3.5
The Velvet Hours
ByPublisher Description
From the international bestselling author of The Lost Wife and The Garden of Letters, comes a story—inspired by true events—of two women pursuing freedom and independence in Paris during WWII.
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother’s treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return.
An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe’s tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path.
Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s legacy behind to save all that she loved.
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother’s treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return.
An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe’s tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path.
Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s legacy behind to save all that she loved.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Velvet Hours Reviews
3.5
Trene Plowman
Created 18 days agoShare
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Sofia Velasquez
Created 27 days agoShare
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Julieth Echeverri
Created about 1 month agoShare
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“Este libro me pareció precioso. Es de esos relatos que se leen despacio, con calma, porque su magia está en los detalles. Inspirado en un hecho real —un apartamento cerrado durante más de 70 años en París—, Alyson Richman teje una historia llena de memoria, amor, resiliencia y arte.
Seguimos a Solange, una joven que sueña con ser escritora y que, tras perder a su madre, empieza a descubrir la historia de su abuela Marthe, una mujer que vivió en el París de entreguerras. Marthe fue costurera, amante de un hombre casado, madre en secreto y, sobre todo, una mujer fuerte que supo sobrevivir sin depender de nadie. Me encantó cómo Richman retrata la fuerza femenina en tiempos donde la independencia no era una opción.
El libro está lleno de descripciones hermosas: los vestidos, las calles de París, los objetos orientales, los libros antiguos… a veces se siente lento, pero es justo eso lo que hace que se sienta tan real.
El final me rompió el corazón —cuando tienen que dejar a Salomón por el sarampión— porque, aunque hoy esa enfermedad parezca mínima, en ese momento fue devastadora. Fue el golpe más duro, incluso más que la muerte de Marthe. Sentí el peso de las decisiones y la inocencia de no saber lo que vendría con los campos de concentración.
💭 Es una historia de mujeres que se levantan solas, de amores que trascienden y de la belleza de recordar.”
AnnieM
Created 3 months agoShare
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Ronie Isca Lancry
Created 7 months agoShare
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