The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau - Historical Fiction Review

Goodreads:  The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed” $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

Genre:  Fiction - Historical 

Why I Picked This Book:   I have been wanting to read something by this author for quite some time and this one really caught my eye.

My Impression:  Oh, this one broke my heart time and time again.  From a number of events that happened during the war to missed opportunities and secrets held for too long during the present day storyline there were several times I had to pause for a minute.   Colette's background is tragic and infuriating and it makes her focus understandable.  I loved her devotion to her goddaughter, Aviva, and her friendship with Max.   I also really liked Aviva and her desire to help this woman who has been a constant safe harbor in her life even if she's shocked with everything that gets revealed.

After a somewhat slow beginning I was really pulled into the story, and it was one I thought about even if I wasn't reading.   I've read a number of World War II historical fiction but this book had a different angle as it touches on the French Resistance in a very direct way.  As well, the main characters are Jewish but their friendship with a Jewish family is a focal point.   The 1940s timeline did drag at times as I found myself more interested in the search for the truth and the question of how does one find the truth when the records are gone and the memories of those left are quickly fading.

Colette drove me crazy at times.  For her background and training she is impetuous and impatient at times when it is most important for her to be measured and careful.  That and the somewhat slow beginning kept this from being a full 5 star book though I did really enjoy it.   This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy historical fiction I think you would really enjoy this one.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *