“Sarah Jio weaves past and present in this eminently readable novel about love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I tore through the pages!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker KlineTwo women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale.When … of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale.
When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.
In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter.
When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined.
All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive.
“Heart-stopping . . . Fans of emotional, romantic stories set during World War II will enjoy this heartbreaking tale of love and loss.”—Booklist
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I absolutely loved this book. All the Flowers in Paris switches between Caroline in modern day Paris and Celine in Paris during WWII. Celine, a widow with a young daughter Cosi, and her father own a flower shop. As the Germans descend upon Paris, it is uncovered that the family is part Jewish. Their struggles are heart-breaking. Caroline, who is slowly recovering from memory loss after an accident, is working to find answers to who she is and why those around her recall a sad and unhappy woman. While she works to rebuild her memory, she uncovers letters in her apartment which reveal clues to the story of Celine and her family. The author does a wonderful job weaving the two stories together. I couldn’t put the book down and sat weeping after I was finished. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House / Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio came at the perfect time for me. Having just gotten back from Paris, I couldn’t wait to let this book take me back to the beautiful City of Lights. I was hooked from the beginning, but probably not for your typical reason. The story starts in 2009 in Paris with one of the main characters, Caroline, getting into a horrible bicycling accident that causes her to have memory loss. I too had a bicycling accident while in France, and although not as bad as Caroline’s, I felt an instant connection to Caroline regardless.
Set in both 2009 and during the German occupation of WWII, the book alternates between the stories of Caroline, her memory loss and subsequent struggle to figure out who she is, and Celine, running a flower shop with her father and daughter, Cosi, in German-occupied Paris. Slowly it is revealed their stories are somehow connected through an apartment on the posh rue Cler. Their stories are filled with heartache, tragedy, and loss, as to be expected with historical fiction. At times I found their stories to be somewhat predictable, but not so much so that I was compelled to stop reading. Quiet the opposite. There were small twists to the story that kept me hooked and invested in these characters. A fast-paced read, however, I wished at times for more details and descriptions. I really wanted to give it a five-star review, but for these reasons, I’m sticking to four and a half stars. If you love stories set in Paris, historical fiction, and stories filled with equal parts heartache, love, and forgiveness, you will definitely enjoy this book!
Thank you, Net Galley and Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy!
In the beautiful story, All the Flowers in Paris, by Sarah Jio, you find sadness, beauty, love and impressive determination. Admittedly, I am quite the fan of Sarah Jio, and in my still “unbiased” opinion of the story is wonderful; the writing is beautiful, the two time periods (during the war with Celine and more currently with Caroline) are told with such emotion, angst, grace and bravery. Celine is thrust into the war and an angry German officer while protecting her father and daughter, Cosi. Caroline has lost her memory after an accident and is desperate to remember her past. They come together eventually, This is a lovely addition to past books by this author.
A book that is full of love, hope and unfortunately evil, and you find yourself quickly immersed in these stories, and the lives of the individuals the author has presented to us.
We become personally acquainted with these folks, and we are spanning decades, all the while being located in Paris, France. We begin with present day, but flash back to a horrible time when the building we are staying in was occupied by a German Officer.
I loved how this story is all tied together, and while I was reading each chapter and becoming very engrossed with where I was at that point, we would change, but it wasn’t long and I was back where I was before.
I am so glad that I chose to read this historical fictional book, I loved it!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ballantine Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “All the Flowers in Paris” by Sarah Jio, Ballantine Books, August 13, 2019
WOW!! Sarah Jio, author of “All the Flowers in Paris” has written an intense, edgy, intriguing, captivating, riveting, poignant, page-turning, emotional and heartbreaking novel. Make sure to have lots of Kleenex on hand. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Historical Fiction. There are two timelines in this novel, that eventually come together. There are two storylines and sets of characters that have much in common. The story is set in Paris, during World War Two and the present. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. Some characters are good, and some are extremely evil. There are twists and turns, suspense, dark secrets, loyalty, betrayals, and danger.
Paris is known for its beauty and flowers, and in “All the Flowers in Paris” the beauty is shown in contrast to ugliness and heartbreak in life. In the present, Caroline is riding on a bicycle as fast as she can, and is in a terrible accident with a truck. When she wakes up in the hospital she has lost most of her memories. Her purse is with her and her identification is in her wallet. Many things are so unfamiliar to her, and people seem to have a strange reaction to her. She becomes friends with a Chef, at a restaurant that she used to frequent. She does have flashbacks of a child.
When the Germans occupied Paris during World War Two, it was a terrible and tragic time. Celine, a young widow lives with her daughter and father, a florist in a simple apartment. One of the German soldiers takes notice of Celine. Celine’s father is partially Jewish. Suddenly it becomes very dangerous to live.
This is a story that tugged at my heartstrings. It reminds me of “Sarah’s Key”. I would highly recommend this emotional and thought-provoking novel.
Well written and thoughtful, this is a lovely story of family, love and survival. The story follows Caroline in present day and Celine in the past, connected over time by place circumstance.
The characters were realistic and the story compelling. The stories of both women were both heartwrenching and filled with hope. This story will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.
Sarah Jio has written a beautiful tale of love, loss, and survival. The novel is set in Paris. There are two stories with dual timelines that eventually intersect. Caroline’s story is set in 2009, and Celine’s story is set in the 1940s during the occupation of Paris. As the novel begins, Caroline has an accident where she suffers memory loss and is trying to regain her memory. As her journey to remember her life evolves, we learn she has suffered a terrible loss.
Concurrently in occupied Paris in 1943, Celine is a widow who lives in an apartment with her father and her 9 year old daughter Cosi. Celine’s father owns a successful flower shop in the heart of Paris. However, the family’s situation is tenuous as Celine’s father has Jewish ancestry in his background. The family is outed by a neighbor they are attempting to flee Paris. Celine is initially separated from her daughter and father. Reinhardt, an evil high ranking German officer has taken a personal interest in Celine. Reinhardt decides to enslave Celine in his apartment where she is consistent raped and brutalized by him. The only light in Celine’s life is that Cosi, somehow has escaped and has found Celine. Celine’s focus is to protect Cosi at all costs.
As Caroline is trying to regain her memory, she discovers hidden letters written by Celine in her apartment. Eventually, Caroline learns the mysterious story of Celine. As the novel is brought to a close, a connection between the two women is revealed.
The ending to the novel is so gratifying. I’ve always enjoyed Sarah Jio’s books immensely. Sarah Jio’s delivers again and her love of Paris is quite evident in this book. “All the Flowers In Paris” is an absolutely glorious and enjoyable read.
All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio Split Time Historical Fiction set in Paris, France during World War II and in the present day. Old secrets hidden in an apartment found by a woman with memory loss. Written in Jio‘s delightful style that immediately captivates from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed the characters and the historical storyline tie in to the present day storyline.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.
I love historical fiction and this one didn’t disappoint. Sarah Jio is a new author for me, and I will be adding her other works to my TBR list.
It is written with duel timelines, in Paris during the 40’s German occupation and in present day Paris. The writing is beautiful, with all of the lure of this iconic city pulling you there. The characters are interesting and well developed and the chapters relating to occupied Paris are descriptive and frightening, while modern Paris is beautiful and inviting.
Each timeline weaves a story of love, loss, intrigue, with the characters attempting to maintain and put their lives back together, after the tragedies of their lives take them to dark places. You will love Celine’ and Caroline who’s lives are intertwined, but we don’t know how or why. It’s a page turner, from the beginning to the end.
I received an ARC from #NetGalley #PenguinRandomHouseBooks for my honest review and honestly, I loved it!