The Lost Girls Of Pars by Pam Jenoff

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

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 secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey 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 network 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.

my thoughts:

Every time I think I like historical fiction, I read a book that makes me realize how much I LOVE historical fiction. Pam Jenoff's latest tale does just that.  The Lost Girls Of Paris was not only chock full of awesome historical information, but it was an awesome story that shed light on the contributions women made during WWII - something that needs to be written about ALL the time. Women are a force and the lengths they go to to help their country is immeasurable.

Told in dual narratives, this story takes place in 1946 NYC and during WWII in England and France. We get to learn about a network of female spies and their mission to Occupied France - it is absolutely riveting! Grace lives in NY and is on her way to work one morning when she spots an abandoned suitcase. Curiosity aroused, she takes a peek and finds photographs of women.  Determined to figure out this new mystery, she takes the suitcase and starts to work out who it belonged to and who those women in the photographs are.  Grace traces the luggage to Eleanor - a woman who was placed in charge of recruiting, training, and managing female spies. A task she took to heart, knowing full well the risks that these women took in order to ensure a safer world.  Maria is one of the spies that Eleanor recruited.Through these women, we get to find out about a part of history and the role women played in it.  We get to learn about becoming a spy, the dangers that ensued, and the mystery of what happened once you were out in the field.  Grace digs deeper and deeper until she gets answers to the questions that keep popping up as she looks into the photographs. Its fascinating, engaging, and unputdownable. Reading about Eleanor and Maria was simply the best. Their stories were are not to be missed. I absolutely LOVED finding out about them.

The Lost Girls Of Paris was truly a fantastic read. It had history, drama, mystery, and intrigue - I couldn't help but get caught up in it all. In fact, I read this book in one sitting - I just had to! I needed to find out what happened to these women.

I would happily recommend The Lost Girls Of Paris to fans of Jenoff's work and fans of historical fiction - you will LOVE this book to bits!!
Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Lost Girls Of Paris

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!