“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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After World War Two ends, Parisienne Charlotte Foret comes to live in New York with her daughter Vivi. Though she now has a good job and a good home, she is beset by guilt for the things she had to do to survive as a young widow with an eighteen-month-old child in a city overrun by Nazis. In this lovely, memorable novel, Charlotte confronts her past transgressions and emotions in order to live fully in the present.
Ellen Feldman’s Paris Never Leaves You is a well-written, character-driven novel told through the thoughts of Charlotte Foret. The story alternates in time and place between German-occupied Paris in 1944 and New York in the 1950s.
In Paris, Charlotte is a young widow with an infant daughter, Vivienne. She runs a bookstore with her friend Simone who also has an infant daughter, Sophie. Food and goods are hard to come by in the occupied city, and most residents suffer from malnutrition. Arrests by the German soldiers for the slightest infraction are common, as are nighttime raids where people are pulled from their homes for no reason and taken away, or shot. The bloodlust of the soldiers seems to feed on itself and violence increases. The people in the occupied city face moral dilemmas as to what they are willing to do to survive. It is a horrific and fearful time.
In New York, Charlotte works as an editor for Gibbon and Field a prestigious publishing house. She and Vivienne, freed from a camp at war’s end, were sponsored to come to America by Horace Field, a friend of her father, who is one of the owners of the publishing house. Charlotte and her daughter live on the top floor of the brownstone that Horace and his wife Hannah own. Now that she’s older, Vivienne becomes more curious about her extended family, her faith, and what happened during the war. Charlotte finds that she cannot escape the past, particularly the guilt that plagues her for decisions she made so that she and Vivienne could survive.
Feldman is skilled at painting the scenes of both time periods, making the characters realistic, and covering a wide range of emotions throughout the book. There were some twists and surprises too. I particularly like that she shows moral situations from both sides during 1944.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to others without hesitation!
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for allowing me to read an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Paris Never Leaves You is my first introduction to the talents of Ellen Feldman. After this, it will not be the last. I thought it was a pretty good read. World War II era books are becoming one of my go to genres lately and I was not disappointing with this story. I loved the historical details that made me feel like I was right there within the scenes and living with the characters. It was great to be transported back in time to see what it was like back then.
I am giving Paris Never Leaves You four and a half stars. I will be looking for more by Ellen Feldman in the future. I recommend this one for historical fiction lovers. It is most definitely worth a read.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is one of those books that you feverishly devour, and yet the big reveal leaves you with a “huh, I didn’t see that one coming” feeling. Not a mystery, but there is a skeleton in the closet, and those rattling bones kept me engaged and wondering.
Charlotte and daughter, Vivi, survive the Occupation of France and the Holocaust. They land in America after the war due to a sponsorship from a family friend. I was intrigued by Charlotte’s efforts to protect Vivi and ensure her survival through the occupation. The picture of life in Paris during the occupation is stark and scary. I could feel the weight of the daily dread, and I could hear the hunger in the bellies of every Parisienne. Equally engaging was Charlotte’s closed-off life in America working for a publishing house owned by her sponsor. A ghost from her past visits in the form of a letter, and that letter starts Charlotte thinking of the past and hallucinating in the present.
This book gives a very different perspective of the war and especially of life after the war. I found that I felt equally repulsed by the characters’ choices and compassionate toward their motives. There are strong messages of survivors’ guilt, and the long-term effects of war. The dual timeline of the story allows Charlotte to slowly divulge her experiences during the occupation as well as her struggle raising a daughter on her own. Her sponsor and his wife have become employer, landlord, and daycare providers, and yet there is tension.
A unique story that left me with strong feelings that keep jumping to the forefront of my mind. I loved the unique perspective and the very different twist on a WWII story.
This book is a Wonderful WWII historical from a different perspective to others that I have read. These times are a hard subject as everyone knows but Ellen Feldman shows it in a tasteful, heartfelt way. The book follows Charlotte and her daughter Vivi from Paris 1944 thru the end of war to NYC 1954. I t is a complex well written story covering all the fears, feelings and different views. I really enjoyed this story. ( as much as one “enjoys” this subject) Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Ellen Feldman or the ARC ebook of this story. This review is soley my opinions.
This book was too difficult to follow. It didn’t flow well between the timelines and Charlotte’s memories. I gave up about 7 chapters in and quickly skimmed the rest. There are many well written, dual-timeline WWII books out there, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them (at least not for me). Others seemed to have enjoyed it, so take my opinion for what it is, just mine.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is a quick reading page-turner filled with conflicted characters who are damaged survivors of WWII.
In occupied Paris, Charlotte runs her family’s book shop. A war widow, she struggles to keep her baby daughter Vivi alive. A German army doctor visits the shop and takes an interest in her baby daughter, secreting in food and medicine. Charlotte reluctantly accepts his gifts and trust and friendship grow, putting them both at risk.
Years later, Charlotte’s choices come back to haunt her in her new life in New York City where she works for a publishing house. Teenaged Vivi is pressing to know more about her father and heritage. Charlotte’s boss, a paraplegic, knows that war destroyed the enlightened man he had been. Charlotte has been trashing the unopened letters from the German doctor.
I appreciated how Feldman incorporated less known WWII history, including the privations of occupied France and post-war retaliation against collaborators. Her handling of the character’s moral struggles was of special interest to me. There are several strong romance stories that will appeal to readers of women’s fiction.
Surviving the war brings guilt for having survived, their decisions and actions kept secret. Admitting their shameful truths brings healing and the possibility of a new life.
I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is a heart-breaking story of Paris during its occupation by the Nazis. It is the story of people who were survivors, having not survived in ways, which made people respect them. It is also the aftermath of the survival: not always pretty. People tend to think that the cruelties were all about concentration camps. Sadly, this is not the case. Rampant cruelty took place on the streets and behind closed doors. It happened to men, to women, to children. People survived as best they could, often betraying themselves in order to survive. People lied to save others, too. It was a ghastly time.
Charlotte was a young mother managing a bookstore for a friend. Working with her was her friend, Simone who is not only Jewish, but also outspoken and radical. It wasn’t long before she had been arrested. A young German officer, a doctor, began visiting the bookstore. He was an eclectic reader…odd for a Nazi. He brought food for her and Vivi. Eventually they became lovers. He saved their lives…it is a complicated story. This story is told in flashbacks. The real story takes place in New York City, ten years after the war. Charlotte is working in a publishing house, run by Horace, a publishing contact of her father’s from Europe before the war. He also sponsored her and Vivi’s entry into the United States. He and his wife, Hannah, were her landlords. They lived in the top floor of Horace and Hannah’s brownstone. Life was good, but the war was always there, in the background. Then, the letter arrived. The letter that brought it all back.
Relationships are complicated. Lies make them worse. Her relationship with Vivi was not the same as Vivi’s with Hannah. Sometimes Hannah was more of a mother than Charlotte was. Of course, she didn’t know the whole story. Vivi was a young teenager, searching for her identity. Charlotte was also searching for hers. Some of the lies had to be revealed. Horace and Hannah had a good marriage, or so it seemed. Cracks appeared. It was so exhilarating and so tragic at the same time. The characters were phenomenal…so complex…so interesting…so mired in lies. This is a heartbreaking and a heart-warming book. It is a love story, several love stories. The author did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life, including the back-stories that made them who they were. I highly recommend it.
I received a free ARC of Paris Never Leaves You from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #parisneverleavesyou
Paris Never Leaves You is as much historical romance as historical fiction or women’s fiction, which works for this story. The storyline is emotional, and it’s impossible to read about Charlotte’s determination to survive and protect her daughter without feeling the emotion of the story. Ellen Feldman did a great job of showing Charlotte’s survivor’s guilt as well as her relationship with her daughter. The story moves between two timelines, and while the switch was sometimes a bit abrupt, both timelines were interesting. The story is easy to follow, and the characters are well-drawn and made me want to see how things would come out for them. All in all, Paris Never Leaves You is an engaging historical romance from Ellen Feldman. It’s well written, and I would check out other books by this author.
Paris Never Leaves You alternates between WWII in France and 1950s New York. I usually enjoy anything written about WWII so I was looking forward to this book. However, It didn’t really capture my interest the way the description promised it would.
Charlotte and her infant daughter survived wartime France but some of her choices to do that cost her dearly. Now working in publishing in 1950s New York Charlotte seems to have survived the wartime horrors and made a good life for herself and her teenage daughter. However, things aren’t as smooth as they seem. Charlotte lives in the past a lot and she and her daughter don’t seem that close and are isolated from others.
I read in the author’s notes that because we always seem to read about the extraordinary heroes her goal was to write about an ordinary woman instead, the average person just caught up in things. Unfortunately, even though Charlotte really isn’t ordinary, she’s also not very interesting or likable. She seems to have slid into her choices more than intentionally made them, doesn’t seem happy, and is often curt or sarcastic with her daughter. She is a woman shrouded in secrets but the jumping back and forth in time didn’t make me particularly sympathetic to her or want to learn what the secrets were. You never get a feel of the fear and danger and horrors of the war, or of her struggles in New York. None of the characters are very compelling.
To say much more would introduce spoilers. Perhaps there are just too many WWII stories out there now or too many of them are focusing more on historical romance than historical fiction and I need to just take a break. Others may very well thoroughly enjoy this story. It just wasn’t for me.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing an advance copy via NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Told in alternating timelines of Paris during the ‘40s, and New York in the ‘50s, we follow Charlotte’s unwavering protection of her daughter, Vivi, during the war and her desire to protect her from the past a decade later. Those who worked with the Germans faced harsh repercussions from their fellow man. Charlotte is doing what she thinks is best to feed her daughter, who is withering away by the time that part of the story starts. But it’s a dangerous business working with a German officer, no matter how good that man’s intentions may seem.
In the book’s present-day, Charlotte doesn’t want to face the past and what she did. She hides in shame for her actions. Actions we might not see as shameful but weren’t in her position to judge. Vivi is a good daughter, and she’s incredibly smart. She desires to know more about her father who lost his life to the war. She wants to know more about her heritage, which her mother would rather keep buried.
I enjoyed this one more than others, and perhaps it’s because I read a lot of WW2 historical fiction that I’m able to enjoy Charlotte’s unique voice. Feldman gave us Charlotte’s life during the war, which didn’t wholly reflect that of others. It doesn’t show fully what is happening to the Jews, and that’s okay. The big story here is a mother’s fierce protection of their child and living with the guilt that comes with Charlotte’s situation. I find her guilt raw and honest. Part historical, part romance, this is a well-written, enjoyable read. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along!
This was a very enjoyable book. A well written tale of a middle class family, living in a small English suburb. Emily is a Professor of Communications at the local University, Eric is an engineer currently working in London and home on weekends. Their son Daniel is a talented and up and coming tennis star, while his younger sister Zara is a introverted teenager, struggling to make friends and get out of Daniel’s shadow. The marriage is rocky and damaged by
Eric’s drinking and the job away from home.
A work colleague Janet is fixated on Daniel, dangerously so, and her willful daughter Brittany is a bad influence on the impressionable Zara. Many secrets and lies have infiltrated this cast of characters and a blowup is bound to happen.
Carol Mason is a skillful storyteller and has brought strong characters into this book. The tale of lies and deceit festers to a breaking point and the result is a real page turner.
My thanks to #LakeUnionPublishing and #NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own. A book worth the journey!
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is the first book I have read by this author it won’t be the last. This was a very enjoyable read. Ms. Feldman wrote a wonderful story which drew me right in and did not let me go until I turned the last page. I could not put this book down. The story was well written the characters well developed. I highly recommend this boo for historical fiction fans.
Thank you in advance to Library Thing, as well as the publisher – St. Martin’s Press Griffin – for this advanced review copy. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
Since last year, I’ve been trying to branch out my reading genres. I have read SEVERAL World War II stories as there have been so many – ones that focused on the Holocaust and the victims (“The Lilac Girls”, “Tattooist of Auschwitz”, “Cilka’s Journey”); ones that focus on the Allies (“The Land Beneath Us” – one of the best “allies” stories out there); post-war (“The German House”, “Paris Never Leaves You”). Sadly the only one I’ve liked so far was “The Land Beneath Us”, and it wasn’t because it was mostly about the “good guys” or a romance. Most of the books had great potential, but the delivery was poorly executed.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the blurb – a mother (Charlotte) and daughter (Vivi) not only surviving the war in Paris, but trying to survive post-war America. I was truly interested in this story and was looking forward to reading it.
A book about a former Parisian bookseller, who now works for a book publisher, was definitely an interesting plotline as well.
To be honest – I don’t know how to classify this one. Was it a historical romance, historical fiction … what kind of book was it? Where was it going? What was the author trying to tell me with this story? My questions remain unanswered.
While I ended up finishing it, I was left with a neutral feeling. I didn’t know whether to like it or hate it. I was (and still am) quite ambivalent about this book. I wasn’t really moved by it at all. What’s sad is the striking cover (along with the blurb) made this seem so interesting. I wasn’t sure where it was going and it didn’t feel hopeful. Even at the end there was little to celebrate. I also didn’t feel any kind of connection to the characters. This was like a hollow chocolate confection – decorated on the outside, empty on the inside. As the writer is one I haven’t read before, I can’t compare how this novel measures up to previous work.
This is a brutal and haunting story about one of the darkest periods of our history. This was a bit of a compelling read, and I wanted to continue reading to see it through. However there were times it was simply too much to read through.
I am assuming the title stems from what Charlotte went through in Paris during the war, and the lingering effects in this dual timeline read.
The prologue begins in 1944 Paris where Charlotte witnesses a horrendous scene with a woman being tortured in a graphic scene. The book offers yet another glimpse into the atrocities.
In the first chapter, it is now 1954 in New York, and Charlotte is working for her father’s friend in the publishing business. Charlotte and now teenage Vivi are staying in an apartment of the building where Charlotte’s boss Horace lives. Horace’s wife Hannah is also there to help them. But, Charlotte is still having a hard time settling into life in America.
It is in the beginning that Charlotte gets a letter that reminds her of that time back in the early 1940’s and reminds her of a past she wants to forget. But, that isn’t the only thing causing the remembrances. Charlotte’s daughter Vivi wants to know more about their past, along with her father.
Vivi also expresses the overt anti-Semitism and discrimination nature of some of her classmates to which Charlotte appropriate responds that there is no logic to intolerance. The racial epithets and discrimination are time-line appropriate (this is not to say I condone them, only acknowledging the accuracy of the timeline). The sentiment that Vivi lives with is that it took Hitler to make them Jewish. But, there is a secret that Charlotte is holding on to.
The story bounces back and forth between Paris during the occupation and current-day (1954) New York in a disjointed fashion. It would’ve been easier if there had been “notations” such as NEW YORK -1954; PARIS – 1942. Mind you this is an advanced review copy/edition, so that might be worked out prior to reading this. At times it was incoherent as to how the past events tied into a particular scene of modern day.
Charlotte is also haunted about an affair she had in Paris.
The reader learns about Charlotte’s affair with a Wehrmacht officer who happens to also be a Jewish doctor, only he is “hiding in plain sight”. He brings food and supplies for Charlotte and her daughter. This “affair” seemed more natural than the one with her employer and landlord Horace in 1954. The romance and affair with Horace isn’t unnatural due to his physical issues, so much as the morality behind it. It seemed contrived and forced to fill some kind of requirement.
The reader eventually learns the true nature of Charlotte’s secret. What some view as survival and resilience, Hannah (Horace’s wife) is judgmental of. And, Charlotte feels she deserves the criticism due to the false pre-tenses that surrounds her and the inside vs. outside war Charlotte still feels like she is fighting. Even up until the end, there is this “war” she is fighting.
While I was able to finish the story, it lacked for me. After reading it, I tried to skim it over to see what I was missing, and – perhaps this is just me – this book was missing a plot, a point, a message. It is a standalone read, but there are lingering questions at the end that leave the reader unfulfilled.
I really tried to like this novel and give it more credit. I think the plot had potential, but it lacked in delivery and was plagued by the timeline issue.
Fans of the author and those who enjoy this genre might enjoy this. Anyone on the fence – I would suggest borrowing it from the library as soon as it is available (and the libraries are open again), or borrowing it from a friend.
This is the third book by Ellen Feldman that I have read. I didn’t care much for the first two, but I enjoyed this one. I do believe the genre for this one is more historical romance than historical fiction.
The story alternates between New York in the 1950’s and Paris in the 1940’s. I was totally invested in the portions set in Paris. I could feel the emotions the protagonist Charlotte was feeling – the fear, the despair, the anger, the yearning, the guilt. I loved the relationship between Charlotte and Julian. But when the story moved to New York I lost all that. I felt the depth of the characters was lacking. I was now observing the story rather than of participating in the story.
Charlotte’s and Julian’s heartbreaking secrets were a major part of the story. However, a couple of the other secrets just didn’t work for me. They seemed so inconsequential compared to the other secrets. The romance in the Paris portion of the book was beautifully written, while that in the New York portion felt forced and unnecessary.
I received an Advance Review Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was super excited to read Paris Never Leaves You. A WWII historical fiction story mixed with a Parisian bookstore?! This book alternates between wartime Paris and 1950s New York. Charlotte Foret makes her way to New York with her young daughter, Vivienne, after living in Paris during the war. This book has strong themes of love, sacrifice, and survival. This is not your typical historical fiction story, and is not the most structured for the flashbacks that depict how these two survived the war. Overall it was a good book, not great, based on the comparison amongst other historical fiction novels I have read in the past.
Paris never leaves you. Well, neither will this book. After finishing, I’m sitting here wondering what I would do in each character’s situation. What would I, myself, have done to survive? This book would be great for book clubs. There is so much to discuss but I will leave it at that as I don’t want to spoil any of the twists or turns.
A story about a girl and her daughter surviving the last part of the war. This is set with dual time lines. I found both stories interesting. Each chapter alternating back and forth. At times I did get a bit confused as to which time period I was in. The chapters were numbered ,perhaps list each as Paris and New York would have been better. Historical fiction fans will like this! Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is an unbelievably stunning Historical Fiction that is so unique, consuming, and harrowing novel that will stay with me for years to come.
Without giving away the plot and surprises placed within, I have to say that this book created so many emotions for me. It is definitely not a light read and is deep, and at times dark, but everything was fitting and appropriate.
This is a story, not just about the horrific occurrences that individuals went through during WWII in occupied Paris, but also what happens afterwards. What happens to the survivors and what people had to go through, compromise, to become that survivor. As it seemed to bring home, the second and equally difficult test is just not making it through trauma alive, but also coping, creating a life, and moving on to some sort of normalcy and life afterwards.
I truly enjoyed my time reading about Charlotte, her daughter Vivi, and Helen and Horus Fields. Everyone had their own battles and struggles and each had their own way dealing with these obstacles. What Charlotte and Horus went through during their respective traumatic experiences was tough to read. I really felt for Charlotte and her inner turmoil, demons, and guilt. She was so hard on herself and unjustly so.
I enjoyed the time changes alternating between Charlotte’s time living in Paris before and during the war and also her life with Vivi in NYC in 1954. Without spoiling anything, the last few chapters were both heart wrenching and also heartwarming. It was truly fitting and definitely fit perfectly for this book.
This book definitely put me through the ringer emotionally, and a teared up several times during my journey with Charlotte. It makes you question everything and jarred me to my core. Impressive.
A measure of a great book is it’s ability to do just that. This is everything that a historical fiction should truly be. I dare anyone read this and not feel the same.
5/5 stars enthusiastically
An emotional journey that is unlikely to leave me anytime soon. Ellen Feldman did a remarkable job of taking the reader from the present to the past and back again throughout the book. The history of the past influencing the future is revealed chapter by chapter. Charlotte’s story is one of survival and the price that is paid to keep not just herself but also her daughter safe in war torn Paris. Ellen Feldman not only tells Charlotte’s story but also taught this reader lessons in history. The end left me longing for more of the story and needing the closure that Charlotte and her daughter Vivi were seeking. Thank you for opportunity to receive the copy of this book. These opinions are truly my own.