Last Train to Paris
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4.3 • 15 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An American foreign correspondent finds herself in love, and in danger, in this novel that "presents startlingly vivid images of life in Hitler's Europe" (The New York Times).
Rose Manon grew up in the mountains of Nevada, and is now working as a journalist in New York. In 1935, she is awarded her dream job: foreign correspondent. Posted to Paris, she is soon entangled in romance, an unsolved murder, and the desperation of a looming war.
Assigned to the Berlin desk, Manon is forced to grapple with her hidden identity as a Jew, the mistrust of her lover, and an unwelcome visitor on the eve of Kristallnacht. And on the day before World War II is declared, she must choose who will join her on the last train to Paris . . .
This carefully researched historical novel reads like a suspense thriller, and interweaves real-life figures into the story, offering "a poignant glimpse into the tensions and anxieties of prewar Europe" (Kirkus Reviews).
"WWII enthusiasts may appreciate this quieter evocative look at a much-examined era." —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Loosely based on the real-life kidnapping of the author's distant relative, Zackheim's latest novel is set in 1937 in Paris on the brink of WWII. Rather than focus on the victim of the crime, the story centers on her cousin, Rose Manon. Rose is a serious young woman who escapes her dusty Nevada roots to become a working journalist. She loves the rhythm of putting pen to paper and using words to make sense of the world the "thrill" of turning a page to find her byline: "R.B. Manon." But all is not fun and games even as her career as war correspondent picks up; she is in-and-out of love with the tortured Leon, her cousin Stella has come to Paris and promptly been kidnapped, and Hitler has risen to power in Germany and, as a result, Rose most conceal her Jewish roots. Despite these compelling circumstances, the novel feels sketchy and light in a way that dampens its suspense. Key characters, like Stella lack the fullness of real-life people. At times the prose is lovely and precise and at other times it is rushed into cliche. Still WWII enthusiasts may appreciate this quieter evocative look at a much-examined era.
Customer Reviews
Last train to Paris
I couldn’t finish reading this .poorly written book. The characters actions and reactions are simplistic and immature. They make snap decisions that are confusing and ridiculous.I found this book to be maddening in its lack of detail about human behavior and motivations.