gets married and starts her family while Isabelle is set to one boarding school after another. War is brewing in Europe and Vianne doesn’t want to think about the possibility that her husband will go to war until he is sent to the Maginot Line. Isabelle is in Paris when the Germans invade and she is among the refugees who flee the city. She makes her way to Vianne’s home in the Loire Valley. Isabelle feels the desire to matter, to do something important during the war. She soon becomes a part of the French Resistance, a network of men and women determined to fight off the Germans. While Vianne is dealing with the German occupation of her town and her home as she is forced to house a German officer. As Isabelle becomes a vital part of the resistance, Vianne discovers she can no longer sit by and let the horrors she sees continue. She helps fight the Germans in her own way. Will the two sisters be discovered? Will they live to see the end of the war and each other again?

Once again, Ms. Hannah has created a beautiful story with a deep emotional impact. Every one of her books has a surprising twist at the end and even though I knew this, the twist in The Nightingale I truly did not see coming. There’s so much to talk about with this book but I can’t because it would give away too much. The historical detail is very well done and as we all know the horrors the Nazis did during the war, Ms. Hannah’s descriptions give the horrors a new light and you are shocked and horrified all over again. I highly, highly recommend The Nightingale.

The Nightingale

is available at all major booksellers