We’re delighted to be sharing Elena’s thoughts about The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood.
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The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood
- Category : Historical Fiction / Second World War
- ASIN : B0CJBGXBXM
- Publisher : Storm Publishing (18 Sept. 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 382 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1805082876
- ISBN-13 : 978-1805082873
- Amazon | Waterstones | Goodreads |
The Last Train from Paris Summary
For Iris, each visit to her mother in St Mabon’s Cove, Cornwall has been the same – a serene escape from the city. But today, as she breaths in the salt air on the doorstep of her beloved childhood home, a heavy weight of anticipation settles over her. Iris knows she’s adopted, but any questions about where she came from have always been shut down by her parents, who can’t bear to revisit the past.
Now, Iris can’t stop thinking about what she’s read on the official paperwork: BABY GIRL, FRANCE, 1939 – the year war was declared with Nazi Germany.
When Iris confronts her mother, she hits the same wall of pain and resistance as whenever she mentions the war. That is, until her mother tearfully hands her an old tin of letters, tucked neatly beside a delicate piece of ivory wool.
Retreating to the loft, Iris steels herself to at last learn the truth, however painful it might be. But, as she peels back each layer of history before her, a sensation of dread grows inside her. The past is calling, and its secrets are more intricate and tangled than Iris could ever have imagined.
The year is 1939, and in Paris, France a young woman is about to commit a terrible betrayal…
A beautifully written and addictively compelling historical novel about the terrible choices ordinary people were forced to make in the horrors of World War Two. If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Nightingale, you will devour this book.
The Last Train from Paris Review
The Last Train From Paris tells the story of three main characters in two different time periods, 1964 and 1939-1945.
In 1964 we follow Iris, who knows she was adopted and who is about to be told her history and what happened to her via a series of postcards to and from France, by her mother Nora. She has gone back to the home she grew up in, in Cornwall, to learn all about what will be a tragic, necessary, and incredible story of her life.
In 1939, war is about to break out, and for Nora and Sabine, living in France at the time, life becomes fraught with uncertainty. Nora must escape on the last boat back to England after studying to become a chef and the race is on to get her to safety in England. Sabine makes a split-second decision with her friend Nora that will not only help but will change the course of their futures during a horrendous time in history.
The Last Train from Pairs is absolutely fantastic and a breathtaking read. There is so much detail and history and the characters’ lives are so vividly and intricately portrayed that I became lost in their stories.
I love books set during WW2 and always find it incredible that so many lives were changed and the upheaval and danger would last until way after it ended. Both Nora and Sabine endure huge trauma and loss.
The Last Train from Paris is a book to get completely lost in. Beautifully written, Juliet Greenwood has captured the history and danger of that time perfectly and created strong, admirable protagonists in Nora and Sabine. A truly wonderful book!
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About the Author
Juliet Greenwood is a historical novelist, now published by Storm Publishing. Her first novel was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and two of her books reached the top 5 in the UK Kindle store. Juliet has always been a bookworm and a storyteller, writing her first novel (a sweeping historical epic) at the age of ten. She lives in a traditional cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine.
Storm: https://stormpublishing.co/
Website: http://www.julietgreenwood.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliet.greenwood
Twitter: https://twitter.com/julietgreenwood
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julietgreenwood/
Thank you so much for this review! I’m delighted Elena enjoyed it so much. I so loved writing this book, and you’ve left me smiling all day. x
Mission achieved 🙂 We hope you’re having a fab tour Juliet x