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Hey, hey! It's been so long since I've shared a review, hasn't it?! Well, I'm finally here with one for a spectacular book by one of my all-time favorite authors. And, yes, the book is a favorite genre too—World War II fiction!
Now for that review!
About Until Leaves Fall in Paris
When the Nazis march toward Paris, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. The Germans make it difficult for her to keep Green Leaf Books afloat. And she must keep the store open if she is to continue aiding the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.
Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. But in order to carry out his mission, he must appear to support the occupation—which does not win him any sympathy when he meets Lucie in the bookstore.
In a world turned upside down, will love or duty prevail?
My Review
First off, this book is majorly set in a bookstore. Green Leaf Books is just so, ahhh, it's a bookstore! A BOOKSTORE, (need I say more?!) how awesome is that?! I mean, it's beautiful! Sarah Sundin has long been a favorite author of mine, but this one tops the cake!
Until Leaves Fall in Paris isn't quite like the rest of Mrs. Sundin's works ... I mean that due to the fact that there is a little kid as a huge part of the novel, which I loved, by the way, and I was impressed by Mrs. Sundin's ability to handle a character as a child in the same skilled way she does any other character.
Speaking of characters, man, oh man! Lucie, I wasn't sure I'd like or connect with her at the start, but she quickly won me over even if the misunderstandings and harshness toward another character that she made assumptions about was saddening and I got annoyed Lucie was still just the perfect heroine for this story and by the end I loved her character. Paul, oh, Paul! He's just the sweetest and I loved seeing him with his darling little girl, all in all the characters were shown in such a perfect way that even if the story hadn't been so wonderful, I'd have read it for them.
Now for the setting, I loved that Mrs. Sundin took a different setting than most places where World War II is set, too many are on the front lines, to me at least, there's so much not written about at home or in the occupied cities and countries. And not only was it set in Paris, but it was also set in places that were hit a bit differently by the war, it showed just how hard it could be on the normal people, the Jewish who lived and worked in a normal place, the children who were wrongly drawn into choosing sides by their parents' views, and just ... How World War II affected everyone: no matter age, race, employment, home, everything. It was truly heartbreaking to read at times even with the hope that Mrs. Sundin wove throughout the whole of the novel.
With thrilling twist and turns that had me on the edge of my seat, especially the last few chapters, and a faith filled story all wrapped up in the most beautiful covers this is a must read from Sarah Sundin!
Well done on another beloved book, Mrs. Sundin!
My verse for Until Leaves Fall In Paris is Matthew 5:44 (King James Version)
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e-book or physical copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher or blog tour coordinator All views expressed are only my honest opinion and are in no way influenced by others' views or wishes.
You can click on the image above to reach Mrs. Sundin's website, be sure to check out her newsletter while you're there. It's always a lot of fun to see what she shares!
So, that's all, y'all!
See ya, booknerds!
Abigail