THE PARIS NETWORK by SIOBHAN CURHAM is a beautiful WW11 story that takes place in a fictitious town called La Vallee du Cerf in France. It is a story about courage and resistance that is fuelled by the written word. Laurence, with her bookstore and love of books, types out “prescriptions” which are uplifting quotes from her favourite authors to help those who need encouragement. With a handful of friends she forms a resistance book club where they read inspirational books that have been banned by the Germans. Laurence’s resistance does not stop there.
There are some interesting characters - I particularly like the aptly named Madame Bonheur (happiness) who owns the bakery next to the book store and becomes a close friend and mother figure to Laurence. Pere Rambert, the parish priest, wears many hats, as Laurence soon learns.
Jeanne Jensen learns about her birth mother after the woman she always thought was her mother dies. She and her father fly to France to uncover what actually happened to her birth mother who was the love of her father’s life.
Jeanne is named after Jeanne d’Arc, her mother’s heroine.
I like the way the written word plays a huge role in the story, and I enjoyed the book, but I have dropped a star because I do not like blasphemy.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

So I dont like dual timelines and I dont like first person, YET, one of the best books I have read all year has both. I was lucky to get an early copy. I loved this storyline so much and what's more it's given me a push to read the less famous books Steinbeck and others have written. I started reading this last night and finished it this morning. I couldnt stop. It made me laugh and cry. Brilliant. The story of an extremely brave resistance woman in France who never killed anyone but inspired hundreds of people. The story is fiction, no idea how much of it is based on a true story but I honestly don't care. I felt like I was right there in France, starving and wanting to do something, anything to fight the Nazis. I want to tell the world about this book. I inhaled it, I loved it so much.

My real mother was a member of the French Resistance and owned a bookstore?

Why didn't you ever tell me, father?

Jeanne finds out the day of her "mother's" funeral that she wasn't her real mother.

THE PARIS NETWORK goes back and forth in time as we learn of the lives of the characters both then and now. Jeanne present day and Laurence in the past.

You will feel Laurence’s tension as the Nazis take control of the small town and feel Jeanne’s disappointment of the news about her mother as well as the excitement of the news about the bookstore and that her mother was French and was born in France.

Very well researched with marvelous characters, “book prescriptions,” WWII, secrets kept, a mystery to solve, and a bookstore. Who could ask for more?

Absolutely a must read for historical fiction fans and those readers who love dual timelines and wondering what the characters' stories really are.

You won't want it to end because of the wonderful writing, the terrific story line, and the characters. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I've started this review about a dozen times because I can't find adequate words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. The absolute best praise I can give is that it kept me up past my bedtime multiple nights. And I really enjoy my sleep so that's saying something. I found Laurence to be very likable and was rooting for her from the beginning. While I enjoyed experiencing the timeline from Jeanne's end, I found myself hoping that the next chapter would come back to Laurence. She was definitely my favorite character and I love that her story was used to highlight how the Resistance used books and bookstores to fight back and pass messages. I've read about this in other WWII historical fictions, but only from the side of the operatives. I really enjoyed having that "inside" view from the bookshop and her utilization of her Paris connections. I was a little hesitant about Jeanne. At the beginning I was worried I wasn't going to like her. Her character seemed very stiff and a little clueless for someone that was supposed to be a 30 year veteran detective. However, once the shock of her discovery wore off and she started "chasing" Laurence, I think she really flourished and I really grew to like her. Without saying too much, I really enjoyed how Jeanne embraced the people from Laurence's past and I loved that they were able to see and experience the rewards of their resistance.

“The Paris Network” by Siobhan Durham is a dual timeline historical fiction book. It mainly tells the story (WWII) of Laurence, a book seller in France. She goes about her daily life until Paris is taken over by the Germans - and the Germans subsequently take over her town. Laurence becomes a resistance fighter. In the second timeline, we follow Jeanne, a former police detective, as she tries to untangle the truth about her past and, eventually, how it’s tied with Laurence’s life.

I found the parts about Laurence to be wonderfully seeped in history - from how bookstores were used to relay messages to basically trying to survive under German occupation. I knew that the Germans banned certain books (and yes, Shylock allowed, but Fagan not I always found a bit confusing), but I didn’t know about Hitler suing a French publisher regarding publishing the full Mein Kampf (a truncated version was allowed to be published in France). I found Laurence to be an amazingly strong woman - living on her own, surviving by running a bookstore during WWII (impressive), but also her inner strength (and faith) was touching.

For the other timeline, I understand why we needed to follow Jeanne and Wendall (her father), but I found Jeanne rather naive at times - maybe history wasn’t, in general, her thing, but some of the facts she didn’t know I found surprising. Also, her story wasn’t as fully delved into (let’s be honest, the main focus should’ve been (and was) Laurence and her story) and it felt lacking, but that’s a common criticism I have for dual timelines (and it’s difficult to write two strong storylines, so I don’t fault Ms. Durham for this).

A very immersing book with a good take on the roles books/bookstores played in WWII and a strong fierce female lead. Plus, I loved the scene where Laurence made Mordecai feel special regarding the star on his chest … so incredibly sweet (and sad). Lots of little sweet touches in this book along with historical WWII facts; a very enjoyable read.

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham is an excellent dual timeline historical fiction that has it all: history, mystery, suspense, intrigue, and kept me guessing until the very end.

I have really enjoyed every book by Ms. Curham that I have read thus far and this one is no exception. I guess one could say at this point I am a huge fan. She seems to deliver such an excellent historical fiction novel experience that has every element that I could hope for in a great book.

I devoured this gem in less than two days. What can I say? I was hooked.

The book weaves between present day and WWII. Here we see two separate stories between two generations of women within the same family ( Jeanne and Laurence) and the author does a tremendous job at bringing both women’s stories together and ties it all up seamlessly.

I also learned more about a different facet of Resistance within France…that of the covert book sellers, distributers, and publishers of the “controversial and banned “ books. I knew the list was long, and the “reasons” the Nazis created the list, and the burning of said books, but this novel sheds more light on this complicated and horrendous process. I appreciate the author’s research and ability to bring this subject matter into the spotlight.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful 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 (as of 12/14/21 no BB listing has been created and link will be updated when it is available) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/15/22.