My Review
Until Leaves Fall in Paris is a historical novel set in 1940's Paris. It the story of Lucie Girard, a former ballet dancer who now manages a small English language bookstore; she purchased the store so the original owners, her dear friends who are a Jewish couple, could escape France. The bookstore becomes a place where Resistance workers pass messages in the form of notes tucked into books. When Lucie meets Paul Aubrey, she is convinced he is designing vehicles for the Germans. As she learns the truth about his bravery and decency, she also gets to know him romantically - and becomes attached to his young daughter Josie as well. When things become more dangerous, they want to leave France - but is this still possible?
I wanted to read this novel because I love Sarah Sundin's books. She is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and I try to read all her novels when they are first published. I am particularly interested in the World War II time period, and also love books set in Paris.
This is such an engrossing novel! I read in every spare minute for a couple of days because I didn't want to put this book down. Lucie is a wonderful protagonist, likable and enormously brave. I loved the way she got to know Paul reluctantly at first, but then wholeheartedly once she realized they were working on the same side. Lucie and Paul's love story is one of my favorite from recent reads.
This is, as always with Sarah Sundin's books, a beautifully written novel, rich with nuance and 1940's period detail. I always feel like I live in her books while I am reading them - they are so vividly drawn.
Until Leaves Fall in Paris will certainly be one of my top 10 books this year, and I cannot recommend it highly enough for other readers. It will be of special interest for anyone who loves historical fiction set in the 1940's.
Book Synopsis
Paris, 1940
When the Nazis march toward Paris, American
ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to
allow the Jewish owners to escape. The Germans make it difficult for her
to keep Green Leaf Books afloat. And she must keep the store open if
she is to continue aiding the resistance by passing secret messages
between the pages of her books.
Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing
more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army
convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military
information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers
his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen
in his factory. But in order to carry out his mission, he must appear to
support the occupation--which does not win him any sympathy when he
meets Lucie in the bookstore.
In a world turned upside down, will love or duty prevail?
Author Bio
Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks and
several popular WWII series, including Sunrise at Normandy, Waves of
Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale, and Wings of Glory. She is a Christy
Award finalist and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received
starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist's
"101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Sarah lives in Northern
California. Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.
