This is my honest review for a Free ARC from NetGalley.

I loved this book. I have a definite favouritism towards historical fiction and especially wartime historical fiction. From outback NSW to the fashion forward streets of Paris what a life Grace leads. Still dealing with her past she throws herself into her current life and the personas that she portrays.
I love that the writing and story telling of this novel vividly paints a picture in your head of the lands and surroundings that Grace and other find themselves in. Thank you for taking me on this journey with Grace and Phillippe, it was a loving adventure.

‘She had learnt harder lessons: about the complexities of identity; the truths that hid behind secrets and lies; the challenges of making heartbreaking decisions in a world of elusive certainties and infinite grey shades.’

Alexandra Joel, a former magazine editor, has turned her hand to historical fiction and what a fabulous job she has done! The Paris Model is based on a true story with Alexandra even keeping the original names for authenticity. It is a work of fiction, however, based around events of the time. In this story the reader will travel from rural New South Wales Australia to the fashion houses of Paris France in the 1950s. This is a tale of family secrets with a wonderful window into the fashion of the time. On a deeper level, it is also an examination of several themes including the role of women in a time of great change.

The story is set in post WWII and begins in outback Australia. It is a wonderful tale in itself: Grace was in a difficult marriage with a returned airman and then was plucked from a Sydney showing and selected to be a ‘mannequin’ for the famed fashion house of Christian Dior! There is a book right there especially with the people Grace mixes with including one, Jacqueline Bouiver. I was happy with this story - old life, new life and love and a great tale of family secrets etc. What was then thrown in the mix was espionage - this I was not too sure about.

To me it seemed unnecessary that Grace become a part of conspiracies and secret missions - all a bit too much in my opinion. This is where the tale launched into full roller coaster mode of people, politics, even shootings and car chases! Was this needed in an already complete story ... I’m not too sure.

Overall, however, this only detracted half a star for me as I found the story as a whole very compelling. Historical fiction (based on fact) with locations of Aussie outback to the City of Lights, a great story of heritage and family ties all sprinkled with a bit of romance. As Alexandra cited at the end of her story:

‘The epigraph at the front of The Paris Model quotes Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, published in Paris in that landmark year, 1949. In it, the author exhorted women to challenge the myth that their modest and compliant ‘essence’ was immutable, and to instead throw themselves into lives that were not defined by gender.’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

This was a lovely story. When I started reading, I wasn't sure if it was my kind of book: I couldn't really get a handle of what kind of story it was. I quickly worked out that that was because The Paris Model doesn't really define itself under a standard genre. There was life in cities and the countryside, in Europe and Australia, some mystery, romance, adventure. Good times and bad.

But through it all you want to stay with our heroine Grace. There's something about her that drew me in.

Plus, I learned a lot about, well that's telling, let's just say things I didn't know about before. And I love that in a book.

I'd love to read more by Alexandra Joel. She writes very connectable books.

What a ride this book was...
Grace Woods is the only daughter of Australian farmer. Her family is well off, loving, caring and protective. Grace grows up at pre-WWII remote NSW farming station doing everything she loves, having little limits and obstacles. During the war she helps her father and looks after the farm. She marries her childhood friend only to...
Grace dreams of Paris. Her dreams will come through. Her dreams will bring about uncovering some well-hidden secrets. Is Grace brave enough to handle them? Is she strong enough.
I loved Grace from the very first pages of the book. She is independent, free-spirited girl who does not see obstacles and rejections but sees only possibilities and positives around her. I felt for her when she learnt her hard lessons, when she made her mistakes.
However, I did not understand why Grace needed to be thrown into a hodge-podge of events, conspiracies, secret missions, false suppositions, etc. It was a bit too much to be believable. What was the author trying to show the reader? I found this roller-coaster of events, people, ideologies, politics, international relations a bit disappointing and completely unecessary.
The book reads well, easy and light. The author has a very good voice.

Australian author and past editor of the country’s edition of Harper’s Bazaar, Alexandra Joel has a knack for turning sparse historical facts into engaging fiction.
Her last book, Rosetta, took the family’s limited knowledge of her maternal great-grandmother and spun it into an interesting story, and now Joel has set her sights on a friend’s relative who spent time in Paris as a model for Christian Dior.
The Paris Model follows this relative, Grace Woods, from her humble beginnings on a New South Wales sheep farm at age 12 in 1934, to grown-up Paris mannequin (model) in 1951.
Grace grows up under the loving yet strict guidance of her parents, with many expectations that she will marry a certain boy, have a family and be involved in the community just as her mother is.
While obedient to these expectations, Grace becomes increasingly unhappy as her marriage falls apart and her career passions lay elsewhere.
When she makes a shocking discovery about her heritage, it’s the last straw and Grace leaves for Paris to become a Christian Dior mannequin – where she falls in love with Philippe Boyer and gets entangled in his complicated double life.
The plot switches frequently between Grace’s younger years near Sydney in the 1930s and her current life in Paris in the 1940s, which takes some getting used to but adds an element of curiosity for the reader.
The inspection of life as a woman in this era is intriguing and educational, as is life as a model in a high-end fashion house.
However, The Paris Model should be read without the expectation of any surprise reveals, regardless of Grace being described as making ‘a shocking discovery’ in the book synopsis, as all elements are absurdly obvious to everyone except the main character.
Whether this is a purposeful narrative tool on the author’s behalf to impress upon the reader that Grace never thinks at all or simply a lack of desire to dedicate to plot twists, remains to be seen.
Aside from this aspect, the novel is an intriguing look into history and both Australian and Parisian culture in the past and Grace is both a complex and enjoyable character.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for both a kindle and paperback copy of this book to review! This book comes out on 20th January.

Grace is living on a vast Australian sheep station with her husband Jack, although she is not at all happy and is feeling very unfulfilled. When an opportunity to model in Christian Dior’s first parade outside Paris, in Sydney arises, Grace runs with the opportunity.

Grace is then offered a position as a mannequin with Christian Dior in Paris and as she prepares to move to Paris, she makes a shocking discovery that changes her life. What follows is an eventful life in post-war Paris, surrounded by sumptuous fashion and famous faces as Grace tries to find her true identity.

This is a fascinating book, based on a true story. If you’re a fashion lover and admirer of the arts, I’m sure this book will appeal, although the name dropping of famous faces was a little off-putting to me.

I feel that a little more character development would have given this book a bit more substance, as the characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped to me. The book seemed to focus more on the storyline than the characters, however I did really enjoy the story and the contrast between the Australian bush and the frivolity of Paris. Grace certainly had an adventurous and interesting life for a woman during that period in time! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harpercollins Publishers Australia and Alexandra Joel for my copy of: The Paris Model.

Brookfield homestead New South Wales, Australia, in 1934,
Grace lives on a sheep station with her parents, Alfred and Olive Woods. Grace had a happy childhood, she enjoys living in the Australian bush, riding her pet pony Illyria and spending time with her dad. Grace is a real country girl, she loves the fresh smell of eucalyptus emitted by the gum leaves and she doesn't mind the sound of the screeching cockatoos. Alfred adores his family, his property and he knows his wife Olive is a little more refined than he is. Olive is busy being a mother, running her household and attending her local CWA meetings. She likes to dress nicely, she loves fashion and clothes. Grace and Olive both love to look at fashion magazines together, dream about wearing the beautiful dresses and visiting Paris.

Graces parents have always planned for her to marry Jack Osbourne, he lives next door on a sheep station called Merindah and his parents are also keen for them to eventually marry. When WW II starts Jack does the right thing, he signs up to train as a pilot and he plans to marry Grace when the war is over. Jack returns home after the war ends, the couple marry, Jack has changed and not for the good! Grace knows marrying Jack was a big mistake, she doesn't think her mother Olive will understand and what can she do? After making a shocking discovery, Grace decides to leave her husband, travel to France, she wants to be a fashion model and to find out what happened to her Uncle Siddy? Her parents had a close friend called Reuben Wood, he was a horse trader, piano player and Grace loved her Uncle Siddy. For some reason Siddy stopped all contact with Grace's family, last she heard Uncle Reuben had joined the army and was in France!

Grace is tall, slim, very pretty and finds work as a model. She works as a mannequin for Christian Dior, the world's new leader of fashion, clients like to see the beautiful gowns being worn by models on the catwalk and Grace loves her new job. She models clothes that are bought by rich famous people and they include, princesses, actresses and by wives of diplomats and politicians.

Grace meets and falls for handsome Philippe Boyer. He has no idea that Grace is married and the longer she waits the harder it is to tell him the truth. Grace has no idea, he has his own secrets and he is leading a double life or that his past might effect her? Grace is drawn into Philippe's dangerous world of politics and international espionage. When Grace discovers that her life is in danger, she doesn't consider going home to Australia, she's stays hidden in the french country side and it gives her time to work out what's she's going to do?

The Paris Model, is based on a true story, it takes you from the paddocks of a sheep station in Australia to the elegant fashion houses of France. It's about a journey Grace takes to discover the truth, she uncovers hidden family secrets, her heritage, falls in love and makes peace with her mum.
I gave the book four stars and it's due to be released on the 20th Of January.

The Paris Model is the first novel by Australian author, Alexandra Joel. Having been raised in country NSW, when Grace’s father, Alfred Woods dies, she takes over running their sheep and wheat property. A few short years later, she becomes Mrs Jack Osbourne, having married, as expected, the son of a local grazier on his return from the war. Less than three years later, Grace has walked away from that life to become a mannequin at Maison Christian Dior in Paris.

Not just in the City of Light to pursue her career aspirations, she is also searching for the most important man in her life. She meets another, finding love and excitement and danger. Grace is a strong and determined character, although she does have a tendency to flee from confrontations without waiting for an explanation, much to her psychological and emotional detriment.

The plot follows some predictable lines but also contains a few surprises and while, given the era and her occupation, Grace might well be expected to encounter some famous (and infamous) figures, the parade of cameos does feel a tiny bit “Forrest Gump”. Joel does capture the era nicely and, with her protagonist based on an actual historical figure, this is marvellous historical fiction from a talented Australian author.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia

The Paris Model is a wonderfully written historical romance adventure, inspired by a true story. It has drama, excitement, love, secrets, loss and sacrifice. It’s also about finding out who you really are.

It’s 1948, Grace Woods is living life on an Australian Sheep station in Brookfield and when an opportunity arises she finds herself travelling to post-war Paris to take on a position as a mannequin for Christian Dior and to also search for her uncle Siddy, missing presumed dead since the war but Grace believes in her heart he is still out there somewhere.

The plot was fast paced filled with drama and mystery, I found it so intriguing, there were so many twists and turns, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough or put it down! The book was surprisingly more than I expected and a highly recommended read.

Initially I found The Paris Model a light but interesting story with a rural Australian women being accepted into Christian Dior as an in-house model and then the story goes on to show how she got there. However I was mistaken as the story of Grace from a rural New South Wales property in Australia was more than just that. Set in the period just before and after World War 2 in Australia shows some of the real issues faced by the women who had to take over running businesses and farms while the men were away but also the effect the war had on the men and some of the consequences of this when they returned home.
Grace’s background is far more complicated than it initially seems and when the opportunity arises for her to take up a position as a Paris model she leaves Australia. Paris is post war and her time in Paris, while very ‘chic’ because of her work. becomes very dramatic as she becomes involved with people there and the local politics. At times I found Grace a bit annoying as she was often too impetuous and sometimes refused to listen when she needed to. However she was a realistic character who you were drawn to.
So from thinking that this was a light read, I moved to feeling it was very dramatic with a lot of ‘can’t put this down’ moments in the story.
I certainly enjoyed reading this novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers Australia for a copy to read and review.