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A review by paperbacksandsketchbooks
Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you HTP and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was a gripping historical fiction novel following Louise who is trying to return a necklace to its rightful owner after she believes she saw it while working for the Red Cross during WWII. She also believes this necklace will help her discover why her friend was murdered.
This book is told on a dual timeline from two POVs and also includes flashbacks. In 1953, we have Louise who is working to solve the mystery of the necklace. During Louise's POV, we see flashbacks of her time working for the Red Cross in 1944 during WWII. Then we have Helaine's POV, which begins in 1939 just before the war started. Helaine is Jewish, so we see her wartime struggles of being imprisoned at Levitan, the department store labor camp.
I was very curious as to how these POVs would connect, and I am very happy with how they did! Although this is a historical fiction, this story focused more on the mystery of the necklace rather than the historical events. We still got glimpses into some parts of history, though - I feel like I learned something about Levitan, which I didn't even know existed until this book.
This book also focused a lot on these two women's romantic relationships. We got to see Helaine's sweeping love story with Gabriel, and Louise's troubled marriage with Joe. I really enjoyed these parts. It gave insight as to who these characters are and made me form a more emotional connection with them.
I do feel like some parts of this book were a tad unrealistic considering the time period. But other than that, I really enjoyed this story and thought it was a clever way to show the world what Levitan was. It was a part of WWII I knew nothing about, and my favorite thing about historical fiction is learning new things.
If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, I recommend this book. It's more mystery oriented, but the historical events are still somewhat present.
This was a gripping historical fiction novel following Louise who is trying to return a necklace to its rightful owner after she believes she saw it while working for the Red Cross during WWII. She also believes this necklace will help her discover why her friend was murdered.
This book is told on a dual timeline from two POVs and also includes flashbacks. In 1953, we have Louise who is working to solve the mystery of the necklace. During Louise's POV, we see flashbacks of her time working for the Red Cross in 1944 during WWII. Then we have Helaine's POV, which begins in 1939 just before the war started. Helaine is Jewish, so we see her wartime struggles of being imprisoned at Levitan, the department store labor camp.
I was very curious as to how these POVs would connect, and I am very happy with how they did! Although this is a historical fiction, this story focused more on the mystery of the necklace rather than the historical events. We still got glimpses into some parts of history, though - I feel like I learned something about Levitan, which I didn't even know existed until this book.
This book also focused a lot on these two women's romantic relationships. We got to see Helaine's sweeping love story with Gabriel, and Louise's troubled marriage with Joe. I really enjoyed these parts. It gave insight as to who these characters are and made me form a more emotional connection with them.
I do feel like some parts of this book were a tad unrealistic considering the time period. But other than that, I really enjoyed this story and thought it was a clever way to show the world what Levitan was. It was a part of WWII I knew nothing about, and my favorite thing about historical fiction is learning new things.
If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, I recommend this book. It's more mystery oriented, but the historical events are still somewhat present.