Lauren Willig

This novel is light and entertaining. It has a dual timeline, but I liked both of the stories equally - the one set in 1803, when young Amy wishes to be a spy to avenge her father who was killed by the French, and the one set in modern London, where Eloise writes her dissertation about spies in Napoleonic France and tries to find out who the famous Pink Carnation was. Both stories are interesting and fast-paced, but also a bit foreseeable. Unfortunately, Amy got on my nerves after some time because of her thoughtlessness and naivety, and the twist and turns concerning her love interest were frustrating. The behavior and language felt altogether too modern. Because of that it is not really my cup of tea, but it is a fun novel and I do not regret reading it.… (mer)

Book on CD performed by Helen Saddler, Nicola Barber, and Saskia Maarleveld.

Subtitle: A novel of the Ritz Paris

Three women are linked by the legend of the talisman of Courcelles. In 1914, Aurelie de Courcelles works with her father at their Picardy estate, leaving her mother in Paris at the Ritz. The chateau is “commandeered” by the occupying Germans, and Aurelie risks all to safeguard her home and her country. In 1942, while the Nazi’s occupy Paris, Daisy joins the resistance efforts, working from a bookshop. And in 1964, Babs Langford receives a letter at her English estate after her husband has died giving her a clue to his activities during the war which haunted him. Her search for the mysterious “la Fleur” takes her to the Ritz in Paris where she meets the American who is also searching for answers to clear his father’s name.

I assume that each author took responsibility for one of these women’s storyline. The book is told from their three perspectives in alternating chapters. I figured out the two main “secrets” almost as soon as they were introduced, but it was interesting to see how the authors chose to reveal them, and the ramifications on Babs of the discovery.

I’m getting tired of the war-time stories and these three authors used many of the tropes common to such historical fiction: quiet, mousy woman blossoms with a new wardrobe and the attention of a handsome man; “enemy” who is really a noble gentleman; danger of discovery for resistance workers; and the aforementioned “secrets” that are hardly surprising any longer.

The audiobook is narrated by three talented voice artists, each taking responsibility for a different main character (though it was never noted which artist voiced which character). This did help to keep the different storylines straight.… (mer)