At the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this historical fiction book. I knew from the initial chapter that it started pre-WWII, but that’s a lot of ground to cover. An abrupt change to a contemporary second chapter kept me off balance.
However, it quickly became apparent that the author’s intent was to draw as many parallels between Florence and Sage as possible even before their actual connection was revealed.
Once I realized this, I was fully engrossed in the story. By the end, I knew that it would be one that I remembered for a long time.
I liked all of the similarities – some subtle, some obvious – between the two women’s stories. I thought the author did an admirable job of letting those unfold and letting the reader draw their own conclusions.
I also liked how both women were strong, but didn’t actually realize it. Florence was a dancer who wanted to do more, but only had her words to offer; Sage had made a life as an influencer, but came to the realization that she really influenced nobody, because it was all for show.
Both women’s progressions were interesting and kept me hooked. Sometimes in a historical fiction novel, one time period seems a lot stronger or more real than the other. That wasn’t the case here; I was equally interested in both storylines.
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I enjoyed the author’s sense of humor (for example, Florence and Otto’s “unmentionables” meeting and Sage trying to figure out biscuits and gravy). These moments, and several others, added humanity to the women.
Where I thought the author truly exceled was in the descriptions of Paris, both pre-occupation and with the arrival of the Nazis. She did a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of the city and beliefs of the people.
She also shined a bright light on how easy it was for some people to be fooled into supporting the Nazis’ rules and behaviors. Pretty stark lesson to learn there.
If that was a cautionary tale from history, Sage’s initial meltdown and perspective on social media was commentary on today’s obsession with surface matters. It made an interesting juxtaposition with Florence’s realization that gossip was more interesting to people than real news.
That was perhaps my favorite parallel between the two timelines. “We didn’t start the fire” and human nature hasn’t changed as much as we think it has.
Regardless, I highly recommend this book. It was a fascinating look at how history can easily repeat itself. Thought-provoking and entertaining, definitely one of my favorites.
