Sometimes a novel just lasts too long. The Paris Dressmaker was one of those novels. Too many characters, too many worn out plot points and nothing new added to the story beyond new character names. I really was hoping for more. Frankly, if as many people as the author wrote as participating in the resistance had been, France never would have been occupied by the Germans!
The book was much too long for the story it had to tell. I did enjoy reading the cataloguing and tracking of the fine art that the Nazis stole from the people they killed. That part reminded me of a great book I read called The Madonnas of Leningrad.

Fabulous Historical Fiction!! What a beautiful story that looks at the lives of several Parisiennes before, during, and after WWII in France, and the drastically different choices they make. What a timely reminder that we are always faced with good and evil in our world. How do we respond? Do we choose what is easy or risk it all for what is right? I loved this quote: "But always do what you know to be right-- no matter the cost. Above all things, our choice to remain faithful in the face of uncertainty is sacred to God and he will honor it in his time. Do not give up on God; He will hold you fast."

What a memorable cast of characters, especially Lila de Laurent and Sandrine Paquet, The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is a heart-stopping tale of life under Nazi occupation.

"The world was right back where they started, only now the enemy had won."

"They were staking their claim on her existence and more ways than one, and her heart cried the whole way home."

"Beauty changes as we change, doesn't it? The things we thought we were supposed to do and be once upon a time, they evolved as we do. "

What a lesson to learn that even those who do right, appearances have caused them to be wrongly judged. "Collaboratrice horizontals!"

"That God would hear the desperate cries of His people. That He would prove faithful. And that though the day tarried, they must always cling to faith, for it would surely come. "

In the author's note:
"We have a call to remember history as it was, to uncover the truth, to spotlight the savage consequences of sin, and to educate future generations so that those brutal mistakes might never be repeated. For the lives lost, the lives lived, and the lives yet to come...... may we never forget."

I HIGHLY recommend The Paris Dressmaker!
Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an early ebook copy of this book. I can't wait to get a copy of this book to add to my keeper shelf!

The Parisians

Exciting, heartbreaking, and romantic this book held my interest and kept me reading. I sometimes found it a little challenging to keep the different timelines straight, but the book was so worth it.

Paris was the hub of fashion before the war. Fashion houses hired seamstresses to work for them Sketches were drawn up, measurements taken, and the seamstress would cut and hand-stitch the garments.

This is the story of seamstresses Lila, Amelie, and Sandrine. Lila and Sandrine worked with the resistance while Amelie became a collaborator with the Nazi's. The choices were not easy for women in these times with their men off fighting. They had to make hard choices and sacrifices, Some were often not given a choice if they wanted to save loved ones.

The story is of the woman Parisians during World War II. The romances between Rene and Lila and Christian and Sandrine were a large part of the story. The women that fought and aided the French resistance were a prominent part of the book.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Kristy Cambron, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

"War didn't offer choices. And it sure didn't leave room for negotiation where the game was concerned. You walked a thin line between life and death, praying you knew which side was which when the game was over."

Lila de Laurent knew fashion. At the start of the war, she was designing clothes for a top designer in Paris and was hoping to marry her sweetheart. But the war changed everything.

Sandrine Pauquet had a son. She hoped for more children with her husband. She wanted to use her art degree. But the war changed everything.

How does Lila's dress designing abilities make a difference in the war effort? How does Sandrine's art background play a part in the war? What draws these two strangers together in the end?

Many books have been written about World War 2 Europe. I think this book should stand above many others. This is why.

1) This is a clean book with little to no swearing, limited descriptions of violence and only implied situations of impropriety.
2) This book celebrates the heroism of the Paris Resistance rather than focusing on the atrocities of the war. Of course, we need to not forget about those who suffered. That was horrible. And there are those who lose everything in this book. But at the same time, sometimes we can focus so much on the wicked elements that we forget that were those who were trying to do good.
3) Personal choices are emphasized. Not everyone featured in the book had humanity's best interests in mind., and there was a clear line between good and evil.
4) After reading this book, I understand more about what Paris would have been like during World War 2. The author's descriptions are so well done that I felt as if I was strolling (or scurrying in some scenes) down the City of Lights.
5) The characters are extremely well-developed. The reader was able to get to know several key figures and begin to understand how certain types of people would have affected the war.
6) Certain parts were not sugar coated. The reader would be able to understand some of the horrors without everything being completely written out.
7) The ending was hopeful - rebuilding rather than destruction.

This is a time slip book. For the first few chapters, I struggled to follow the exact format until I began to understand the pacing and sequencing.. My suggestion: pay careful attention to both the date and to the main character. While there are several important figures, Lila and Sandrine are the ones featured.
Faith is an important element. Trusting God despite suffering was one of the themes. So was patriotism. This book is intended for an English audience although some of the phrases were in French.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand more about the brave ones who fought back in World War 2. This may not have some of the shocking situations found in more mainstream novels, but I for one appreciated that. There was definitely enough action and suspenseful scenes to make this a compelling read. In fact, I think this is one that I will read again in the future - I enjoyed it that much!
Thank you to Thomas Nelson and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it was officially released. This was my first novel that I read by Kristy Cambron - I would definitely read more of her books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Kristy Cambron. When you read a book by Kristy you are instantly taken into another place and time. That was so true in The Paris Dressmaker. She gave us heart wrenching moments and believable characters you can't help but fall in love with. She is a master at writing duel time-lines. The Paris Dressmaker was more about two women in the same years, fighting the same war in France and the connecting factor was a Chanel dress. I thank Thomas Nelson for allowing me, through NetGalley, to read this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another great read by Kristy Cambron and she sure didn't disappoint. This quickly became a riveting read, and once you start you won't want to put it down.
We all know the story here, the lawless acts perpetrated on these people and an entire race or religion. So much hate, but we are with those who actually led a double life and worked with the Resistance, and risking all they had including their lives.
We walk in the shoes of those who work to counter the acts of those who are committing these horrendous acts on the people of Europe.
We put faces on these people, and one is the title of this book, what a talented woman, but a woman who cares deeply and uses her talents for the good of mankind. Can you even imagine doing what these people did, pretending you agreed with these terrorists, and using all of your gifts to subterfuge them!
This book is a great reminder that we need to never forget, and never repeat!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Two women in Paris, both of their stories in two different years that are just four years apart, but almost a world apart! Lila de Laurent is a dressmaker and while working with Chanel and then on her own, she is able to be a part of the Resistance in her own unique way. Sandrine Paquet says goodbye to her husband and must live with her in laws with her child and unfortunately catches the eye of a captain of the Nazi regime, but she uses him to her advantage to do her own part for the Resistance.

It took a bit for me to realize we had two women and both stories were to take place in 1939 and 1943 and would progress until they collide. Once realized, I reread a few pages and took some notes, so I could keep each woman's story apart, but what I loved most was when their stories ended up intermingling and the genius behind the way they did.

The timing of reading this book was interesting as I read it shortly after another book about a woman in the Resistance who was coordinating supply drops, so I appreciated seeing a different aspect of French women contributing to the war effort in their own way and how many different ways that could take place. Being in the heart of Paris in this book compared to the country of France in the other, I enjoyed the extra fever that was brought in this book as you saw the Nazi party come in and then retreat.

I have read most of Kristy Cambron's catalog and enjoyed each of them. I would love to complete her list and look forward to her next one!

Beautiful cover! Great story. I love reading about the resistance in WWII. My only "thing" with this book is that it can be a bit confusing with the different story lines and different times going on. I listened to my Kindle Fire read it to me, and I feel like I need to read the actual physical copy to really "get it" a little better. Very interesting story, though!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-copy. The opinions are entirely my own.

I am sure this will be an interesting read for some people but I found it difficult to follow. I couldn’t stay engaged with the characters. Sorry to say I did not finish so I will not post my review on Goodreads.

There are a lot of stories to follow. -- not just two stories alternating between two women, but also two timelines for each woman. For this reason, the novel requires some dedication to get into it. But readers who are able to stick with it will be rewarded.

The history behind stolen art pieces and the Resistance work is fascinating. Fans of war fiction, art, and fashion will find much to enjoy in these pages.

Aside from the multiple narratives, my other complaint is that the pace is somewhat uneven, languorous in parts and action-packed in others.

Overall, the character development is strong. I liked how the women turned out to be courageous. Cambron does a good job of showing the women's disparate backgrounds and hopes and dreams.

I always wonder what I would have done in Occupied France during WW2 if I lived there and then. Would I have been a bold, fearless Resistance fighter, a collaborator with the Vichy police or Nazis (never!) or someone who did nothing else but keep her head down and survive. The women is this novel were bold and fearless, swiping secrets and documentation out from under the Nazi's noses while smiling, subserviantly. There was lots to admire in Lila and Sandrine and the thousands of women who took a stance during the war.
The author wrote her characters with flaws and insecurities, with grit and compassion and lots of courage and quick thinking. I loved the fashion she weaved throughout and how the book started with Lila running through the forest in a delicate, silk evening dress. It gave the reader an understanding that fashion and culture would be instrumental in what drove these women on.
If you love historical fiction and WW2, this is a very worthy read. I couldn't put it down!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is historical fiction at its finest. The research behind this beautifully written story about some of the brave women of The Resistance is impeccable. The story is moving and memorable. And important.

This story had two heroines with 4 timelines to keep up with, so it was a bit difficult to follow at times. Lila’s story included the prewar fashion world, dressing the Nazis’ women at the Hotel Ritz, and eventually fighting with the Free French. Sandrine’s story focuses on her journey from wife and mother to forced work with the Nazis at a museum (and secretly recording the art stolen by the Nazis). I think the author was trying to show that the choices for the women of Paris during the war were often different and more difficult than that of men during the war. The constant jumps back and forth in time for each woman and between their stories kept me somewhat confused. I had to make it a point to read the date at the beginning of each chapter to remind myself where I was in the story. I find it interesting that she chose Paris Dressmaker as the title when the book was really as much about Sandrine as it was about Lila. In fact, I think I preferred Sandrine’s story more than Lila’s. You know from the beginning that their two stories will intersect at some point, but it was very near the end and seemed a bit forced to me. Cambron’s notes at the end were very interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A fantastic story set around world war 2. With dual storyline that involves the fashion industry during the same time period. I loved this book. I read it straight through, not wanting to put it down! Perfect for fans of WW2 historical fiction, but will appeal to others as the book was wonderfully researched and written.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Kristy Cambron’s latest, The Paris Dressmaker, is by far my favorite of her novels. As I closed the book last night, I couldn’t help but sit and reflect on the moving story before me. Set in WWII Paris, Cambron presented the tale of 2 women fighting behind the scenes for freedom. Amid the horrors of the Nazi regime, each must sacrifice, face un-believable loss, and struggle on when all hope seemed lost. The depth and emotion were so poignant and expres-sively delivered, that I felt as if I was living the story right alongside Cambron’s characters. This is a truly meaning-ful and powerful story that I will not soon forget.

Cambron paints a tale so rich it cannot be ignored. I cannot praise this book highly enough.
I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed Kristy Cambron’s The Paris Dressmaker. I found it an interesting read and take on this genre, especially focusing on the role of art during this time. The women and men who fought to keep the culture and art of the past safe during such a terrible time in history was fascinating to read about.

I found Lila and Rene’s story just as captivating and beautifully heart-breaking at times as Christian and Sandrine’s.

I am rating this book 4 stars for great story-telling and characters I connected with.

Oh my I loved this book! Set in Paris during the occupation of the Nazi regime in World War Two this tale charts the paths of 3 different women all linked by one thing a dress. Lila created it, Amelie wants it, Sandrine is gifted it. However each woman has a very different story to tell which is more important than the dress. This is a tale of resistance, collaboration and survival and really brings to life what life was like in Paris during the occupation.

If you love history, strong women and a gripping story this is a book for you

The book covers the history of the Nazi occupation in Paris from the point of view or from the story of two women, two characters that serve to highlight the little-seen role of women in World War II.
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I Always admire the work of the writers of the genre, there is so much previous research work, corroborating dates and places for the characters to find their place in the plot and not fell from it. The Paris Dressmaker runs through the invaded Paris, its queues of people with food vouchers and the most famous aut couture showcases closed so vividly
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I really liked the story although it was difficult for me to keep up with the dates, there were three time lines between them and they changed according to the character. Besides that, I can only say that I was disappointed that the story was not finished by Lila, or some one related to her.I was really hooked on her story and I wanted to read more about her ,Sandrine's parts feels longer to me.
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Paris Dressmaker is the first historical fiction romance that I read in a long time and I liked how the writer addresses the less told side of history and prey to us to remembers a story that we must never forget
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Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for let me #TheParisDressmaker, that will be realesed 16 feb, i'll be looking forward to read more works from Kristy Cambron

I'm the type of reader who only reads one book at a time. I just find it hard to really get immersed in a story if I'm jumping around from one fictional world to another, so I was especially distracted by the piecemeal storytelling. Between the alternating POVs and nonlinear narrative, there are essentially four different stories going on. It doesn't actually add to the overarching story and just feels like a misguided attempted to drum up some suspense. The constant jumps between time and perspective are confusing and breaks up any kind of flow Cambron tries to establish. It made it hard for me to connect with any of the characters when I was constantly trying to get my bearings and orient myself every time the chapter changed.

It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this book. It definitely has potential. The premise is intriguing premise and the opening scene pulls you in. Unfortunately, it falters a bit in terms of execution. The story never really comes together. There isn't any kind of emotional pull to the narrative, which makes it hard for the reader to engage, and the whole thing falls flat. It felt like a bit of a superficial reading of Paris in WWII, and I wish there had been more depth to the story and more character development. I also think the convergence of the stories isn't particularly compelling and some of the plot twists are a bit of a stretch. The Christian themes aren't incorporated as seamlessly as they could be but aren't obnoxiously out-of-place or in your face.

TL;DR: decent book, but it just didn't quite deliver the beautiful story the cover promises.

What first caught my eye about The Paris Dressmaker was the cover. I mean, isn't it just gorgeous? Combined with the promise of Paris, especially World War II-era Paris, and the world of fashion, and I was intrigued. I've read and enjoyed Kristy Cambron's writing before, so I thought this one would be a winner. Unfortunately, The Paris Dressmaker turned out to be an average read for me.

The summary for the book indicates that there are two timelines, with each timeline featuring a different heroine. However, there are actually four timelines--two for each woman--and while it didn't take me long to follow along, the jumps back and forth between characters and years was initially a bit disorienting. As the story continued, I felt as if these splits kept the story from being as cohesive as it ought to have been, and it made for a choppy reading experience. That being said, I generally liked all four timelines and the way they caught up to one another.

In regard to the characters, although I liked Lila well enough, I found myself much more invested in Sandrine's story. I feel like many more of the Paris-based WWII books I've read feature a lead character who joins La Resistance and fights for their country through subterfuge and cleverness. This plot makes for a fine story, and having Lila gain access to information through her role as dressmaker to the women of the Ritz is a unique addition, but it just wasn't enough to really distinguish this narrative from similar stories on the market.

Sandrine's story, however, while still having the familiar "Frenchwoman unwillingly associating with a Nazi as a cover for her clandestine work" trope, takes a more unique path in incorporating the Nazi's theft and destruction of Jewish artwork. Although I'm vaguely familiar with these actions by the Nazis and the subsequent efforts to retrieve the stolen artwork to be returned to the rightful owners, I don't think it's a detail that's been included in any Christian fiction novels I've read. Sandrine's work in La Resistance and the unique role that allows this work to be done makes for some very interesting reading, and I often found myself looking up different artists as their work was mentioned and seeing if the pieces had been recovered. The seamless inclusion of real historical events is, for me, the sign of a good story.

Frankly, I would rather have read an entire book of Sandrine's story than had a book split between Sandrine and Lila. Of course, since Lila is the titular Paris dressmaker, a book without her would've been something very different, but I think that book would've filled a more unique niche in the ever-growing genre of WWII fiction. I may have also enjoyed the book more if Lila and Sandrine's stories had intersected sooner; their paths don't cross until very late in the story, and they could just as easily never have met and their stories would be largely the same. As a reader, this seems odd, and I find myself thinking that maybe Lila and Sandrine should've been given their own novels, perhaps as companion novels or even novellas.

Overall, The Paris Dressmaker had its ups and its downs. Cambron does a nice job of evoking the strangeness and the desperation of occupied Paris, and I really enjoyed Sandrine's character and her role in saving the cultural works pilfered by the Nazis. As a whole, though, this book wasn't better than average for me, and while I might suggest it to a few people, it wouldn't be my first suggestion for a WWII read.