Such an interesting and well written book. I couldn't put it down. Of all the WWII books I've read lately, this has a different perspective. Charlotte survives under desperate circumstances but she is a survivor. Many years later she is consumed with guilt about the choices she made in the past. The book speaks to resilience and love.

I truly enjoyed this World War II historical fiction novel which centered on the story of a young mother in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. Alternating between mom Charlotte's transition to NYC and her work in the publishing world in 1950's, the reader is immersed in the life of a woman who was not a heroic figure - but rather a young mom who did what she needed to do to help protect her young daughter Vivi survive in the most difficult of circumstances. A story about how one's identity is shaped by their family, history and environment, Feldman's writing allows the reader to feel the struggle of Charlotte's difficult choices - and how they ultimately impact her daughter's sense of self as she grows up and tries to understand her family roots.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel. Just when I felt I had been saturated with WW II historical fiction, I found this story offered a unique perspective on unsung lives of those "ordinary" people who experienced the Nazi Occupation in Paris and the choices that those of all religions made to survive the horrors of that time.

I read a lot of historical fiction and I love Paris, however, this mostly means books about Paris during WW2. This book is about Paris during WW2, from a different vantage point. It is absolutely brilliant, I didn't want it to end.

The book has a dual timeline, it goes between wartime in occupied France and New York in the 1950's, about 10 years later. It works really well and I had no trouble with following the story.

However, due to this, you know early on that the main character Charlotte and her daughter have survived the war, but you have to read on to find out how.

In German occupied France, Charlotte Foret, is a young french widow and she has an eighteen month old daughter called Vivienne. Charlotte and her friend Simone run a bookshop together, they take turns watching the shop and waiting in endless food lines.

Life in Paris during WW II was difficult, food is scarce, everyone is hungry, and people are scared, not just the Jews, but anyone seen as collaborating with the Germans can be reported and taken away as well. After the war, a lot of these people were tortured and killed.

A German officer starts visiting the bookstore, Charlotte is a nervous when he's in the shop. Throughout the war, it seems the bookstore is open and has books to sell.
But Julian Bauer is a German doctor, after a few visits, he notices that Vivi is ill and malnourished and he starts giving Charlotte food and despite her obvious concerns, of course she accepts it. What mother wouldn’t?

Switch to New York 1950's, Charlotte is now living in the America, she has been sponsored by Horace and Hannah Field. Horace owns a publishing company, he's a WW2 veteran of the Asian theater and was wounded in battle. Charlotte works for his publishing company.

Vivi is doing well at school, she has friends and is very much a typical American teenager. She faces some anti-semitism as school, which was still prevalent in the US after the war.

Charlotte’s past is still haunting her. Her daughter has started asking questions about the past, their religion, her father and their lives in Paris.
Even all of these years later, Charlotte still keeps her secrets about what she did during the war, how they survived, and came to New York.

All four major characters in the story have secrets, Charlotte, Julian, Horace and Hannah.
Paris Never Leaves You is a story about WW II, but more than that - it’s about choices, love, sacrifice, and doing whatever it takes to survive.

I don’t want to spoil the story, but I loved the book, it's never boring and keeps you guessing right until the very end.

If you like to read WW II historical fiction, I suggest reading Paris Never Leaves You and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

A successful woman working in a publishing house has deep dark secrets that she keeps from everyone, including her daughter. The story shifts between New York and their prior life in a Parisian bookstore during WWII when their very lives were dependent on the kindness of a German physician. As with all secrets, this one comes back to haunt her. It sounds like the basis for a great novel but I am afraid it’s just good. Too bad, because the book has a great title. The characters had the possibilities of being so much more. I wanted to like them but they seemed a little flat.

I want to thank Net Galley from the advance copy of Paris Never Leaves you by Ellen Feldman

I really enjoyed the fact that this is a different type of WW2 book. I loved that the Author touched on the aftermath of war and the emotional impact and guilt that effects the survivors. This was a unique point of view and I really enjoyed it. I did feel that the two timelines were battling each other because a lot of it was flashbacks it was confusing to follow. I also felt because of the way it came together it took awhile to figure out the plot and because of that story seemed to drag. I do feel this is a story that should be read. The emotional effects of the aftermath of war is important to touch on.

This was a different type of WWII survivor book. Instead of focusing on the horrors of the camps, it focuses on survivor's guilt. The story moves back and forth from Paris during the war and 10 years post-war New York. I enjoyed the Paris story, however the story was nothing special for me, as it was the same story written as has been done in the past. Charlotte falls for German officer, however his secret was a new twist, one which I would have preferred been fleshed out a little more. I would much rather have read a story alternating between their two stories -set in Paris and at the same time - rather than focus on Charlotte's past and present.

As for the post-war story of her working in a publishing house... there was nothing about that I enjoyed at all, especially her relationship with her boss/sponsor/friend of her father. This completely derailed the story for me, and ended the book on a sour note.

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is an unbelievably stunning Historical Fiction that is so unique, consuming, and harrowing novel that will stay with me for years to come.

Without giving away the plot and surprises placed within, I have to say that this book created so many emotions for me. It is definitely not a light read and is deep, and at times dark, but everything was fitting and appropriate.

This is a story, not just about the horrific occurrences that individuals went through during WWII in occupied Paris, but also what happens afterwards. What happens to the survivors and what people had to go through, compromise, to become that survivor. As it seemed to bring home, the second and equally difficult test is just not making it through trauma alive, but also coping, creating a life, and moving on to some sort of normalcy and life afterwards.

I truly enjoyed my time reading about Charlotte, her daughter Vivi, and Helen and Horus Fields. Everyone had their own battles and struggles and each had their own way dealing with these obstacles. What Charlotte and Horus went through during their respective traumatic experiences was tough to read. I really felt for Charlotte and her inner turmoil, demons, and guilt. She was so hard on herself and unjustly so.

I enjoyed the time changes alternating between Charlotte’s time living in Paris before and during the war and also her life with Vivi in NYC in 1954. Without spoiling anything, the last few chapters were both heart wrenching and also heartwarming. It was truly fitting and definitely fit perfectly for this book.

This book definitely put me through the ringer emotionally, and a teared up several times during my journey with Charlotte. It makes you question everything and jarred me to my core. Impressive.
A measure of a great book is it’s ability to do just that. This is everything that a historical fiction should truly be. I dare anyone read this and not feel the same.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this amazing ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book. Wow. I thought i had this story all figured out and wrapped up with a little bow and then. Bang-whiz#POP! I was so wrong.
This book was excellent. I have already recommended it to several people.

I did receive an ARC of this title from Netgalley for my honest review.

PS. It was amazing.

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman (St. Martin's Press) is historical fiction set in Paris during World War II. Although the setting is fairly typical of World War II historical fiction novels, this story takes the reader on a different journey. Charlotte and her little daughter Vivi are liberated from Drancy but how they got there and why are the crux of this story. The story moves between Paris, 1944 and years following in America. Ellen Feldman is adept at making readers envision living with survivor's guilt, at pondering how ghosts shape present lives, and how unfinished business keeps us from moving forward. A recommended read, especially for readers looking for a different slant on living in Nazi occupied Europe.

Thank you St. Martin's and Net Galley for the chance to read this book and provide an unbiased review. A little less than 4 for me, but not enough to round down. In all honesty, I did not feel truly engaged until a little before I was a third of the way done, but it was smooth sailing from there on. I read a LOT of WWII stories and I keep getting a sense that maybe I have burned out on them, and then I let my shield down and one gets in and I am not at all disappointed. I think maybe I have been more selective about adding them to my TBR. Not surprisingly, what impresses me now is the ability for an author to present a slightly (or largely!) different experience of the war, and I found that here. It might have been interesting if more of Simone's character had been developed, but this perhaps presents a sequel opportunity. Knowing more about Laurent might have been enjoyable also, but for Charlotte and Vivi and Julian and Horace your heart will hurt at the burdens that were carried. Ultimately, one is so resilient, another unable to recover, and two willing to take a chance at opening the door again to happiness.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review.
“Paris Never Leaves You” be Ellen Feldman is a historical romance novel about guilt, desperation, and the choices we make.
During World War II, when the French were being invaded by Germany, Charlotte was working in a book store, desperately trying to find ways to keep her and her infant daughter, Vivienne, alive. When she befriends a German soldier, she finally finds a way out of the Hell she has been living in. Years later, in America, Vivi is now old enough to ask questions about her mother’s past, their time in France, and their brave escape. But Charlotte is haunted by those days and is desperately trying to put them behind her. When she receives a letter, bringing her past to the forefront, she realizes she must face all of her demons in order to move forward.
This novel is told in two timelines, during the German Occupation in France (World War II), and in 1950s New York, years after the war. Although both timelines are told from Charlotte’s perspective, I found this particular novel very choppy in its transition. It was difficult to tell what year I was in, as there was nothing definitive in the text that would separate one time period from another. Once I was able to determine what year I was in, I was already too far behind and had to re-read. I would’ve really enjoyed a clear cut way to divide the timelines in the story, as opposed to one sentence from one timeline jumping immediately into a sentence from another. It made the novel slightly difficult to follow.
Obviously, I enjoyed the plot point of Charlotte and Vivi living and working in the bookstore, desperate to stay alive. Meeting the German soldier who soon takes on such an important role in Charlotte’s life was also charming and entertaining. I must admit, however, that there were parts of the novel outside of this plot point that were boring and bland.
I wasn’t sure whether to identify this novel as historical fiction (which it is) or historical romance (which it also is), as it definitely depicts the desperate measures people went through to survive the brutality of the Nazi regime. This was obviously powerful, and it was easy to sympathize with Charlotte and her daughter, as both characters were brave and independent.
A newcomer to Ellen Feldman, I will not mark her off my list completely just yet. It is a matter of simply identifying the genre she fits into, so I know where to set my expectations. Also, perhaps a paper copy of this novel will have more succinct separation between plot timelines.

I received a free ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Paris Never Leaves You forges new ground for this avid reader of historical fiction. The novel alternates between Paris during the Nazi occupation and New York City ten years later. The protagonist, Charlotte, is a young widow with a small daughter. She does her best to stay on the sidelines, to not attract anyone's attention so that she and her daughter might survive the Nazi occupation of Paris. Quiet Charlotte runs a bookstore but she still must obey the ever-changing draconian rules of the occupying force. When a German doctor comes into the bookstore, Charlotte does her best to ignore him without causing offense. But the struggle to survive and her daughter's hunger make her vulnerable to the German's kindness. Not everyone, however, views Charlotte's actions with an understanding heart and she is labeled a "collabo horizontale." For her and her daughter to survive they must leave Paris.

A decade later Charlotte and her daughter are now in NYC where she has a job working for a publishing company. Her secrets about her escape from France and her relationship with Julian, the German doctor, are slowly and painfully revealed. Can there be kindness and love with a German soldier? Can all, should all, German soldiers be labeled as Nazis? Are all wartime relationships with the enemy collaboration? Can the past horrors of war ever be viewed through a different lens?

Feldman does an extraordinary job presenting all characters as fallible human beings rather than simplistic caricatures. A very different take in WWII fiction.
#NetGalley #ParisNeverLeavesYou

The premise of the story is good and I was interested in Charlotte & Vivi’s story. But I didn’t like Charlotte’s character, even after the details from her life in Paris came to light. She never seemed to really care deeply for anyone—and then suddenly she did. Her husband, the doctor, Horace...she was too wishy washy. The ending was disappointing as well. I did not like her relationship with Horace. He seemed more like a father figure and taking her for rides on his wheelchair was just dumb when they hadn’t even started a relationship.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.


The author alternates between New York in the 1950's and Paris in the 1940's in this compelling story about a publisher, Charlotte and her baby daughter, Vivienne. These two survive the German occupation of Paris during the WWII thanks to a mother’s determination and the kindness of a German soldier. Upon the end of the occupation and under the pretense that they are Jewish, the two are sponsored by acquaintances of Charlotte’s father and find a new life in the United States. Vivienne seeks and understanding of their past, her father, and her Jewish heritage by asking for more information from her mother who is reluctant to answer fearing she will have to start all over once again.

I found that I couldn’t put this book down. I needed to know who from Charlotte's past was trying to find her, what happens to the German soldier, does Vivi ever get her answers, and what happens with the triangle of Hoarce, Hannah and Charlotte. This was truly an enjoyable story that I would highly recommend.

Publication Date 06/02/2020

Such a wonderful read!!! I’ve read many WWII books and this is one of my favorites. The story alternates between Paris and New York. The characters are so real. I look forward to reading more. Thank you Ellen Feldman for this wonderful book!!!!

Ages ago, I read author Ellen Feldman’s “Lucy,” and it was a wonderful read. I’m sorry to say tht I haven’t read any of her five books since then, but I plan to rectify that soon. In this, her sixth, novel, Feldman deals with a form of PTSD as invoked by the title. Charlotte can never forget what happened in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. Her daughter Vivi, was barely a toddler, but the events of those extraordinary times also seem to prey on her.

The novel opens in Paris, in 1944. Charlotte and other Jews are ripping the stars from their clothing. Paris had been liberated and with it the camps. But the opening scene turns frightful when an angry mob attacks a woman known as a collaborator.

The scene then shifts to New York, 1954 (I love dueling timeline!). Charlotte is a book editor at the prestigious publishing house of Gibbon & Field. The “Field” is none other than Horace Field, one of Charlotte and Vivi’s sponsors, which allowed them to come to America.

A letter, not the first, has arrived at Charlotte’s desk. She’s on her way to a meeting and slips it into the trash. Readers don’t know who it is from and Charlotte’s apprehension regarding opening it foreshadows the fear she feels that her past is about to come for its revenge.

One of the things that I admired most about this novel was the seemless transition between Charlotte’s life as a bookseller in Occupied Paris to her contemporary circumstances without using chapter breaks.

In Paris, Charlotte is managing a bookstore with ther friend and the store owner, Simeone. Many think they are sisters, but they are not. One afternoon a Nazi officer comes into the bookstore, just browsing. Fear races through Charlotte’s veins, but she manages to stay calm. That officer’s arrival will have implications in her life forever.

I don’t want to give too much away, and I was surpised that there was no synopsis on the book’s cover. But as Feldman weaves her story, she drops little bombshells ar just the right time to make this reader sit up straighter and stay up way past her bedtime. Even when I thought the book was going to plateau, another little bomb oes off, and I’m up even later. Therefore, “Paris Never Leaves You” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Paris Never Leaves You is a fast-paced, straight to the point historical fiction and is alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York. It is focusing on the same character in both time periods. Charlotte and her daughter Vivi have left after the war and are now living in New York City. Charlotte is an editor at a publishing house and doesn't like to talk about her past. As her daughter gets older and more curious, she wants to know where they came from and who her family is.Charlotte hasn't been completely truthful, honestly she just let people assume things. But when her daughter gets closer and closer to finding out the truth, she will have to be the one to come clean to her.

I enjoyed this book but I had a couple of issues with it. First of all I just couldn't fully connect to Charlotte. I just didn't know enough of her life, and that is because she is very secretive, especially in present time. I just needed more depth and details of what was going on. Also the transition from present to past and vice versa was a bit chaotic. There were a couple of times I was confused in which time period the scenes were taking place. The book was too short and rushed for it to have a big impact on me. Instead of a fully realized story I was getting snippets, and it just didn't feel complete. I just didn't have enough time to grow closer to the characters. Also the ending was a bit abrupt and left me unsatisfied.

An emotional journey that is unlikely to leave me anytime soon. Ellen Feldman did a remarkable job of taking the reader from the present to the past and back again throughout the book. The history of the past influencing the future is revealed chapter by chapter. Charlotte’s story is one of survival and the price that is paid to keep not just herself but also her daughter safe in war torn Paris. Ellen Feldman not only tells Charlotte’s story but also taught this reader lessons in history. The end left me longing for more of the story and needing the closure that Charlotte and her daughter Vivi were seeking. Thank you for opportunity to receive the copy of this book. These opinions are truly my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This is a story about identity, survival, motherhood, love, friendship and guilt against the backdrop of WW2. Charlotte and her daughter Vivi survived the German occupation of France and have started over in New York City. Through flashbacks, we learn what they endured and how they survived the war which illuminates why Charlotte doesn't like to talk about the war. But Vivi wants answers and the answers might finally let Charlotte move forward.

There were some unique aspects of the war that I hadn't heard about before (no spoilers!) that made this an interesting read.

I love reading historical novels and books about Paris. I'm kinda torn on this one. I wanted to like it more, but the characters seemed pretty annoying and unlikable to me. I thought there was a bit of a twist near the end, but it wasn't enough to redeem the characters for me.
If you enjoy reading about WWII and want to read something a little different, then try this book.