The Paris Secret
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4.5 • 280 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A wardrobe of Dior gowns, a secret kept for sixty-five years, and the three women bound forever by war... from the New York Times bestselling author of The French Photographer
England, 1939 Talented pilot Skye Penrose joins the British war effort where she encounters her estranged sister, Liberty, and childhood soulmate Nicholas Crawford, now engaged to enigmatic Frenchwoman Margaux Jourdan.
Paris, 1947 Designer Christian Dior unveils his extravagant first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance, Miss Dior, in tribute to his sister, Catherine, who worked for the French Resistance.
Present day Australian fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a secret wardrobe filled with priceless Dior gowns in her grandmother's vacant cottage. As she delves into the mystery, Kat begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about her beloved grandmother.
An unspeakable betrayal will entwine all of their fates.
The Paris Secret is an unforgettable story about the lengths people go to protect one another, and a love that, despite everything, lasts a lifetime.
Praise for Natasha Lester
'Magnetic characters, lyrical writing, and extensive historical research breathe life into this riveting tale. This is a stunner. ' Publishers Weekly
'Four generations of women linked by a gorgeous and mysterious blue dress tucked into a cupboard in a cottage on the wild Cornish coast. Fascinating' Sydney Morning Herald
'This meticulously researched novel is about the lengths people will go to protect one another and a love that lasts a lifetime. The Paris Secret is a tearjerker, so stock up on tissues, sit in a quiet corner and don't move until you've finished this extraordinary book.' Marie Claire
'Unputdownable' Catriona Rowntree
'Lester is a master storyteller and with her latest offering she cements her place as one of Australia's best . . . gorgeously satisfying . . . will have you wiping tears from your face in the final pages.' Daily Telegraph
'Sweeping and immersive story of lost love, female strength and wartime horror' Who Weekly
'A stirring portrait of a daring and courageous group of women willing to risk it all in a time of war, The Paris Secret is historical fiction at its best. A beautiful love story coupled with an intricate mystery, richly detailed and impeccably researched history, and an homage to the strength of the human spirit makes this a poignant and powerful read.' Chanel Cleeton, author of The Last Train to Key West
'Masterfully stitches together the stunning fabric of four women's lives into a heartbreaker of a novel that will keep you up late into the night.' Kerri Maher, author of The Girl in White Gloves
'Sweeping romances, daring wartime exploits, and haute couture combine in this thrilling tale of love, loss and mystery during the Second World War. In Margaux, Skye and Liberty, Natasha Lester showcases the unforgettable strength of women who served in England and France, bringing to life the voices of those lost in the fog of war.' Bryn Turnbull, author of The Woman Before Wallis
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lester (The Paris Orphan) entrances with this lush romance set in WWII Britain and present-day Australia. In 1940, pilot Skye Penrose becomes one of the first women to join the Air Transport Auxiliary, a civilian flying service that ferries planes from factories to Royal Air Force bases. On one of her missions, Skye comes face to face with her long-lost childhood friend Nicholas Crawford, a member of the American Eagle Squadron. Though Nicholas is already engaged to Margaux Jourdan, a stunning woman who works for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, he and Skye fall deeply in love. In 2012, Margaux's granddaughter, Kat, an Australian fashion conservator, travels to England for work, stopping to check-in at her grandmother's cottage in Cornwall. Kat is amazed to discover a closet of vintage Dior dresses that hint at a different life-story for her grandmother than the one Kat knows. Back in Australia, Kat is contacted by Elliott Beaufort, an author researching a book on WWII who believes that Margaux was actually a high-powered spy for the French Resistance. As Kat helps Elliott with his research, they embark on a sensual romance but their love affair is interrupted when Kat discovers the real reason Elliott is searching for her grandmother. Lester's magnetic characters, lyrical writing, and extensive historical research breathe life into this riveting tale. This is a stunner.
Customer Reviews
Amazing
The combination of themes and timelines is incredible. Absolutely loved this book and highly recommend.
Brilliant!
Everything this women writes is incredible, interesting and thought provoking. Normally, I would devour a book like this in a couple of days but I wanted to savour it and to be honest, some parts were confronting to read, as it should be when reading about WWII.
It was perfect, beautiful, bittersweet and crushing in parts but what a ride.
There is no way to soften the atrocities committed during WWII but Natasha has a way of broaching such a confronting, triggering topic with compassion. She comes at the brutality in such a way that the reader is focused on the strength and resilience of the characters as opposed to the horrendous acts perpetrated against them. I’m not diminishing their suffering, I’m just trying to say that Natasha writes about it with a gentleness and sensitivity that should be commended.
The story has so many strong, trend setting, trail blazing female protagonists in Vanessa, Skye, Margaux, Catherine, Rose, Joan, Penelope and Liberty that I feel the male protagonists dimmed by comparison. I loved reading about their triumphs and their resilience and the loyalty they shared with each other, it was beautiful. I love how Natasha covered the misogyny these women encountered in such a way that you were routing for them at every turn.
Kat was okay too but in the words of Maya Angelou, her passage was fought and paid for by the women who came before her and that is so evident in this story. The women before us have suffered so terribly to help pave the way for us, I love that this book reminded me of that. It made me think of my great grandmother and my grandmother and what they would have endured during war. It gave me a greater appreciation of my ancestry.
It was interesting to read about Kat and her work as a fashion conservator, it was also interesting to read about the Dior dresses. I feel that part of the story helped with digesting the more crushing parts. It was necessary and informative and provided solace from the heavier parts of the story.
I knew nothing of Catherine or Christian Dior other than the little knowledge I had of Dior as a fashion house. I found myself hungry for more information about Catherine Dior and I also found myself googling the Dior dresses mentioned. I want to read more about Catherine because she sounds like a remarkable woman.
5 ⭐️’s from me, Natasha Lester smashed it out if the park. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I loved it.
Wonderfully portyayed
Great read- could not put it down and was just as intrigued by the Authors notes. Fascinating
Thank you x