REVIEW
Wow, what an incredibly powerful story! I am speechless and emotionally wrung out after reading The Last Train From Paris by Juliet Greenwood. It made my heart ache and race and put my stomach in knots. There is so much trauma spread across these pages. The author exquisitely recreates the last few hours before the war began. How everyone was racing to safety, making difficult gut wrenching decisions, trying to protect their loved ones.
I felt from the passionate writing of this novel, and the haunting events covered, the author had a personal connection. And in the notes at the back, we learn Juliet’s mother, then seventeen, was studying French near Paris on the day war broke out in 1939. Although all the characters are fictional, the author has based her story on a rich tapestry of research: taken from various public and personal accounts (including her mother’s). The heartbreak, the sacrifice, the loss, the betrayal, the separation, the devastation and countless tears shed by all victims come across intensely real. I was fully transported to WWII France and England through the characters and events that left me choked up more times than I can say.
This novel covers two time periods: 1938-1945, and 1964. The past is told by Sabine and Nora. While Iris gives us the 60’s version. It is set in France and England at various locations.
The Last Train From Paris is centred around Iris who has come of age, ready for the truth of her family roots. While acquiring paperwork for her passport, she sees her adoption certificate and how sparse it is: Baby Girl, France, 1939. It’s a bleak statement of her existence: no exact birthplace, no mother or father listed. For her own sanity, she needs to know who she is and the secrets of her past. Iris is haunted at night by sounds and images. Her mum, Nora, finds it hard to talk about the war years but the time has come. Nora first gives Iris a tin with various photos, letters and such: things of the heart. There’s one faded photo of the Eiffel Tower and a word on the back: ‘Forgive’. And so, the story begins…
This is such a complex and beautifully written novel. Unique in so many ways. The two lead women Nora and Sabine are equally strong and likeable characters. Nora lives in London and dreams of being a Chef in Paris. Sabine encourages her friend and helps her find a course. Sabine originally wanted to be a journalist but since her marriage, pregnancy and giving birth to twin girls, those dreams are on hold.
The two women look forward to spending time together in Paris but then a tragedy strikes in Sabine’s husband’s family taking her away from the City. And when war erupts, everything changes. The bonds of their friendship are tested. Sabine will trust her most precious gift to her friend. Nora will be asked to carry out a mission that will alter her life.
Political divisions will occur, families will be separated and paths will lead to unexpected destinations. Heartbreaking decisions will be made to secure safety, support and freedom. Some will walk a dangerous tightrope and fall into the flames of the enemy.
So many things happen over the remainder of the novel that kept me so emotionally invested in this one-of-a- kind story. I totally encourage everyone who loves historical fiction based around WWII to read this magnificent, moving novel. I will never forget the characters and even the animals in The Last Train From Paris. Gripping, heart-breaking and haunting. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for a review copy.
