4.0
Last Twilight in Paris
ByPublisher Description
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
"A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth." –Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
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.
"A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth." –Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
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.
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4.0
beth 📚
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“Really enjoyed this book a whole lot, I was glued to the story the whole time. The two main women were so well written with strong traits but also with faults. I cried a few times just thinking about what was happening back then.”BelievableChange and growLikeableMemorableMultilayeredStrong relationshipsAddictiveGripping/excitingNonlinear narrativeSatisfying conclusionSlow start, strong finishSuspensefulTwistyWell-structuredGrittyHistoricalRealisticSetting fits the storyVivid descriptionsBeautifully-writtenDescriptiveEasy to readStraightforwardDeath
“This is my 2nd book by Jenoff and I was thrilled it was selected by #bookfriendsbookclub and Brenda Novak’s bookclub this month.
Pam Jenoff was a diplomat for the State Department in Poland handling Holocaust issues and has written quite a few books inspired by her time there and stories she heard. She has said she doesn’t tell any of those stories, but she looks for what she calls “the Gasp,” a piece of history that is so untold that it makes her gasp. For this story it was a former store in Paris called Lévitan, (p189/author’s note) where Jews were imprisoned and forced to sell plundered Jewish goods to German officers. Close to 800 prisoners were kept there, and provided unhealthy living conditions.
There are a couple of timelines and pov:
Louise 1953 and 1944
In the more “modern” timeline, Louise finds half of a Mizpah charm, “inscribed with the word “watch” on it, part of a biblical phrase from the book of Genesis. 'The Lord watch between me and thee.' (P50) The other half of the charm is missing. What is surprising to Louise, is that she thinks she saw this exact charm in 1944 when she worked for the Red Cross, and a cello player gave it to a friend of hers to try to return to his wife when he was imprisoned.
Both of her timelines alternate with Helaine’s pov in 1943/1944. Helaine grew up trapped in her wealthy home, after being sick as a child by her overly protective parents. She falls in love with a cello player who suddenly leaves to play for troops during the war, leaving her vulnerable, as a Jew.
I thought both timelines were engaging and I liked how the story came together. It was a little predictable, but it was interesting and I enjoyed reading!
“Safe and hidden are not the same thing," p69
“I've learned not to hold on to things. What's important is the truth, and thanks to you, that's been revealed.” P315
“Sharing our pasts, our suffering and our truths, is the only way that we can grow together.” P318”Ashlee Murray
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About Pam Jenoff
Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Woman with the Blue Star. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her J.D. from UPenn. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia, where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.
Other books by Pam Jenoff
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