We get a distinctive story here – the tale of a woman in Paris who had her heart set on a GI and so became a war bride, as explored by the proxy of our author many years later.  We also get a distinctive palette – all blue and red, with some orange, but never green or yellow.  But we don't really get anything enough to lift the story off the page.  I just seemed to pass time with this book, rather than fall for it.  The quippy flirting that turns from dislike to a lifelong relationship, the young woman's brother and his more modern equivalent – too much feels a little stale, and however much I wanted this subject and this story to emote for me, it didn't seemed to gel.