A New York Times Bestseller“Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war.” —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were YoursFrom the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three … Before We Were Yours
From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.
1946, Manhattan
One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.
Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.
Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.
A Cosmopolitan Best Book Club Book, PopSugar Must-Read, and Glamour Best of 2019
“An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
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This book took some getting into on my part, initially I loved the concept of the story, but the character development just lagged for me. I’m glad That I stuck with it, because as the story grew, so did the girls. They went from young inexperienced girls into brave strong women, especially Marie. She was so annoying, asking too many questions, rash and unthinking in her decisions , but she became much more than that, with experience and time providing valuable support to her colleagues and excellence to their cause. Grace is an Inquisitive woman, that comes along a couple years after the wars end, trying to find out what happened to the girls of the SOA and their leader Eleanor.
This is another untold story of the brave women that fought the war in their unique way, alongside of pilots, Red Cross workers, canteen girls, and factory workers at home. Pam Genoff is a talented writer of historical fiction and she has done it again. My thanks to the author, net galley, and Harper Collins for the opportunity to review this novel.
Pam Jenoff is giving us a look at a horrible time in history, and using mainly women, and while the story is fiction, in the author’s notes she gives us a glimpse into the inspiration for this story.
We take our freedoms for granted and this read lets you see the sacrifices that were made to let us keep them. We put faces on some of these individuals and walk in their shoes for a while, be careful as you blow up a bridge, yes, this book has action.
Come and see how a chance find in Grand Central of a suitcase and being curious leads to some surprising answers, and a look into the life of a young woman who has also lost, but finding answers just might lead to some healing for many.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.
AMAZING! I can not recommend this book enough…I’m not even finished yet but I’m so in love with her writing, with the story line, with the characters, that I had to come recommend it ASAP! You can never go wrong with picking up a novel by Pam Jenoff and this is her best one yet!
Based on true events, The Lost Girls of Paris showcases important WWII events and brings us three courageous, determined women who braved constant danger to survive this fascinating, little-known part of the war.
This is an incredible, gripping novel about the brave English women who served as radio operators during WWII for the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Pam Jenoff must have done some extensive research on the SOE. The writing is so well done that I was pulled right in from the first chapter and found it difficult to put down. An amazing story about some remarkable and courageous women who risked their lives for their country. This is historical fiction at its best.
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways and I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a wonderful story. It tells about young English women who served their country in the SOE as operator helping the people of France. Male agents were being sent into France and they were being found and killed by the Germans. Eleanor Trigg was working for SOE and thought that it would work better if they sent women in to be radio transmitters and other duties to defeat the Germans. But this story tells about how most of the operators were captured and killed but also their training and telling how Eleanor wanted to find out what happened to all of her girls. Then she comes to the US to find her only living agent and somehow gets killed. But the you have Grace who has moved to NY City after the loss of her husband. She was suppose to meet him at Grand Central Station before he shipped out, but was killed in Georgia in a car accident on his way to the train to meet her. So she is working for an attorney that helps Jewish Immigrants that have come from Europe after the war. She never goes to Grand Central because that was the last place she was suppose to meet Thomas, but does this day and finds Eleanor’s luggage and the pictures of her girls which puts her in search for answers. I loved every word of this story.
With most of the men at war and definitely more obvious than women if left at home, the best people for special war operations were women.
1943 – Eleanor was the woman in charge of the recruiting and placement of the women.
Eleanor knew it was very dangerous for the women to be doing these covert deeds as well as knowing that they are not as strong or physically equipped as men, but the women were definitely less easy to spot or were they? She had to prove to the men in charge that the women she chose were the right ones, and the women could carry out the operations.
1944 – Marie was recruited for one of the dangerous jobs in France since she spoke fluent French.
Marie went through training with Eleanor who was strict and difficult but with Marie knowing she really wasn’t. When Marie was sent on her first mission. she was terrified as each woman had been, but the job needed to be completed.
1946 – Grace found a suitcase in Grand Central that had an envelope with photographs of women. This was after the war, and these photographs made Grace curious about who these women were and why that specific suitcase had been abandoned.
Grace needed to find out why the photos were in this abandoned suitcase, who these women in the photos were, and what the connection was to the past and to the war. Grace was also avoiding or was she unconsciously enjoying the company and attention of her dead husband’s best friend, Mark.
We follow the lives of these three women in alternating time periods as Pam Jenoff does her magic of detailing and informing us about their private lives, their roles in history, and the situations they were in and had been involved in.
Historical fiction fans as well as women’s fiction fans will devour this marvelous book.
THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS is another beautiful, well-researched Pam Jenoff creation.
DO NOT miss reading this book. 5/5
This book was given to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I could not put this book down. It’s the type of book where the minute you’re done you want to flip back to the first page and start again. Pam Jenoff amazes with every book. I don’t know how she does it. She paints the picture so well you feel like you’re back in the 1940s with the characters. Even before I read this I picked it for a book club selection. I can’t wait to discuss it with my book club.
When I heard that Pam Jenoff had a new book, I didn’t even read the synopsis. I just KNEW it was going to be great and The Lost Girls of Paris truly is! Pam’s beautiful writing and meticulous research shines through in this story! The Lost Girls of Paris is a must read!!
Thank you to the publishers for an advanced copy of The Lost Girls of Paris to review. All opinions are my own.
Pam Jenoff’s writing and storytelling is like fine wine – it gets better with age/novel, if that is at all possible. Pam continues to educate her readers on different aspects of WWII. The Lost Girls of Paris starts out in New York – with Grace finding a suitcase in Grand Central Station. What follows is Grace’s determination to find out everything about pictures in this mysterious suitcase. Grace uncovers the story and history of The Lost Girls of Paris. She learns about Eleanor Trigg, the leader of the Female Secret Agents out of England. Eleanor is convinced she can train and deploy women into German/Nazi occupied France to do the job men were failing to do because it was no longer safe for men to be out and about. Ms. Trigg sets out to find women and in the novel we learn about their lives, training, covert operations, and how these women’s lives turn out. The story is rich in female heroism during WWII – something many WWII books do not touch upon.
You can tell by the writing; Pam Jenoff does a tremendous amount of research in writing her novels, and it shows. She leaves her readers wanting more, so much more!
Another winner for Pam Jenoff – I will absolutely be suggesting and recommending this wonderful novel to all of my reader friends who enjoy Historical Fiction, as well as to my book club!!
The Lost Girls of Paris, by Pam Jenoff is a fictionalized overview of the women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). This book opens in New York City one year after the end of World War II. Grace Healey, a war widow, is rushing through Grand Central Station on her way to work. En route, she spies an abandoned suitcase filled with photos of dozens of women. Something about those women’s faces pulls at Grace, and she sets out to discover who they are.
For more, go to http://www.kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/lost-girls-of-paris/.
Having Read Pam Jenoff’s, The Orphan’s Tale, I was excited to receive her new book The Lost Girls in Paris. I was not familiar with the role of woman as SOE operatives in France during WW II. This remarkable tale of historical fiction is told through the stories of three women. Eleanor was selected to head this department of the SOE. She selected women to be trained as radio operators who were embedded in France. Marie is one of the operators who was selected. Finally, Grace, living in New York in 1946, discovers pictures in a suitcase in Grand Central Station. She is determined to find out who the women in the picture are and their stories.
This book alternates time periods between 1943 and 1946 through the eyes of the three characters. This is a remarkable story of courage, determination, and resilience. Thanks to Bookish First for this ARC.
A wonderful well written book. My knowledge of the SOE ( Special Operation Executive) was pretty limited. They were truly brave courageous women .The book was very well written and included more than enough fiction to pull you into the story.
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
(Expected on January 29, 2019)
As the world is getting back on its feet after WWI, this story continues through the time period of WWII.
Beginning with post-war New York and extending the reader too the far reaches of London as well as along to the German-occupied French region and is filled with circumstance and truth.
Told by 3 POV, this novel is based on true historical events, mixed with enough fiction that keeps the reader not only interested but intrigued. A story of mystery, heartbreak, bravery and the 12 heroic female spies that were relentless in fulfilling their roles in a place so foreign to them and their fates given up to a man’s war.
Although I found this story to be a bit slow at times, its weaved in a way that keeps the reader moving forward.
A compelling Historical Fiction novel, true to it’s genre, and one that I found too be not only enjoyable but knowledgeable due to its meticulous research..
I thank Pam Jenoff as well as NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Novels & Latte Book Club
I typically really enjoy Pam Jenoff’s books but I do have to say that I believe this is HER BEST YET. It was so hard putting it down; I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
This is a story of WWII Resistance, courage, anguish and Sisterhood. Yes, Sisterhood. The story is told from the perspectives of Grace in New York in 1946, Eleanor in London in 1943, and Marie in France in 1944. So readers who have difficulty with alternation timelines should find this story much easier to follow.
One morning as Grace Healey is rushing to work she comes across what appears to be an abandoned suitcase in the Central Grand Terminal. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the suitcase to try to determine the owner. Inside she finds a dozen photos of women, some in what appears to be uniforms. Running late for work, she impulsively takes the photos and continues on her way. Later she learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, who was the leader of a group of female secret agents who were deployed to Occupied Europe. The photos Grace holds are of the agents who disappeared, their fates unknown.
Now let’s jump back three years to when Eleanor Trigg comes before a furious Director of Special Operations Executive (SOE). Close to 300 agents have been sent into Europe to disrupt munition factories and rail lines prior to the planned invasion. The majority of the agents were sent into France but more and more of them are being killed. Most of the French young men were away at the war so the young male agents deployed to France stood out. Eleanor presents a plan to recruit and train women to send into occupied France, mostly as radio operators. She believes the women would be better able to blend into the local population. Surprisingly her plan is approved.
Marie Roux speaks fluent French and is quickly recruited. Abandoned by her husband, she leaves behind her young daughter as she enters training and is deployed to France. It is through Marie that we learn of the dangers these brave young women faced. What happened to these young women? Who betrayed them?
I was completely captivated with the writing and easily shifted time and place with the story. The characters came to life for me. I was eager to learn their stories and felt so angry at their betrayal. Who could have done that to these brave people?
My recently discovered, new favorite genre is historical fiction and The Lost Girls of Paris just reinforced why I love it so much. This is a story that captured me from the very first sentence—a story that totally drew me in as I was curious to learn more about Grace and the women in the pictures.
Grace is obsessed with finding out what happened to the women and I loved her determination to find some answers and get to the truth. I had to keep reminding myself that this book was set in the 1940’s, not in the present, when women weren’t perceived to be as strong-willed as Grace was.
Jenoff is a wonderful storyteller who can weave an interesting piece of the past into an informative and entertaining tale. I loved reading about the brave and strong women who sacrificed their lives for something they believed in. I enjoyed this story immensely and look forward to exploring more of this author’s work.
What an amazing story of incredibly brave courageous women during World War 2. Eleanor Trigg is in charge of an all female spy group sent to France to help the war effort as couriers and radio operators. Marie is one of Eleanor’s spies who is sent to be a radio operator. She quickly becomes friends with Josie. Josie is only 17 years old. The strength and braveness of the women are simply incredible. They know at any given time if they are caught by the Germans they will be killed. After the war, 12 of the women are missing and feared killed. Eleanor is in New York when she is killed. Grace Healey finds Eleanor’s suitcase in the train station and becomes obsessed to find out what happened to the women. The story is told during the war and what the women endure and after the war as Grace is trying to find out information. I loved the characters in this book. Marie was my favorite. She goes from an unsure young woman to a brave and courageous woman. This is an amazing story of friendship, bravery, courage, and above all hope. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Park Row. All opinions are my own.