Source: Publisher
Description: A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff
London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.
Genre: Fiction - Historical
Why I Picked This Book: I've been wanting to try this author and the premise really grabbed me.
My Impression: I always enjoy a historical fiction that deals with something I know very little about and has me wanting to research a particular subject after finishing the book. This happened with this book because I wanted to read more about both Levitan and how the Red Cross went behind enemy lines. I also enjoyed how post war relationships were portrayed with Louise and Joe as they try to get along with all the changes the post-war era has brought both to their relationship and themselves as individuals.
Most of the reviews I've seen of this book are glowing so I'm not entirely sure this author is for me as for quite a good bit of the story I was seriously considering DNFing this book. I never really cared for either of the main characters. I found the pace for the first bit of the book very slow and Louise's reaction to the necklace feels a bit overblown until close to the end of the book.
Once I was pulled into the story I did fly through the book. While Helaine was impossibly naive for most of the story I was sympathetic to her and understood why she was the way she was even though I wanted to shake her. I'm not sure I ever warmed to Louise and for quite awhile I couldn't comprehend why tracing the origin of this necklace she saw once during the war was so important. I was happy with the ending and felt that most of the points were nicely resolved and I liked the path that the characters were beginning.
Despite a first half that didn't really work for me I did end up enjoying this book overall. I will probably try another book by this author and I definitely want to research a number of the history that was explored in the book - especially Levitan.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Yes, though I will more be focused on premise and not just anything written by this author.
Would I Recommend this Book? Yes, especially if you are a fan of other books by this author. I would be prepared for a slower start when picking this one up though.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? Yes, especially if you are a fan of other books by this author. I would be prepared for a slower start when picking this one up though.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
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