Just One More Chapter : Pam Jenoff

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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Review: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

From the author of the runaway bestseller, The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female spies during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor, and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Published January 29th, 2019

by Park Row

*** 1/2

The Lost Girls of Paris is a dual time story, featuring World War II in England/Paris and in New York after the war's ending. Told in three voices, two during the war and one later on.

The plot for this was very interesting and I love how it took a part of history that I knew nothing about and played on that. The SOE (special operations executive) is an organization I have never heard of before, though I have read about female spies, this book gave another view of the recruitment, training and what happened in France.

Mysterious as to what was happening to the girls, suspenseful on the ground in France, sympathetic to the bravery of the resistance and heartbreaking for those heroes of the past. The author has definitely done her homework here. As usual, I was partial to the past POV, though not really a fan of Grace’s it did bring closure to the past.

My copy of this book did not include Author Notes (which I love), hopefully, they appear in the final draft. But if you are a follower of the author on Facebook, she has posted some wonderful links that I thoroughly enjoyed and complimented this book perfectly.

Purchase Links

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Connect with Pam

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Thank you to TLC Tours and Netgalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for honest review.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Review: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, set in a traveling circus during World War II, by international bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan's Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival .

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.

Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.

Paperback, 368 pages

Published February 21st 2017 by Mira

****

While I love reading HF with a WW 2 setting there are times I look for something new and out of the ordinary. With The Orphan's Tale taking place within a circus it fits the bill for something different, in fact I didn't even know this was taking place while the war was going on. Promising the likes of The Nightingale, which was an absolute favorite of mine I jumped.

Astrid and Noa are two characters with completely different personalities and backgrounds. Each with baggage they are unwilling to share, during this time period it is better not to reveal too much anyways. What I enjoyed here was watching the friendship between these two develop. It wasn't all rosy to begin with, but as time goes by they are ultimately forced to confide and trust each other.

While I struggled at times to connect with Noa, I found her to be immature and while she speaks of her love and devotion to Theo I didn't always feel it. But then again she is only 16 years old working with Astrid who is older and wiser to the dangers of the war. While there is romance here it was nice that it wasn't center stage but rather The Orphan's Tale was a story of survival, friendship and realizing that you are stronger than you think.

I was first introduced to Pam Jenoff with her novel. The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach and really enjoyed it. The amount of research she does is evident within the pages and her writing is engaging. I liked how she takes an unknown part of history and brings it front and center. The author's notes at the end highlight her passion and motives for writing this book, a fitting conclusion in my eyes.

Thank you to TLC Tours for an advanced copy (via Netgalley) and invite to be part of this tour.

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Chapters

Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels, including the international bestseller The Kommandant’s Girl, which also earned her a Quill Award nomination.

Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Connect with Pam

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Monday, August 3, 2015

Review/Giveaway: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff

Adelia Montforte begins the summer of 1941 aboard a crowded ship bound for America, utterly alone yet free of Fascist Italy. Whisked away to the seaside by her well-meaning aunt and uncle, she slowly begins to adapt to her new life. That summer, she basks in the noisy affection of the boisterous Irish-Catholic boys next door, and although she adores all four of the Connally brothers, it’s the eldest, Charlie, she pines for. But all hopes for a future together are throttled by the creep of war and a tragedy that hits much closer to home.

Needing to distance herself from grief, Addie flees – first to Washington and then London, where the bombs still scream by night – and finds a passion at a prestigious newspaper. More so, she finds a purpose. A voice. And perhaps even a chance to redeem lost time, lost family – and lost love. But the past, never far behind, nips at her heels, demanding to be reckoned with. And in a final, fateful choice, Addie discovers that the way home may be a path she never suspected.

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Mira (July 28, 2015)

arc via netgalley

****

Recently a friend made a comment about this book, how once she starts a Pam Jenoff book it grabs her and she can't stop reading. This being my first book by this author my anticipation was peaked and I wasn't disappointed, I agree with my friend as I needed to find out what was going to happen to Addie.

Set against the backdrop of World War II we are first introduced to Adelia as a young teen being shipped off to relatives in the US from Italy. With the war going on across the ocean it isn't long before those in the US are affected as well. But this book is more a story of Addie's search to belong, of love and loss and making hard decisions. I liked Addie, she was determined but vulnerable at the same time, running from grief and pain she ends up in England searching for something and not even sure herself what it is. With the war going on things change in a heartbeat as is the case here.

I enjoyed the authors writing style, it was smooth and it wasn't hard to lose track of time while reading. The plot was interesting, unique in some ways but also a little predictable, but not enough to hamper my enjoyment. I think the only issue I had with this book was the timing, at times feeling like many years have gone by since tragedy stuck but it was only 2 years which I felt was a little rushed for what took place to actually happen. I won't go into detail here for fear of spoilers.

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach reminds the reader about second chances and the power of healing - a powerful combination here that works.

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“The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is a beautiful story of love and redemption about a woman struggling to find her voice and her way amidst the turmoil of World War II.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is a heartfelt, stirring love story set against the turbulent backdrop of war-torn Europe and the American home front. Jenoff’s meticulous research, a feisty heroine, and a sweeping plot makes this book a real page-turner. A lovely story with a delicious and unexpected ending, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is definitely one for my keeper shelf.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author

“Pam Jenoff’s unforgettable story of a life disrupted by the chaos of war held me captive from beginning to end. When it comes to bringing an era to life, this author has no peer. It’s a powerful, moving drama of love, loss and redemption—heartbreaking, authentic and ultimately uplifting.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“I won’t soon forget Adelia Monteforte, the strong, loving and compassionate heroine in Pam Jenoff’s The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach. I was moved by Adelia’s courage as she navigates family, career and a tender, surprising romance, all in the shadow of World War II. A warm and heartfelt story of emotional survival.”—Diane Chamberlain, bestselling author.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Pam Jenoff is the Quill-nominated internationally bestselling author of The Kommadant’s Girl. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. Jenoff’s novels are based on her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland.

She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.