Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman – Blog Tour (Review)

I thought that the setting for this book was interesting, and the main character was intriguing. This book also had one of the more unique perspectives that I have ever read in historical fiction.

I liked how it was set in the early 50s, because it allowed for the characters to have feelings and opinions that would be more reflective of just coming out of the war. Setting it in the 60s, for example, would have given a completely different dimension to the characters’ outlook.

I also liked how an NYC publishing house was central to the plot. It made sense for Charlotte’s character, as she was extremely literary. Given her father’s background (and her experiences in WWII Paris) this made sense.

I thought Vivi was also an interesting character, and the author did a good job capturing the questions a young teen girl would have, as well as the impetuous nature of teenagers. I liked her scenes as she was trying to figure out her heritage.

That was one of the interesting twists to this story – the whole question of whether Vivi and Charlotte are Jewish or not is an underlying theme both in Paris and in New York City. It certainly raised some interesting aspects to Charlotte’s actions.

All of that being said, I did feel that it was uneven in some places. Transitions were especially awkward. There were times that Charlotte was clearly in NYC, but all of a sudden was back in Paris. I realize that this could be due to formatting, as I read an ARC on my Kindle, and perhaps these transitions are smoothed out. But there were times I had to re-read a passage just to confirm where the action was occurring.

I also felt that there were some contrived plot points that didn’t entirely fit in the story. I don’t want to give anything away, but there were events and conversations that seemed as if the author thought of them and needed to put them in, rather than having anything to really do with the plot itself.

Overall, I thought there were some interesting points, and the author addressed the issues in post-occupation Paris with clarity and understanding. That’s something that is often overlooked.

Oh, and a special shout out for mentioning the Betsy-Tacy books. That’s still my all-time favorite series in the world, and I loved that it was in this book. For a literary person like Charlotte, I think this means the series is held in high esteem. As it should be.

Author Bio

ELLEN FELDMAN, a 2009 Guggenheim fellow, is the author of Terrible Virtue, The Unwitting, Next to Love, Scottsboro (shortlisted for the Orange Prize), The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank (translated into nine languages), and Lucy. Her novel Terrible Virtue was optioned by Black Bicycle for a feature film.

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