I was looking forward to reading this book because I’ve enjoyed this author’s previous work. I found this to be very slow starting and after reading 35% I was almost ready to abandon it but kept going. It’s a story set in France during two separate centuries. There are some interesting historical facts about both centuries. In both instances France’s underground network plays a role but other than the underground I found no connection to the characters in the duel timelines. Perhaps this should have been two completely separate books with more historical content and in depth character development. This ARC was provided by Atria Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, you will love Skylark. A dual historical fiction, set in 17th century France and during World War II. Reading this felt occasionally a little too on-the-nose given the state of the world 2025, but it was well-written and a very interesting take on a common topic. In 1664, Alouette is an impoverished girl helping her father, who is a master dyer, and ends up imprisoned at an infamous asylum. In 1939, Sophie is a young girl separated from her family by the Nazis. Both women's journeys take them to the (literal) Parisian underground. Definitely worth a read, but be prepared to ugly cry.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This novel featured two alternating storylines. In 1664, Alouette, the daughter of a master dyer, finds herself imprisoned in the Salpetriere asylum. In 1939, Kristof began his residency in a psychiatric hospital. As Nazi forces take over, he must decide what he believes in, and who he is willing to help.

I really think this novel should be two different books. The1664 storyline was weak, and needed more content to keep my interest. The 1939 storyline was much stronger and interesting. The two storylines never came together and just did not work. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

Sadly I could not get into this one. Never connected with the characters. I love Paula McLain, but this one just fell short for me. DNF. Gave it about 30% of the book, and had to close it. Thank you Atria Books be NetGalley for this EArc. I would have preferred to not rate this, as I did not finish, but cannot post without star rating.

Thank you to Net Galley for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Paula McLain is one of my favorite authors for historical fiction so I just had to check out her newest book which releases in January 2026.
Skylark is a dual timeline story set in Paris and surrounding towns in 1664 and 1942. The 1664 timeline follows Alouette who is inventive and bold and works alongside her father who is a fabric dyer. The 1942 timeline follows Kristof who is a physician training at a hospital in Paris helping with psychiatric patients who is thrown into WWII events that make him face which side he will choose to help.
Things I liked about the book:
1. The author has an amazing sense of place in her writing. The way she describes things and the emotion she puts on the page helps place you right there in the moment with her characters.
2. Her stories always highlight a historical piece of insight I’ve never hear of before such as people who worked with dyes and fabric in medieval times, where the colors came from and what they signified. I also had no idea about all the underground tunnels under Paris and the treatment of psych patients in the period during WWII.
3. The action and tension in the book was constant, helping it to be a propulsive read.

Things that were a disappointment:
1. The dual timeline never made sense to me. I loved all the characters from each time period, but it was jarring to go back and forth between the two time periods right in the middle of heavy action. Especially because at the end of the novel I still was not sure how the time periods and characters connected?
2. The writing strayed into the saccharine towards the end with cliche platitudes and the characters’ dialogue was a little cheesy in really intense moments.
3. I didn’t quite understand the point of the two separate stories. I would have rather invested in one of them. It was cramming too much story into one novel and never really had a cohesive conclusion. I’m still scratching my head over what happened to some of the characters.
4. The symbol of the Skylark was a little vague. Plus there was a POV from 2019 and 1847 thrown in that just made it more confusing and still didn’t help me see what the point of the skylark symbol was besides something trite.

Overall it is very well written and if you like historical fiction you will enjoy it for the interesting historical facts and compelling characters. I give it a 3.5 stars mostly because of the disappointing dual timeline and feeling like the ending left me hanging and felt rushed.

What an immersive historical fiction novel set in Paris. We get to learn about the underground tunnels/networks that were created during the building of Paris in the 1600's and then used during the Nazi occupation in WWII. I was equally gripped by both storylines and absolutely loved the characters. Alouette is confined to a women's asylum in 1664 and tries to orchestrate her escape. Meanwhile in 1939, Kristof (a psychiatric medical resident) goes above and beyond to help his Jewish neighbours.

If you are a fan of historical fiction I highly recommend you read this book!

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since I’ve read and really enjoyed several other books by this author, I think this one could have been stronger. I didn’t feel as invested in the characters and their stories as I wanted to, and the book seemed unnecessarily long to me. Parts of the book were good! There are just a lot of WW2 books out there, and this one was not a stand out, unfortunately.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Atria Book’s for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciate NetGalley for a chance to read and review Paula's new book. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and after reading the prolouge which gave off National Treasure vibes, and realizing it was duel time lines, both of which I love as well, I just knew I was going to love it.....but unfortunately this one just wasn't it for me. As weird as it sounds, while reading, I'm also watching it play out like a movie in my head and the inability to correctly pronounce something, gets in the way of that so I have to look things up. There was a whole lot of that going on which is not a deal breaker for me at all BUT it is disappointing when it starts feeling like homework because I'm not really interested anymore.

I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Skylark by Paula McLain. The story is written based on two timelines.

In 1664, Alouette Voland was the daughter of a master dyer. She loves color as much as her father, but as a woman, she isn't allowed to do much or even have opinions. Alouette longs for more. When her father is arrested for sharing information about his dyes, she tries to save him and is arrested herself. She is confined to the Salpetriere asylum. She doesn't belong there and neither do many of the women imprisoned there. Women with ideas, thoughts of their own, and women that men just wanted to get rid of. Their treatment is terrible. Before being sent to the asylum, she meets Etienne, a stonecutter, who works cutting blocks of stone from under what will eventually become Paris. The areas these blocks are removed from form tunnels.

In 1939, Kristof is a Dutch doctor working as a Psychologist at a hospital in Paris when the city is occupied by the German Army. He sees firsthand the terrible things the Nazis do to people suffering from mental illness. Many are veterans from the Great War. His neighbors are a Jewish family who are arrested. When their teenage daughter is allowed to return home he knows he has to protect her. He works with a group of resistance workers to use the tunnels below Paris to try to get her and other teens to safety.

Both stories were fascinating. The tunnels from Alouette's story allow Kristof's story to take place. I was unaware of the miles of tunnels below Paris.

Paula McLain is at her best. The book is set in Paris and follows two timelines. It traces two journeys of resistance and defiance. Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer and dreams of escaping her lot in life and creating her own masterpiece. Kristof Larson is a medical student staring his psychiatric residency. His neighbors are Jewish who left Poland. When the Nazis descend on Paris he becomes their hope of survival. Mclain is a masterful storyteller.

Paula McLain brings us back to Paris! In this split timeline novel she tells the stories of a young girl, Alouette, living in Saint Marcel in the 1600s and Kristof, a doctor living in Paris during the Second World War. The stories are tied together by a single thread, the Paris underground tunnels.

Alouette’s father is a dyer- developing new fabric dye colors. Alouette’s attempts to participate in her father’s business lead her into trouble.

Kristof is a young doctor working in a psychiatric hospital in Paris who befriends a Jewish family living in his building. As the Germans take over Paris, Kristof is tasked with seeing the family to safety.

The novel had a bit of a slow start, but the beautiful writing and character development really grabbed me and by the middle of the book I was hooked!

While I appreciated elements of the story, I struggled to finish the book. For some reason, neither of the main characters really resonated with me. I’ve enjoyed every other Paula McLain book that I have read, which is why I asked for this one. Sometimes you just don’t connect fully.

Skylark, Paula McLain’s newest novel, is set to be released in January 2026. Once again she has given us an amazing historical fiction. The book has two timelines, 1665 and 1939. As with her other books, the writing is excellent and the storytelling leaves nothing out although it is slow moving in the beginning. Many times I wondered how the stories tied together.

Alouette is the daughter of a master dyer for the Gobelin Tapestry works. In 1964 you were part of a guild and you do only as they say. You are not allowed to try anything on you own. Consequences are imprisonment and or death. Rene her father has an obsession to create the perfect red. Alouette, after watching and learning from her father, tries creating on her own. She is seeking the perfect blue. The guild discovers what her father is doing and he is arrested. Alouette breaks into the works to try and recover her fathers book which holds all his formulas and also becomes arrested, tried, and is sent to an asylum for those not of right mind. The things she has to endure is appalling. She and several other women need to use their strength and ingenuity to survive.

In 1939, Hitler marches onto Paris and takes over the city. Kristof is a doctor in the psychiatric hospital. He lives in a section of the city where many Jewish residents live. He befriends one family in his building and when arrests of Jews start, they are taken away. The Nazi’s release children between 14 and 18 and his neighbor’s daughter Sarah goes to him for help after release. Kristof finds himself part of the resistance and uses all his powers and contacts to help a few of these children escape.

Defiance, friendships and survival run through both sections of the book. In parts, the things these people had to endure was hard to read. It was also hard to look at the fact that survival for some left others behind. As runs through life, survival is of the fittest. Although there was not a definite connection between the two timelines, I saw the connection in both parts as having to endure, a desire for survival, friendships, and the want for better.

I would like to thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced uncorrected readers copy.

This impeccably written story takes place in Paris, through two different timelines - the 1660’s and the 1930’s.

In the 1660’s, Alouette Voland has dreams of becoming a master dyer like her father, however, women were looked down upon and deemed unintelligent, so she had to keep her secrets close to the chest and never, ever tell a soul. When her father is unjustly arrested, Alouette finds herself torn between wanting to help him and knowing how dangerous that could be.

In the 1930’s, Kristof Larson is a resident psychiatrist who befriends a Jewish family shortly before the Nazi invasion in Paris. When this family is taken by the Nazi regime, Kristof chooses to leave his job in order to work for the resistance.

A big chunk of this story takes place in Paris’ underground city. I was completely absorbed with this emotional journey and learned a lot about the underground tunnels and what they were used for. I highly recommend this book if you’re a reader of historical fiction. It’s brilliantly written and evocatively tantalizing.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy of this 5-star read.

A captivating story with strong female characters and what freedom means. This historical fiction read is told in dual time lines, 1600's and 1940 in Paris. It's really two separate stories connected by the underground tunnels in Paris. It's beautifully told and really develops the characters. My only criticism was as I was reading I kept trying to connect the two stories. It was only when I realized the connection was the tunnels that I truly enjoyed the book.
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced read. It is a beautiful read and a shame on how mankind treats It's own.

4.5 stars. Beautifully written. I loved following the stories of these characters and their terrifying experiences during Nazi invasion. Their stories feel real, and tragic and you feel for them as if you know them and are routing for them to survive and succeed. Highly recommend this historical fiction novel!
Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review .

Two daring escape stories set in the Paris underground. One in the 1600s as the route to safety for a group of women unjustly imprisoned; the other for those escaping Nazis.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

For me, it was super slow moving. I did get into it at the end and enjoyed it so definitely worth to keep on reading. But wanted to warn a reader to be patient with this one.
I have loved this author since I brought her book on my honeymoon in 2012! Have not missed any of her books since then!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was really looking forward to it as Paula McLain has authored some of my favorite historical novels. However, this one fell short - way short. I suppose it was 2 separate stories of Man's inhumanity to man, but they never really connected for me. Or it could have been a story about the underground "city" of a great city (Paris) which seems to be the new fad. Or it could have been simply a vignette about the history of dyeing or the history of treatment of mental illness.

Whatever it was supposed to be, it just never came together nor captured my interest.

I will look forward to Paula McLain's next book and hope it reminds me of her earlier books.

Two captivating stories telling of the will to survive cruelty and evil. Alloutte Volland, is wrongly imprisoned at Saltpêtérie, a prison for “bad” woman. Kristof, a young Dutch psychiatrist, helps Jews escape the Nazis in WWII. Both stories are tied by the escapes through underground Paris tunnels: one in the 17th C, the other in the 20th C. I enjoyed the read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this good book.