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The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris: from an exciting new voice in historical fiction comes a gripping and emotional novel

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The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris is the second book I have read by Daisy and I absolutely loved it! To have a combination of Paris, WWII and a bookshop in past and present timelines was wonderful. There is a love of literature woven throughout and setting up a bookstore in Paris is a dream for many. With themes of love, war and betrayals, it all comes together for a riveting read. At first I was intrigued by how this cliche romance was going to intersect with the story of a couple in occupied France standing up to the Nazi’s. The main link is the bookshop owned initially by the couple in WWII. It lies abandoned now and is taken on by our novel’s heroine. The era and bookshop feel like set pieces for a predictable plot. Part of what bothered me in this story is the privileged and almost oblivious nature of the author and main character. The heroine is asked not to touch the bookstore because of its sad history, but does so anyway. To me it felt disrespectful and clueless. We’re asked to just accept the premise that this woman belongs here. That she’s destined to start a new life in Paris opening this bookstore and anyone who disagrees just doesn’t understand her. As if the other people’s feelings and personal histories weren’t worth as much as the gut instinct of this woman who’s sort of inserted herself in their community. and the end of the story felt rushed. I was left feeling cheated and a bit bitter.

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The two past and present storylines meld together in a surprising mystery. Included are the tragedies of WWII with the Nazi occupation of Paris and Daisy does a superb job of telling not only the love story of Jacque and Mathilde but also his evolution throughout this experience. The contemporary tale, whilst a well worn trope of marriage breakdown and moving to a new country for rediscovery is well used, with the addition of setting up a bookstore and discovering family heritage, Daisy does a solid job of it. All up is a poignant tale told from many aspects with engaging characters and tribulations to overcome. I have to say that I was very disappointed in this book. I've heard so many good things about it and maybe it's just me, but I was getting confused with all the characters & names mainly in the present timeline of 2022. I usually really enjoy duel timeline stories but this one fell short and honestly I couldn't wait to get done.

The occupation continues and the couple witness atrocities to their fellow Parisians, Mathilde is determined to become involved with any sort of resistance. However, after she is taken in by the Police and brought home by Herr Schmidt, he makes it perfectly clear that she leave Paris and for which he has arranged a pass. As things turn out the couple are already hiding a woman in the secret room and it's decided for Mathilde to take her on the train south with her. Jacques stays in Paris to look after his ailing mother as well as running his bookshop. She finds an apartment above a Bookshop, and she decides that she wants to restore the shop and sell books again against the owners 97-year-old Grandmothers wishes. She doesn’t want the past to be dug up.

In a word, disappointing. I was happy to review this through Netgalley but this isn’t my sort of story. Primarily a work of historical fiction bouncing between occupied France in WWII and a by the numbers romance set in 2022. Normally historical fiction is my favorite genre but the modern romance is straight out of a Hallmark movie. If you like those cliches and light romances, you’ll most likely enjoy this. It’s very heavy on tropes like a woman fresh out of a bad marriage, starting her life over in the city of romance and meeting a man she’s immediately drawn to. However they end up hating one another when they first meet, getting close while fixing a sink that suddenly bursts, and almost derailing the whole relationship twice because of simple misunderstandings. In 1940 Paris, Jacques and Mathilde had just gotten married as WW2 broke out. Jacques owns a bookshop, while Mathilde works at an art gallery. Eventually, with Germans taking over Paris, the art gallery closes and Mathilde is without a job. Jacques keeps up with the shop, as both secretly aid in the war. Soon, however, Mathilde must escape for her safety. Will Jacques and Mathilde ever see each other again? How does Juliette presently tie in with the history of Jacques and Mathilde? There are secrets to be discovered!!! All my life, I’ve been making decisions based on what other people wanted.This adventure is just for me. Is that selfish? Maybe, but I don’t want to wake up in thirty years’ time and realise I’ve wasted my life. We only get one shot–might as well make the most of it.’ One of the most amazing stories I've read! I finished reading it with tears in my eyes and couldn't stop thinking about it. This is a wonderful novel. I especially liked the descriptions about Mathilde and Jacques. Their story is filled with hope and is heartbreaking at the same time. The book is brilliantly written. The reader is transported in time to wartime Paris. The fear of the citizens, the “disappearing” Jewish people and the strength of the human spirit to hope and resist in the face of terrible odds.

In 1940 a young married couple is running a bookshop during the Nazi occupation of WWII. How they helped the resistance help Jewish people and resistance workers even children during the war. Their story, their separation and the price they paid for their part in the resistance movement. How in a time of such tension you could trust no one and on trusted patron sold them out to the Nazi's. Juliette and Kevin are on holiday in Paris from the USA. Juliette is half French and wants to find the square that has been drawn in her late mothers painting, that she kept on her wall for so many years. But things don’t go to plan with the holiday in the city of love. Her Husband Kevin decides that he wants to stop short the holiday and go home but Juliette has other ideas and when she finds out that her husband ha been having an affair, she decides that she wants to stay on in Paris.

If the author only wrote about the past, this book would have been fantastic...all this section made sense and was beautifully written. Jacques is no hero, he has had a constrained lonely upbringing enduring recurring illness. He fell in love at first sight with Mathilde and was surprised that she felt the same way. However, this inept bookshop owner surprises himself when only after a short time he begins to understand Mathilde's need not to be a passive spectator but to be proactive in resistance and he puts aside his fears and becomes a man of real compassion and great bravery. A lovely read that has some romance, mystery, history, and a chance to enjoy the city of lights both past and present. Juliette and her husband Kevin are visiting Paris in 2020. She loves everything about the city and being fluent in French, she gets by admirably. Kevin is bored and wants to go home. She discovers quite by chance that he is not being faithful.Juliette has a copy of a scene of a painting that had been in her family's home and her desire is to find out the history behind the painting. The story is told in a dual timeline and also features the story of Jacques and Mathilde, who married on the day WW2 broke out. They risked their lives as part of the French Resistance. Theirs is a story of love, perseverance, courage in the face of evil, sacrifice and betrayal.

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