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 is a wonderful well-written, well-researched historical fiction novel about strong women in adverse conditions. It’s about a group of women in WWII who were left out of the history books and left out of popular WWII fiction. I highly recommend it!
The novel is dual time line – Grace is in NYC in 1946. She is working with refugees from Europe while she tries to get over the death of her husband during the war. She finds some pictures and tires to trace where they come from which leads her to the story of Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. In Eleanor’s part of the novel, we learn about her secret group and one of her main agents, Marie. Marie was working in London and trying to get to the English countryside weekly to see her 4 yer old daughter when she was recruited into the group because of her flawless French. After grueling training and a bond with Josie, one of the other women in the group, she is sent to France as a radio operator. 12 women were sent info France to aid the resistance and none of them ever returned after the war. What happens in France to Marie and the other agents, shows the strength of these women and their ability to to survive in the most difficult circumstances.
The characters in this book are extremely well written. Trigg is very real as her plans progress and she feels constant worry about the group. Marie was my favorite character as we see her grow from someone with low self esteem to a strong and brave woman. She is not a character that I’ll soon forget.
If you enjoy historical fiction – don’t miss The Lost Girls of Paris.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Different than any other book I have ever read. I wasn’t prepared for the ending. Very good.
Jenoff’s “The Lost Girls of Paris” was the first book of historical fiction I read several years ago which focused on “heroic women ” in WWII or The Great War. I am enchanted and excited to begin this remarkable journey, which over 30 books later in this genre, I am delighted that Pam sparked my interest in such an important and relevant topic of world history. “The Lost Girls of Paris” is riveting. It is an unforgettable masterpiece of heart and heroism.
inaccuracies. ridiculous. I quit it 1/4 through.
Reading Historical Fiction inspires me to read more on a particular subject. It’s always an adventure to read about something you never knew happened….then to do research and learn that these people really did exist and, in their own way, helped to shape history.
Very slow reading.
Great read
Pam Jenoff is becoming one of my favourite writers of historical fiction and I love that this story was inspired by real events. At its core, this is a story of bravery beyond imagination, ordinary women trained and sent into occupied France to help spy and sabotage the German army in the days leasing to D-day. These women knew that they probably wouldn’t come back and yet they went. If that’s not courageous, then I don’t know what is.
A beautifully written story layered with factual research to make you understand and appreciate what these women sacrificed.
Such an interesting subject. I like that there are more books coming about the roles of women during wartime. For obvious reasons, we do not have a history of such actions and know so little of the different offices during such important times.
This book is sad by its very nature. Each person has her own baggage and still deals with ‘bigger’ problems.
Well done.
While the topic is compelling and based on actual events, the writing is amateurish which diminished my enjoyment of the novel.
Very good for historic fiction.Very accurate
It begins with an abandoned suitcase in New York, 1946… This is a tale of three remarkable and heroic women brought together by war. Grace discovers a set of women’s photographs in Grand Central Station. Who are these ‘lost women?’ The search leads Grace to Eleanor, the British leader of an all-female network of secret agents, and to Marie, a young mother who risks her life behind enemy lines for those she loves. Well-written, fast-paced, and rich with emotion, this is a story of women’s friendship, courage, betrayal and the will to survive.
I like the characters, I love the plot and everything about this book. Good job writer! If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on NóvelStar, just submit your story to hardy@nóvelstar.top or joye@nóvelstar.top
Very engaging! The characters are everyday people who took the risk and had the courage to step up and make a difference. You definitely feel connected and almost feel like you are experiencing their hopes and fears along with them.
It is 1946, in New York near Grand Central terminal, a woman is hit by a car and dies; an abandoned suitcase is found inside the terminal. How can these two events be connected to World War II?
A riveting story of SOE agents in France; it tells of betrayal and trust, friendships formed, and the discovery of love during and after the war.
This is a very powerful and moving story which had me gripped from beginning to end, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
A heartbreaking, bittersweet novel of human courage and betrayal during World War II. The characters are well-defined and the story keeps the reader turning pages.
Great book for people who love historical novels
If you enjoy Historical Fiction, especially around WW2, you’ll love The Lost Girls of Paris
This is now one of my favorite books! The beginning had a little slow start, in my opinion, but then a few chapters in I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the characters especially Marie, Julian, and Josie. I real a lot of WWII genre books and I learned lots of thing in this book. Overall a great book!
Compelling. Kept me awake at night. Interesting slice of history.