Five perfect stars.
This book tells the story of two women, Sandrine and Lila, and their lives during the Nazi occupation of France. Lila is a dressmaker, and Sandrine records the transportation of art that has been stolen by the nazis. Both are also working for the French Resistance.
The writing in this novel is lyrical and gorgeous. Every word gripped me, and I couldn’t put the book down. At the same time, I tried to savour it and make it last.
The romance was perfect, it was so painful and really pulled at my heart because of the setting. But I could feel its depth in every word. I particularly love René, as we get to see more of him throughout the book than we do Christian.
I loved the characters and I was equally invested in Sandrine and Lila’s stories. The supporting cast of characters also felt very realistic. I’d have liked to see more of some of them, but that would have increased the length of the novel considerably, and I know that it would have probably then made it far too long for many people. As it was, I still felt invested in them all and I cared about them and if they would be ok in the end.
There are almost four stories, as the novel jumps between 1944 and back to 1940, moving between Sandrine and Lila’s lives. We see what is happening to both Sandrine and Lila in the present, and then the past events that led up to it. This helped build suspense and I think if the novel had been told in a linear fashion we would have lost some of that. I really enjoyed how the novel was structured. Even though the structure is quite complex I found that I was able to keep track of all of the events. One of the things I found most incredible is that Sandrine and Lila’s stories are seemingly separate, but you know they must connect somehow. And they do, in more ways than one. It takes time to see those connections, and details that you wouldn’t have even thought were significant are later revealed to be important. I really loved how the author was able to weave their stories together in this way. There was one particular moment in the story where I saw that all along, their stories had been connected, and it hit home perfectly. I know some readers have found it frustrating that their stories only connected later on, and that Lila and Sandrine didn’t really interact during the novel. This didn’t bother me personally, I didn’t feel like they actually needed to spend time together for the ways in which their lives were connected to matter.
I listened to the audiobook which was read very well and I’d highly recommend it.
I didn’t know when requesting, or even reading this book that it’s considered Christian fiction. I wasn’t aware that the publisher is specifically for Christian literature. Although some of the characters in the novel do have a faith, the author isn’t heavy-handed with her messaging at all. You can read this book, whether you believe or not, and it doesn’t feel like you are being preached to. I am including this note because I think this aspect was handled particularly well. I may not have requested the book if I’d known, so I want to urge others to give it a chance. It is a truly beautiful story that respects the beliefs of all people.
I definitely want to read more from this author in future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
- Goodreads rating – 3.96
- REVIEW – Connor