Book Review for The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen

 The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen

Publication August 8, 2023

Genre:   Historical Fiction, World War II

 

Taken from Goodreads:  A courageous wife, mother, and resister confronts the devastation of World War II in a heartbreaking and hopeful novel by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Tuscan Child.

Londoner Madeleine Grant is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when she marries charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. As they raise their son, Olivier, they hold on to a tenuous promise for the future. Until the thunder of war sets off alarms in France.

Staying behind to join the resistance, Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England, where Madeleine secures a job teaching French at a secondary school. Yet nowhere is safe. After a devastating twist of fate resulting in the loss of her son, Madeleine accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort. Seizing the smallest glimmer of hope of finding Giles alive, she returns to France. If Madeleine can stop just one Nazi, it will be the start of a valiant path of revenge.

Though her perseverance, defiance, and heart will be tested beyond imagining, no risk is too great for a brave wife and mother determined to fight and survive against inconceivable odds.

 

My Thoughts:  The Paris Apartment has me hooked.    WWII is my favorite era to read about and Rhys Bowen is one of my favorite historical fiction authors.  This is the story of a young woman who has lost everything.  She lost her husband to the resistance and she lost her son to the Nazis.   With these losses, she has decided to go make a difference in the war.

 I really enjoyed that her training was part of the story.  The physical and mental challenges that she had to face before she was allowed to go do her job.  It was intense, not all her other trainees would make it through training, she knew she would lose some of her co-workers, and she knew that she may not make it out alive.  Madeline knew that she had to be tough and that she had to be sure of herself to be useful. 

 I recommend this book to any historical fiction or WWII fan.  The book brings the war to life as the reader is brought right into the horrific happenings and the amazing stories of survivals.

 Thank you GetRedPR for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Meet Rhys Bowend (taken from Goodreads):  Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including The Victory Garden, The Tuscan Child, and the World War II-based In Farleigh Field, the winner of the Left Coast Crime Award for Best Historical Mystery Novel and the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel. 2021’s The Venice Sketchbook was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel of the Year. Bowen’s work has won over twenty honors to date, including multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Her books have been translated into many languages, and she has fans around the world, including over 60,000 Facebook followers. A transplanted Brit, Bowen divides her time between California and Arizona.