#Review: The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood @julietgreenwood @Stormbooks_co @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #histfic #WW2 #TheLastTrainfromParis

I’m so delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Last Train from Paris, the latest book from Juliet Greenwood, and sharing my review. Published on 23rd October by Storm Publishing, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).

I must admit I did smile a little at the comparisons with Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley that I found among this book’s early reviews – I’m almost jealous of those readers discovering (and so enjoying) Juliet’s writing for the first time, because I’ve been very familiar with it for rather longer, and know those comparisons are more than justified. My personal favourite of hers might still be The White Camellia (review here), one of my Books of the Year in 2016 – wonderful storytelling, and a totally compelling read. But I also very much enjoyed both her books with Orion, The Ferryman’s Daughter (2020) and The Girl with the Silver Clasp (2021) – you’ll find both my reviews if you pop her name into my search bar.

This is her second book with Storm Publishing – the first was The Shakespeare Sisters, earlier this year, which I sadly wasn’t able to add to my reading list because of other commitments (although it is waiting patiently on my kindle…). So when I heard about this one, I earmarked a slot straight away – I was determined not to miss out on another book from one of my very favourite authors.

For Iris, each visit to her mother in St Mabon’s Cove, Cornwall has been the same – a serene escape from the city. But today, as she breathes in the salt air on the doorstep of her beloved childhood home, a heavy weight of anticipation settles over her. Iris knows she’s adopted, but any questions about where she came from have always been shut down by her parents, who can’t bear to revisit the past.

 

Now, Iris can’t stop thinking about what she’s read on the official paperwork: BABY GIRL, FRANCE, 1939 – the year war was declared with Nazi Germany.

 

When Iris confronts her mother, she hits the same wall of pain and resistance as whenever she mentions the war. That is, until her mother tearfully hands her an old tin of letters, tucked neatly beside a delicate piece of ivory wool.

 

Retreating to the loft, Iris steels herself to at last learn the truth, however painful it might be. But, as she peels back each layer of history before her, a sensation of dread grows inside her. The past is calling, and its secrets are more intricate and tangled than Iris could ever have imagined.

 

The year is 1939, and in Paris, France a young woman is about to commit a terrible betrayal…

 

A beautifully written and addictively compelling historical novel about the terrible choices ordinary people were forced to make in the horrors of World War Two. If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Nightingale, you will devour this book.

While St Mabon’s Cove in Cornwall might be an escape from the city for Iris, it also provided a much needed refuge for her mother at a time when she most needed it – and the box of letters, cards and other memories that her mother shares with her provides the clues to the compelling story that then begins to unfold.

1939 and the possibility of war on the horizon, but Nora has managed to scrape together the money needed to take a cookery course in Paris – working in the kitchen of a French restaurant in London, there’s little possibility of advancement, and she’s determined to achieve her dreams. And she has a Parisian friend – Sabine, a journalist she met briefly at an event in London, to hopefully call on when she needs to. But her stay is curtailed as the threat increases – and a split-second decision at the railway station as she catches that last train for the coast takes the lives of both women in differing and unexpected directions, with considerable challenges for them both, along with the legacy of that life-changing moment.

The book follows the ensuing lives and experiences of both women – Sabine’s heartbreaking story of survival in war-torn France, and Nora’s own difficult decisions following her return to England. I desperately want to tell the full story, but I really must allow you to discover it for yourself – this really is historical fiction at its very best, a story of human endurance and immense courage, of love and kindness but also of tragedy and betrayal, and always with that faint glimmer of hope.

The characterisation is simply superb, both women showing immense bravery and resilience – it’s a story of love and loyalty, heart-breaking and emotional, set against a perfectly drawn backdrop of the evil and horror of wartime and its impact on the ordinary people caught up by it. And it’s also an all-consuming story about the unbreakable bonds between women – grandmothers, mothers and daughters – and the shared love that sustains them.

The parallel wartime stories are drawn back into the present by Iris’ questions prompted by the box’s contents – the full truth slowly emerging, with key moments that certainly moved me to tears. The whole book is so very cleverly constructed and quite beautifully written, a totally compelling read that I found impossible to set aside – and, when I sometimes just had to, I couldn’t stop thinking about the individuals at the story’s heart.

This was such a powerful read – tremendously moving, entirely unforgettable, one of my books of the year, and I really couldn’t recommend it more highly.

What readers are saying about Juliet Greenwood:

 

“This was fantastic! Perfect for a Kate Morton or Lucinda Riley hangover, this book will draw you in and won’t let go until you’ve read the last page. This book was unputdownable – fascinating characters, excellent writing, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. I loved every second of it.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“I found myself reading chapter after chapter, unable to put it down. A first-time read by this author but certainly not the last.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“For readers of Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley, this book will be one of your favorites… A historical novel that will keep you reading until the end.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“An absolutely brilliant read. I could not put it down…I loved how the war changed everyone and it was a gripping story… I really loved it. Cannot recommend it enough.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Did everything that I was looking for… it left me wanting to read more from Juliet Greenwood.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Juliet Greenwood is a historical novelist, now published by Storm Publishing. Her first novel was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and two of her books reached the top 5 in the UK Kindle store. Juliet has always been a bookworm and a storyteller, writing her first novel (a sweeping historical epic) at the age of ten. She lives in a traditional cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine.

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