The Paris Daughter – releasing Tuesday!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

It’s 1939 and Elise is new to Paris.  Recently married and an ex-pat, the artist enjoys exploring the city on foot, looking for inspiration outside of her renowned painter-husband’s shadow.  One afternoon, these explorations led to a chance encounter with Juliette, another American wife, that would forever knit their families together.  The Paris Daughter follows the ladies as they navigate difficult choices in the struggle to keep their families safe through the coming German invasion and the War that would follow.

The author of other historical fiction gems such as The Book of Lost Names, Kristen Harmel’s newest work is a haunting inside view of life in Paris during and after World War II.  Harmel’s extensive research into Parisian life is reflected in the details that breathe life into her characters and make their stories authentic.  The author paints vivid mental images in every scene with these carefully researched and written touches.

I give The Paris Daughter 5 out of 5 stars.  I found myself connected with these characters and emotionally invested in their storylines.  I was captivated by the narrative and found it hard to put down, reading the book in one day.  While I understand Kristen Harmel prefers not to revisit characters with sequels, this novel has left me wanting to know more about their lives after the close of this book.

I suggest this novel to historical fiction fans, as well as readers looking for a great weekend escape.  Readers will fall in love with the characters from the onset and be caught off guard by a twist towards the end.  Typical of Harmel’s works, this book brings history to life in a way classroom learning never can. 

An advanced reader copy of The Paris Daughter was provided to me by NetGalley, the author, and the publisher in return for my review. However, I would have picked up this book independently after its release (and will be grabbing a hard copy to keep on my shelf Tuesday!). History, and more specifically historical fiction, has always been the core of my reading obsession. I originally heard about this book in 2022 and have been anxiously awaiting release day. What is your favorite reading genre?

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Big Fish, Daniel Wallace
• Current audio book: Valiant Ambition, Nathaniel Philbrick
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, Colleen Oakley