Publisher: 30th June 2020 by Hachette Australia
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance, WWII
My Rating: 4.5 crowns
Synopsis:
A world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected.
Paris, 1944
Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance.
When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary—including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected—and in time to save Lillian’s life.
My Thoughts
‘Outwardly Paris was still Paris, her beauty largely untouched by war. But her gay, bright, defiant spirit - her joie de vivre - had been stolen. The City of Light had turned drab and gray - and afraid.’
The Black Swan of Paris is historical fiction at its best, fabulous WWII reading. Set in Paris during Nazi occupation, you live the life of famed singer Genevieve Dumont who uses her position to acquire critical information from highranking Nazis to pass onto the Resistance. Then, when her mother is captured Genevieve and those around her, must go to great lengths to save her from a ruthless enemy.
‘... she loved her country. Because she had this gift of song, and she could use it to help in the battle against the horror that was the Third Reich.’
This is a book that has a little of everything - war and romance, intrigue and espionage. It is well researched providing fascinating details especially concerning life in Paris, but as it was for the Nazis - life at the Ritz was a definite eye opener. Then there were the facts surrounding the allies landing in Normandy, which again, was well done.
‘Champagne and caviar had been passed around the shelter by the Ritz’s attentive staff, the gas masks had been used as pillows by the especially sleepy, or inebriated, and the atmosphere in the cellar as they waited for the All Clear had been almost that of a party.’
I found the writing to be very engaging with a solid range of characters that provided a real depth to this tale. The plot was truly compelling, especially towards the end, when it had me on the edge of my seat. It is a long read but the climactic ending to the main story made it well worth it. I was a little disappointed with how the story as a whole was so quickly tied together after I had invested so much in each of the characters.
“My first allegiance had to be to my country, and this was, and is, a fight for her life. For the life of civilization as we know it. You were the perfect vehicle to take the network I was building where it needed to go.”
Overall this is an action packed and emotional journey that succeeded in taking me to a different time and place. A place where you become a part of each character's journey in this tumultuous and highly volatile period in history.
‘As she’d already learned to her cost, there were no guarantees in life, no guarantees that the person you loved would be there from one day to the next, no guarantees about anything at all. And this was war. Death waited around every corner. It came rocketing out of the sky, zipping through the air, blasting out of the ground. It came with no notice, no warning, no chance to say good-bye.’
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This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
1 comment:
Like the story and the setting. Thank you for the review.
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