REVIEW
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Oh, how I enjoyed this novel! Lily Graham is an amazing writer that pulls you into her story immediately and holds you to the very end. I loved The Paris Secret from start to finish. The characters are well fleshed out and I particularly loved Valerie and her mother. Even Mr Dupont was interesting. Although he comes across first as gruff, he has a colourful personality and there are reasons for his behaviour. But his actions and manners are more than meets the eye.
Valerie, born in Paris, France, was sent to live with her aunt in London after her mother tragically died. She knows very little of her origin which was only given to her when she turned twenty. This information sets her on a path of discovery. She desires to know about her mother’s life and why her grandfather (her only living relative) sent her away when she was little to live with her aunt. Did he not love her? This and many other questions are pressing on her mind so she heads back to city of her roots. What she learns there sets her world and heart reeling. She eventually receives all the answers she seeks and more, once she goes to work in a Paris bookstore. The owner and neighbour have surprising connections to her life.
While on this journey for truth in Paris, her dearest friend, Freddy, turns up to watch over her and to do some freelance journalism work. Their relationship is special but has its own complications. While they are together in the greatest romance city of the world, the secrets of their hearts and their hopes and dreams are revealed.
This is a powerful, emotionally moving story of discovery that held my heart passionately in its grip. It is a WW2 novel about France's war children that will shake you and make you more aware of the horrible things that happened to those who were in Paris during the Nazis Occupation. But though these pages contain obvious trauma, there are also beautiful slivers of hope and healing for those who survived. This novel delves deep into the violations of the WW2 era through these believable characters who represent a difficult period in history. But it does not end there. We also get to see what may have happened to those who escaped and/or persevered. The novel mostly has two timelines of 1962 and 1940-42. But the present day acts as bookends for the novel with the first and last chapters set in that period.
I read this novel for my enjoyment but I was so moved by it I had to say something in a review. Lily has quickly become one of my favourite authors. She packs in a complete and satisfying story in less space than most. Since recently discovering her work, I have been collecting her novels. And now The Paris Secret sits proudly on my shelf as READ. I highly recommend this 5 Star triumphant gem. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
