I needed to think about this book before writing a review. Now that I have, I find myself still intrigued by the characters and the plot.

Paris Never Leaves You is a slightly traumatic book to read - or it was for me. Charlotte and her daughter, Vivienne, are trying to survive wartime Paris. She lives and works in a bookshop with another woman. They both have young children. It is a constant battle. Then a German officer enters the bookstore striking fear into Charlotte. And that is the beginning of a story that brought tears to my eyes.

I completely lost myself in this book. It was hard to pull out of the story at the end. I have not read any other books by this author, but I look forward to reading more by her in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

DNF at 100 pages.
I really wanted to love this.
I am so thankful to NetGalley and The Publisher for my ARC copy.
I did not enjoy this book - hence the DNF. I was struggling to get into the story and pushing myself to keep reading and I just couldn't finish.
If there was an option not to rate this book I wouldn't.

As a thank, you to Netgalley and the publisher ( St. Martin’s Press) for a copy of Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman. It is often said if you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past. As a bookstore owner in Paris, Charlotte has tried to live a simple yet normal life. Since the birth of her daughter Vivi, Charlotte’s choices in life have been to survive despite the horrors faced in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. The novel alternates between Paris in the late 1940s and the publishing world in New York City during the mid-1950s. As Vivi grows into an adolescent does Charlotte’s lessons of survival become slowly taught to her daughter. It is in Vivi’s search for identity does she connect to her mother in ways not before as she teaches her daughter not only how to survive but to be resilient. This novel explored themes of family, loss, love, and identity. I highly recommend this novel for those interested in historical fiction. I give this novel a strong four out of five stars on Goodreads.

Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres and since Paris Never Leaves You is set, well, in Paris, it was even more interesting. Nevertheless, I hate to say that the book was quite disappointing.
I could not connect with the characters, I liked them, especially Vivi, but I could not really connect with most of them. Charlotte was ok, but she felt like a flat character. The whole story felt too flat. It was easy to read, yes; it was a fast read (although some chapters where huge), but it was not compelling.
I liked the Paris part; the part about the war because it had an interesting plot, but the part in New York, just felt….awkward. The romance thing was weird and unnecessary, I hated Hannah and I hated that Charlotte never told her anything.
The writing style was ok, and the author can evoke feelings in a good way. However, the way the story is told is a bit confusing and I particularly did not enjoy it.
Maybe I had unrealistic expectations about this book, but I did not entirely like it. Would I read more books by the author? Possibly, but I do not know if I would recommend this one.

Title: Paris Never Leaves You
Author: Ellen Feldman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Moving between wartime Paris crushed under the boot of the Nazi Occupation and 1950s Manhattan giddy with postwar abundance and optimism, Paris Never Leaves You is the story of one woman’s struggle to save her infant daughter and herself.

Running a bookshop in occupied Paris, a city darkened by blackouts, curfews, and constant fear; gripped by hunger, cold, and sudden roundups and deportations, Charlotte Foret walks a fine line between protecting her daughter and staying true to herself and her country; between her hatred for the enemy and her unwanted sympathy for a Wehrmacht physician tortured by his own lethal secret.

Charlotte endures and her daughter ultimately thrives, but the compromises she has made shadow her new life in postwar New York, where she works in a publishing house presided over with wry irreverence by a man haunted by his own war history. Their fates and that of the Wehrmacht physician who has fled to South America prove that though the war is over, the past is never past.

I have to admit, this book traumatized me a bit…and I’m not completely sure why. Yes, the basic setting and time period in history was awful, so that was part of it. And, Charlotte’s worry over her daughter and her struggle to keep her well and safe was terrible to imagine, but that wasn’t all of it either. Just the horrifying experiences of Charlotte and the doctor and everyone…

Honestly, I didn’t connect too well with Charlotte. The guilt she inflicted on herself was a lot, and I found it hard to relate to her. Her actions in the present weren’t that likable, either, but even the secondary characters weren’t terribly likable (Except the doctor. I liked him.). I just found this book more emotional than I was comfortable with at the time I was reading.

Ellen Hampton lives in New York. Paris Never Leaves You is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I love this book! I’m not usually a big fan of World War II books, but this one really grabbed me from the very first line. The characters of Charlotte, Horace, And Julian have strong depth. I felt like I was right there for every raid, every kiss. The tension was palpable and the choices Charlotte has to make are wrenching. Charlotte's daughter Vivi was a bright light and I liked the journey of her character. Very compelling! Not an easy read, but it pulls you in and won’t let you go. I highly recommend it! Rating: A+

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin Press and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

A thought-provoking, poignant, heart-wrenching, and unexpected story about love, war, and survival. It is not your typical war-time story and kept me on the edge of my seat. The story expertly moves between 1950s New York and 1940s occupied Paris, keeping the reader in suspense and trying to piece together what happened. Charlotte and her daughter Vivi have escaped Europe, but while teenage Vivi tries to figure out her identity, her mother wants to forget. We see the harsh treatment and prejudice of some people, the kindness of others, and the guilt and shame that plagues some of the survivors. This book explores a grey zone of culpability, and makes you wonder what you would do for survival if in some one else's situation. It explores not only the survival but the living beyond that. How does one live past their actions, and come to terms with the past itself?

I really loved this book, and couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend, especially for fans of historical fiction.

I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do to survive? Once you have survived, how would you feel afterward? This is the crux of PARIS NEVER LEAVES YOU by Ellen Feldman. Told with a dual timeline, we see Charlotte during the Nazi occupation of Paris, trying to survive as a widowed bookseller with a toddler and then, her present, working for a publishing house in 1950’s New York as she carves a life for herself and her daughter, trying to put the War behind them.
This was an interesting read from a different perspective, and I flew through the pages rather quickly. Charlotte Is a strong female character who survived a horrible time but needs to come to terms with it before she can fully embrace her life and her future. This was a different and unexpected read for me and I enjoyed it and the different thoughts it evoked.
#ParisNeverLeavesYou #EllenFeldman #BookedUpAllNightwin #StMartinsPress

Alternating between New York in the 1950's and Paris in the 1940's, Paris Never Leaves You is an emotional story about a bookseller and her baby daughter during and just after WWII. The themes of identity and survival were compelling. I am excited to discuss this book with fellow readers. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of Paris Never Leaves You in exchange for my honest review.

2.5

I've read Next To Love by Ellen Feldman about a year ago and enjoyed it. So I was super excited to read her latest historical fiction novel.

Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I lost interest in the first half of the novel and the alternating timelines and perspectives were confusing, with knowing who was talking and during what time period. I did like reading the second half of the book but I value rounded books. Also, the present day romance felt forced and unnecessary.

Though, there are historical research I would love to commend Ellen for incorporating. Writing about the life under German occupation and the what French citizens deemed collaborators wasn't new to me but she had a different way of writing about it. She was clever with Charlotte's dialogue to bring to light the conflict of survival versus societal reputation. Also, including the unspoken truth of Jews and part-Jews who served in the Third Reich's military, was new information for me. It is historical fiction novels like these that I seek out to read.

Overall, it was a quick read but it was a miss for me. I would have loved it more if she kept writing about what she researched and wrote the story in chronological order.

I was kindly given an electronic copy of this novel by the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I also participated in the blog tour for Paris Never Leaves You, so check out my blog site to read an excerpt of chapter one!

Going into this book, I had assumed it would be about a character struggling to make it through the war, but it’s actually a story of coping with your past and recovering from past trauma.

Set in the 1960s, Charlotte and Vivi are faced with residual Anti-Semitism as Vivi is excluded by her classmates because she is known to be half-Jewish. As Charlotte navigates being a strong mother for her teenage daughter, she struggles to reveal the truth about their past, knowing it would affect how everyone who has kindly taken them in will perceive her. Throw in a romance with Charlotte’s employer (who is also her landlord and sponsor), and you’ve got a tangled mess of moral tests. I flew through this novel, and I definitely recommend it for historical fiction fans!

I listened to this on audio and thought it was interesting and liked the different take on the war, as well as the bookstore and publishing career aspects of the story. Charlotte was the protagonist, and it went between her past and the present day. In her past, which was during the war, she worked in a bookstore during wartime Paris, and that aspect was so fascinating to me, and then immediately after the war she was in publishing in New York. It was interesting the way she was able to come to the States and find employment there and raise her daughter and I especially enjoyed reading about the publishing world. The past and present timelines did not flow well together seamlessly for me though, and I wished we got to know more about Julian, but overall I liked the parts about Paris, the bookstore and her present day career. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the egalley to review.

Paris Never Leaves You is a poignant and powerful novel. It is a quick historical fiction novel. It started out slow for me but it picks up in a few short chapters and surprised me - making me so glad I continued. It does have a different twist than many of the WWII novels out there. It centers around Charlotte and, her daughter, Vivi. They are living in France in 1944 and Charlotte works at a book shop in Paris. The time frame shifts between their time living in occupied France in 1944 and their time living in America in 1954. In 1944 Paris, Charlotte has a 3-month-old baby, Vivi, and her husband has died in the War. There are food rations and German raids. Ellen Feldman does a great job putting us in those dire circumstances and the characters are well crafted. I enjoyed the journey of the before in Paris and just how they got to the after in America. As the title suggests, the time spent in War-torn Europe never leaves one, and 10 years later in much better circumstances, we see how the psychological effects still influence lives. It is a beautifully written story. I wanted to see a different ending but I understand the rationale for the author's ending.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the first book I've read by Ellen Feldman but it certainly will not be the last. I've been on a great streak with historical fiction lately and this one can definitely be be added to that list.

I loved the way this book is crafted. It's told in two timelines, both narrated by the same character. While it does start off a little slow, I did find myself eventually becoming completely invested in Charlotte's story. I loved that she worked in publishing - that part of her life completely grabbed me, but I also was equally intrigued by her life in Paris during the war.

This book is all about secrets and what happens when they finally come out. It also centers on survivor's guilt. Charlotte survived the war and all that happened but it wasn't an easy time and there are choices she had to make under less that ideal circumstances that she has never told anyone. But now it has come time to reveal what really happened.

I enjoyed this story. I loved the relationships the characters had with each other - I found those to be real and relatable. The connections they had were what made this story so engaging.

I just finished reading this and would to thank Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Ellen Felderman for allowing me a chance to read the early reviewers copy of this book.

Let me start by giving a little pretext into the book which is set in Paris during the German Occupation and New York in the 50’s. The story switches back and forth between the two settings but in a sort of weird way. I think the switches are supposed to be more of memories for her (Charlotte, MC) but they come off all wrong. She has a daughter called Vivi that really gives it to her a few times in the story and all for it.

She isn’t a very likable or charismatic person and she doesn’t shy away from lying to her daughter to keep her managed. I’m glad Vivi had Hannah the downstairs neighbor to talk to and help sort stuff out. Horace is Hannah’s husband in name only as it would seem since they are both actively pursuing other people.

The only person I did like and felt bad for was Julian the German-Jew Doctor who was also in the Third Reich. Ironic isn’t it. I didn’t like how he met his end and how Charlotte got to be the happy third or forth wheel in Hannah-Horace marriage and live happily ever after. After everything she did or didn’t own too. Anyway the story drags for a while and my favorite parts are during the Paris setting. There are more good parts but I’m not going to spoil anymore than I already have. Please let me know your thoughts on the book too.

Charlotte survived Paris during WWII. She worked in a bookstore to help support her and her daughter. Charlotte eventually leaves Paris to join a publishing company in NYC. But, Charlotte has secrets. Can she continue to keep these secrets about what she did to survive the war.

This story is told in two different timelines, the 1950s in New York and wartime Paris. And it should have been right up my alley! Sadly, the tale is very disconnected and really did not meld together well. It lacked flow and I had trouble relating to the characters. I eventually just lost interest. I did finish it. I just felt the story needed some more tweaking. And don’t get me started on the romance! I want to insert and eye roll here.

This novel does have some very good reviews. And it just might hit the spot for some people. I am very much a mood reader…so it definitely could be me.

But, this cover is fabulous!

I will start with this: Could I do it, I would give this book a ten star rating, which it is worthy of. The prologue opens In Paris in 1944. Charlotte sees that people are ripping yellow stars off their clothes. The German Occupation has left people bitter and sometimes dangerous. She is a widow with a young child to protect. She proves over and over that she is a survivor. The story alternates between her time in Paris. and ten years later when she and her daughter are living in New York City. Charlotte works for a publishing house and does her best to raise her daughter. Readers know from the start that Charlotte has secrets and guilt. It is when her daughter starts asking questions about her heritage and when unexpected letters bring her past forward, their lives change. How much is Charlotte willing to share with her daughter? Can she finally reveal her secrets and come to terms with the past?

This book is eloquently written. The characters are well defined and their stories are powerful and meaningful. The narrative is filled with emotion and heart. Paris Never Leaves You is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a beautifully written story with complex characters. The book begins during WWII in Paris. Charlotte is running a bookstore while caring for her baby Vivi. She is unhappy to notice that a German officer is becoming a frequent customer there. He is quite taken with the baby and soon sneaks much needed food items to her. While Charlotte is repulsed by taking the food from a German, the welfare of Vivi overpowers her acceptance. Later in the book she is in New York during the 1950s, working for a book publisher who is also her landlord. While raising Vivi, there seems to be an undercurrent of unease about Charlotte’s life during WWII and is brought out beautifully. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking to read more from this author.

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo

Paris Never Leaves You, by Ellen Feldman, is an intriguing and provocative WWII story. Focusing on the noncombatants, we see the devastation of Paris under Nazi Occupation and the profound damage inflicted on its residents. The story of Charlotte and her daughter, Vivi, is recounted by Charlotte, almost a decade after the war. Although I found some aspects of the story improbable and much of the romance unnecessary, Feldman is a master at creating fully developed characters that are complex, nuanced, and very, very real. Readers will empathize with Charlotte, even when she is not entirely likeable.

Although I would have liked the storyline to have been extended just a bit, this novel is well-written. I learned a lot about the Occupation. Perhaps, more important, I learned more about resilience and survival when confronted by adversity. For me, it was a quick and satisfying read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman was a hard one for me to get into. I found myself feeling bored. I normally really like WWII novels but I felt like this one missed the mark with me. It cold totally be a case of the it is me not you but this book just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect to the story or the characters.