“Masterful. Magnificent. A passionate story of survival and a real page turner. This story will stay with me for a long time.” –Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey Living through World War II working in a Paris bookstore with her young daughter, Vivi, and fighting for her life, Charlotte is no victim, she is a survivor. But can she survive the next chapter of … But can she survive the next chapter of her life?
Alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York publishing, Ellen Feldman’s Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary story of resilience, love, and impossible choices, exploring how survival never comes without a cost.
The war is over, but the past is never past.
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Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is Historical World War II Fiction and the years thereafter. This is the story of the survival of a young woman and her child. How will they manage to survive the war and the mental anguish in the years afterward? Feldman tells an unusual love story with a different perspective of the resulting trauma of war. Characters that search their souls and focus on healing their emotional suffering. A realistic story of life, love and forgiveness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. 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. 4 Stars
With the historical fiction section being saturated with WWII narratives lately, I thirst for a refreshingly different perspective with each read, and Paris Never Leaves You had a premise that was promising.
A dual timeline attempts to weave the past and present of Charlotte Foret, a New York publishing editor that was a different person leading a different life in Paris during WWII. Both storylines highlight relationships, “Love” that feels forced, neither relationship feeling organic, leaving me sickened and detached by the graphic sexual depictions and overall hollow feeling.
The more I read the more I disliked Charlotte. I understand she was doing what she could to survive, but I was hoping for a deeper connection with this character, but I was left wanting. This book is inspired by the ordinary women who did their best to survive this unimaginable war, and it is those who my heart goes out to the most.
There were scenes that were incredibly hard to read, with the narrative beginning with a very graphic scene, showing the horror of the concentration camps after the war had ended, and this is just the beginning!
Paris Never Leaves You is an incredibly depressing read, to say the least, and not just due to the subject matter. The overall flow feels disjointed and sluggish, and the dual timelines can be confusing, further hindering the story. The writing itself is decent, but the language and crudity was not to my taste, and took away from the overall experience for me.
I truly wanted to love Paris Never Leaves You, but it was a lackluster and disappointing read, landing in the middle of the road in the historical fiction genre for me, leaving me to continue my quest to find something different.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
(3.5 / 5)
A story of survival at all costs and the aftermath of war and trauma, Paris Never Leaves You is told in alternating timelines. Charlotte survived occupied Paris and moved to America to start a new life, but the past is never quite in the past. One letter is all it takes to bring back a flood of memories and unravel Charlotte’s life.
There’s plenty to appreciate about this book, from the descriptions of life in occupied Paris to the very real trauma involved in later years. Charlotte’s daughter deals with prejudice and strives to learn more about the heritage that has people hating her for no reason. I had no issues with the dual time periods, and appreciated seeing a different part of WWII than I’ve most often read about in books.
You may read some reviews where it mentions the romances in this book–one in each time period. Let’s not kid ourselves–none of this is “romance.” Charlotte’s decisions in Paris are the kind where you can’t really say what you’d do unless you’re in the situation yourself. Her decisions in New York nearly ruined the book for me. There was no need for the relationship to happen the way it did (or at all, really), and I’m just not a fan of infidelity romance. Her reason for not getting off his lap when he gave her the wheelchair ride was a cop-out, plain and simple, and it went downhill from there, for me.
All that said, I am glad I read the book. It brings up a lot of moral quandaries, from start to finish. It can really make you think, questioning how you would act in that situation, both in Charlotte’s shoes, but also in many other characters’. I do think that fans of historical fiction, especially WWII/Holocaust related fiction, will like this book. But steer clear if you don’t like your heroines getting involved with married men. Also be aware, there is at least one slightly graphic physical encounter in the book, though fortunately not very much of it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Paris Never Leaves You was a lovely surprise. I’ve had this ARC for months because the publishing date was pushed out thanks to Covid-19, but it was finally next on my list! I thought it was very well-written.
I’ve read a lot of historical fiction set during and around WWII. I keep thinking eventually the genre might grow repetitive to me, but I’m amazed how each book holds something new to learn. Feldman has done a marvelous job creating realistic characters, characters the reader can sympathize with but still be surprised by. I read this one quickly, devouring it within twenty-four hours.
While the story alternates between Charlotte’s time in Paris at the end of the war and the early 1950s in New York, I never became confused. I enjoyed that the timelines weren’t too far apart. That was a newer experience for me.
And the settings of a bookstore in Paris and the New York publishing world of the 1950s were maybe the best part of the story. As a reader, I always appreciate any glimpses into other bookish worlds.
I’ve noticed other readers have read this story as more of a romance than historical fiction, but it didn’t seem that way to me. There are romantic relationships in the book, but for me they were not the main point of the story. The theme is endurance, and Charlotte’s determination to assure her and her daughter’s survival, no matter what. I thoroughly enjoyed this inspiring story.
This novel by Ellen Feldman is a bit different than most WWII fiction novels. Instead of just looking at the main character during the war, the book is set in 1954 in NYC and the main character is remembering what went on in her life in Paris during the war and also feeling survivor’s guilt that she lived and so many others didn’t.
Charlotte and her daughter ViVi live in New York City. They managed to get out of France right after the war and Charlotte is now an editor at a very important book publisher. She doesn’t tell her colleagues anything about her past life and the only person that knows anything is Horace who sponsored her and is the owner of the publishing house that she works at. As Charlotte goes through her days, there are many reminders of being in Paris during the war. Her daughter has continuing questions about what life was like in Paris and what happened to her father. Charlotte worked at a bookshop in Paris and loved it but business was slow and food was scarce and she could barely find enough food to keep her daughter alive. She met a German doctor in the bookstore and he began to help her. The thing she is wondering about as she remembers this time is how much a person has to give of themselves to help their children survive?
This is a story of the lengths that a mother will go to protect her child. It’s a story about love, guilt and survival. Many WWII books only give the story of the person during the war but this one went much further and told us the story of how the war affected life after the war.
This was a story about surviving World War II, family, and love. Charlotte and her young daughter Vivi are lucky they escaped Paris during the War. It is years later and they are living In New York and renting an apartment above a couple. Charlotte feels guilty about the choices she has made and the things she has done. As the years go by, Vivi wants to know more about the past, her father, and what happened. She wants to understand their background and their religion.
WWII historical fiction books are my new favorite and I really looked forward to reading this book. You will experience life through Charlotte and her daughter, Vivi’s, time during WWII and after they escape to the United States. It was interesting to read about the anti-semitism views in the US and something I was aware of, but had not given much thought. It made my heart ache to think of the prejudices Vivi experienced.
The author does a great job of handling the back-and-forth of the two timelines. I enjoyed that Vivi is encouraged to discover more about her heritage which, in turn, forces Charlotte to face her past and reveal her secrets. Very moving story that I really enjoyed!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
What would you do to survive? Once you have survived, how would you feel afterward? This is the crux of PARIS NEVER LEAVES YOU by Ellen Feldman. Told with a dual timeline, we see Charlotte during the Nazi occupation of Paris, trying to survive as a widowed bookseller with a toddler and then, her present, working for a publishing house in 1950’s New York as she carves a life for herself and her daughter, trying to put the War behind them.
This was an interesting read from a different perspective, and I flew through the pages rather quickly. Charlotte Is a strong female character who survived a horrible time but needs to come to terms with it before she can fully embrace her life and her future. This was a different and unexpected read for me and I enjoyed it and the different thoughts it evoked.
#ParisNeverLeavesYou #EllenFeldman #BookedUpAllNightwin #StMartinsPress
Charlotte survived Paris during WWII. She worked in a bookstore to help support her and her daughter. Charlotte eventually leaves Paris to join a publishing company in NYC. But, Charlotte has secrets. Can she continue to keep these secrets about what she did to survive the war.
This story is told in two different timelines, the 1950s in New York and wartime Paris. And it should have been right up my alley! Sadly, the tale is very disconnected and really did not meld together well. It lacked flow and I had trouble relating to the characters. I eventually just lost interest. I did finish it. I just felt the story needed some more tweaking. And don’t get me started on the romance! I want to insert and eye roll here.
This novel does have some very good reviews. And it just might hit the spot for some people. I am very much a mood reader…so it definitely could be me.
But, this cover is fabulous!
Favorite Quotes:
I hope her grandmother rots in that special circle of hell reserved for bigots…
She doesn’t know if she blames him or pities him, hates him or loves him. All she knows is there is enough shame to go around.
She’s his training analyst. Makes her sound like a pair of wheels on the back of a bike, if you ask me.
“I told Mr. Rosenblum I wasn’t Jewish… I thought I ought to tell him. I mean, after the business with the menorah and everything.” “What did he say?” “That nobody’s perfect.”
My Review:
This was an intense yet gripping read with storylines steeped in angst, despair, and human and inhuman tragedy (which don’t rank among my favorite things), yet the quality of the writing was phenomenal and kept me engrossed and fully engaged. I was hooked – I was starving, I was tense, I was cold, I felt unwashed, I was THERE!
Ms. Feldman’s uniquely evocative arrangements of words were powerful, emotive, poignant, transportive, and thoughtfully plotted. This epic tale involved multiple storylines that laced together toward an entirely unexpected and somewhat indeterminate ending. Each thread as tautly written, mysteriously secretive, and anxiously risky of perilous discovery as the next. Her characters were enigmatic, deeply flawed, profoundly insightful, and entirely human. I was pulled into their edgy vortex of imminent danger and impending doom, not just from the brutal cruelty of the Nazi invaders, but more disturbingly, from the unrepentant savagery of the French citizenry as they turned on each other amidst the escalating tensions and unrelenting subjugation of their occupation as well as the aftermath.
There were several instances that required I put my Kindle down, walk away, and seek solace in a vat of wine… the most ruinous was near the end when I found myself totally devastated by a particular loss, and of the most unexpected of characters. Ms. Feldman has strong word voodoo and a new fangirl.
This was different from most WWII historical fiction I have read and yet, it was just as heartbreaking and deeply moving. The setting is mostly in 1950’s Manhattan but does go back and forth to the 1940’s in Occupied Paris towards the end of the war. A beautiful bittersweet story about love, betrayal, guilt, and survival. Wonderful but complex characters. The descriptions are so vivid, you feel you are right there in the story. It will captivate you from the start.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy.
I enjoy reading books in this time-frame, the time of WWII. This era fascinates me—the struggles and hardships that the people had to endure are unbelievable. And the fact that people were able to go on and make a life for themselves after is commendable.
Charlotte did what she had to do to survive and to keep her daughter safe in Paris during the war. The story was heartbreaking to read at points but those scenes only reinforced Charlotte’s strength and the power of the love of a mother for her child.
Paris Never Leaves You is a memorable look at life in Paris when the world was falling down around our feet. The characters feel real, the drama feels scary, and the descriptive paragraphs transported me there. This is a must read if you love historical fiction stories set in this time period.
Nuanced, pensive, and intriguing!
Paris Never Leaves You is an atmospheric, compelling story set in Manhattan in the 1950s, as well as Paris during WWII that takes you into the life of Charlotte Foret, a young widow who spent the majority of the war running a bookshop, protecting her infant daughter, hiding an enormous secret, and befriending a German Officer who had the means to provide the much-needed food and safety she needed for survival.
The prose is precise and vivid. The characters are complex, secretive, and vulnerable. And the plot using a past/present, back-and-forth style is an engaging tale about life, loss, war, heartbreak, guilt, betrayal, loyalty, forbidden love, and desperation.
Overall, Paris Never Leaves You is an immersive, gritty, satisfying tale by Feldman that does a lovely job of blending historical events, intense emotion, and thought-provoking suspense.
Painful Story of Surviving WWII and Living With One’s Conscience
This story is an account of a young mother who does what is necessary to ensure her and her daughter’s survival in Occupied Paris during WWII. Post-war, she is an editor at a publishing house in New York City and is striving to raise a well-adjusted child while dealing with her own survivor’s guilt. It is a hard story to read. It is very moving and realistic. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Ellen Feldman, and St. Martin’s Press – Griffin. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. This was an enjoyable, slow-paced book with a simple storyline and emotional without too much angst. There are several other books by this author, new to me, that will entice me later. I am pleased to recommend Ellen Feldman to my historical fiction loving friends and family.
Charlotte is a young French widow with a baby, Vivi – Vivienne Gabrielle Foret – who is suffering greatly with the deprivations of wartime Paris. The child needs real meals and lots more vitamins than their diet can provide. Charlotte runs a book store, keeping Vivi with her.
A German Medical doctor, Julian Bauer, stationed in Paris, often shops at her bookstore, and eventually begins slipping fruit and meat for the baby into his medical bad to pass off to Charlotte and Vivi. Eventually, a relationship forms between Julian and Charlotte, and it is obvious that he adores Vivi as well. But as the war begins to wind down and the German roundups increase, Charlotte is desperate to get to the United States, hopefully before it is discovered that she has been collaborating with the enemy. Julian, a Jew drafted into the German military before the war and with excellent forged Christian identification, alters Charlotte’s identity papers to hide them in the mass of displaced French Jewish citizenry and drops them off at Drancy from where she and the baby were able to become refugees in New York City, but lose all contact with Julian.
Horace Field, an old American friend of Charlotte’s father, sponsors Charlotte and Vivi, employs her at his publishing house, and he and his wife Hannah set them up in an apartment in their upper floor, where Vivi thrives and Charlotte, her own worst enemy, keeps herself laced up in solitude as punishment for her sins of the past for the next many years.
Julian eventually winds up in Bogota and Charlotte, traced through the group who helped her find refuge in the US is contacted by a Rabbi from there, wanting a character reference before he will sponsor Julian because of his military years of service to Germany. Of course, she can, and only then does she admit that she loved Julian and that he was a good man. Is that the first step in forgiving herself? Is she going to be able to move past her Paris affair and find a happy place? And is she ever going to be able to explain to Vivi why she has refused to answer her questions about religion and any remaining family left in France?
Hitler Made Me a Jew
This is the story of a woman living in torment of her past and past choices. When she is questioned about her past and her origins by her teenage daughter she finally must face up to the choices she made during an impossible time in history during 1940’s Paris in the midst of the German Occupation. It is a story of a WWII romance but very different and moving to a new romance in 1950’s New York.
Charlotte is working in a bookshop in Paris in 1940 Paris. The breaking of WWII in Paris sends her husband to the front and he is killed in Battle. As she is in the hospital having their first child she hears the boots of the German army in the streets. This is the story of how she survived with her baby Vivi. The ways in which she survived and the guilt and secrets that she kept buried for years from everyone.
When the War end Charlotte’s and Vivi’s lives are saved by pretending they are Jewish and being put in the concentration camp which is liberated four days later. The liberators think she is Jewish and they immigrate her to New York where a friend of her father’s is a publisher at a publishing company . He gives her a job and rents her an apartment.
She is content in her new identity and job until her daughter begins to ask questions about what it means to be a Jewish person and about her deceased father. She is slowly falling in love with the publisher who is Jewish and thinks she is as well. The past sins and secrets must come out in the open and be faced by Charlotte.
The story is about her life and survival, about her relationship with herself and her daughter. It is a bit of a different story. It is a very good story. I read it all day and late into the night because I didn’t want to put it down. It is exciting, romantic and tragic all at the same time. I definitely recommend this book.
Thanks to Ellen Feldman, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.
This book had one of the more unique perspectives that I have ever read in historical fiction. I liked how it was set in the early 50s, because it allowed for the characters to have feelings and opinions that would be more reflective of just coming out of the war. I thought Vivi was an interesting character, and the author did a good job capturing the questions a young teen girl would have, as well as the impetuous nature of teenagers. It was uneven in some places, but could be due to formatting, as I read an ARC on my Kindle. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for the literary mentions (especially Betsy-Tacy). Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC of the book.
Paris Never Leaves You is a fast-paced, straight to the point historical fiction and is alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York. It is focusing on the same character in both time periods. Charlotte and her daughter Vivi have left after the war and are now living in New York City. Charlotte is an editor at a publishing house and doesn’t like to talk about her past. As her daughter gets older and more curious, she wants to know where they came from and who her family is.Charlotte hasn’t been completely truthful, honestly she just let people assume things. But when her daughter gets closer and closer to finding out the truth, she will have to be the one to come clean to her.
I enjoyed this book but I had a couple of issues with it. First of all I just couldn’t fully connect to Charlotte. I just didn’t know enough of her life, and that is because she is very secretive, especially in present time. I just needed more depth and details of what was going on. Also the transition from present to past and vice versa was a bit chaotic. There were a couple of times I was confused in which time period the scenes were taking place. The book was too short and rushed for it to have a big impact on me. Instead of a fully realized story I was getting snippets, and it just didn’t feel complete. I just didn’t have enough time to grow closer to the characters. Also the ending was a bit abrupt and left me unsatisfied.
Paris Never Leaves You is an extremely moving and compelling story of a woman living in New York, but still haunted by her years living in Occupied France during the war. Charlotte was a young mother during Nazi Occupation, and readers are given an intimate, heart-pounding look into what it took to survive the daily roundups, the constant hunger, and the ever-present fear. 10 years after liberation, her daughter Vivi starts to question her about her father, who died when she was a baby, and her Jewish heritage. The two timelines were equally engrossing, as the author slowly reveals the truth about Charlotte’s life in Paris, and her life in New York evolves as she breaks free of the secrets she has been hiding. All of the characters in the book were multi-layered and intriguing, Charlotte most of all, but also her employer, Horace, and the German soldier who comes to her aid during the war. This book is rich in history at the same time it is a wealth of emotions.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Paris Never Leaves You” by Ellen Feldman, St. Martin’s Press, August 4, 2020
Ellen Feldman, the author of “Paris Never Leaves You” has written a captivating, riveting, intriguing, and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are Historical Fiction and Fiction. The timelines for this story are set in the 1940s in Paris and 1950’s in New York. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. This is a story about survival during the war and the guilt and feelings 10 years later.
Charlotte is a widow, with a young daughter working in a bookstore in Paris during the German Occupation of World War Two. Times are difficult and Charlotte is trying her best to take care of Vivi and survive for both of them. Food rations making eating difficult, and the climate and fever of the times have Charlotte anxious and agitated. Jewish people are being deported to camps, and it is hard to know who to trust. Charlotte makes decisions to be a survivor and does what is necessary.
Ten years later, Charlotte and Vivi are in New York. Vivi questions the past, and the present. There are deep secrets that if revealed can change their lives forever. I highly recommend this thought-provoking novel for those readers who appreciate Historical Fiction.