Tag: WW II

The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor

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The Paper Girl of Paris 5 STARS

I came across this book on a New Releases’ Post for May 26, 2020. I adore novels with dual timelines and I enjoy Historical Fiction, so I was immediately intrigued. This has the typical plot; person of today finds letter or photograph leading to some past unknown. This story sucked me in from the beginning.

A good portion of Historical Fiction novels center around WW II. While I understand the importance and interest, I prefer the stories to be more about the people than the war itself. I found this novel to be more of a “behind the scenes” story. This was more of a coming of age story with a historical past and a dash of mystery. Maybe because it is in the Young Adult genre, I just found it to be refreshing.

Sixteen year old Alice and her parents travel to Paris after finding out her deceased grandmother left her an apartment, an apartment that has been locked for more than seventy years. When she unlocks the apartment, she also unlocks secrets about her family’s past. Alice, along with her new “friend” Paul, set out on a journey to find the missing pieces of her grandmother’s past. Alice finds out a lot about history, her broken family, herself, and a little bit about love.

I would recommend this book to Historical Fiction lovers of all ages or anyone interested in a Coming of Age story with a historical past.

I had the audio version of this book narrated by Liza Seneca. She was a great narrator and did a fantastic job with all the accents.

The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel

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A beautiful story that shows love can last a lifetime.

The Sweetness of Forgetting 4 Stars

Although I have a few books by Kristin Harmel on my TBR list, I had not yet read anything by the author. I had not even heard anything about this book prior to reading it. This was a Book Club selection that I had to read regardless, so I went into it blindly. What a surprise?!?!

Like I said, I had no idea what the book was about, I didn’t even read the description. From the title and the cover, I expected a sweet, fluffy romance. As the book progressed, I understood the “forgetting” part of the title. When the reveal of the past lives came to light, I was blown away.

I love Historical Fiction. The history and research of WWII and the Holocaust in this novel were told with emotion and respect. Although this is a work of fiction, the emotion is real because the situations are real. My heart forever breaks thinking about survivors who’ve lost their entire family or worse, not even knowing what actually happened to them.

I now need to read more by Harmel. Her style of writing draws you in. Her tenderness yet rawness of the subject matter is a perfect balance of emotion. I warn you, you will need tissues while reading this story. The only reason I did not give this book 5 Stars, is because the daughter was too much. I understand sullen preteens and them coping with issues, but the overly excessive use of “whatever” and her horrible behavior to her mother was way too over the top for me.

I had the audio version of this book. The narrator, Kim McKean, did a fabulous job.