The Paris Orphans: A heart-wrenching and moving WW2 historical fiction short story (The Paris Sisters)

88 pages Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (January 17, 2024)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Clutching her suitcase tightly to hide her trembling hands, Charlotte takes a steadying breath. This is the most dangerous thing she has ever done, but the lives of five innocent children are depending on her. I can do this…

Paris, 1943: As Charlotte rushes into the station, she can feel the unmistakeable chill of being watched. Turning her head, she catches the eye of a Nazi guard, and forces herself to slow down. Not today, please not today…

Reaching the platform, she sees her sisters Isabelle, Madeline, Antoinette and Gigi waiting with five children, fear etched onto their young faces. As she gets closer, Charlotte can see each child has a faded patch on their coat where a yellow star has been carefully unpicked.

Once she and the children are onboard, Charlotte turns and stares down at her sisters on the platform. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tries to imprint their beloved faces in her mind. And as the whistle blows, she presses her hand to the cold glass, murmuring a silent prayer that her sisters will be safe, and that they will all meet again…

As she turns her attention back to the children in her care, her heart breaks to see tears glistening in their eyes. Taking a deep breath, she promises that they will be safe, that she won’t let anything happen to them. But has Charlotte just made a promise she can’t possibly keep?

The prequel to the Paris Sisters series, this short story tells a tale of bravery and determination in the face of the darkness of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Roberta Kagan, Kristin Hannah, and Fiona Valpy.

MY THOUGHTS

Oh, I really love this author’s books. So realistic, your heart beats faster as you read while holding your breath. A brave young woman, one of five sisters, Charlotte takes with their parent’s permission, 5 children on a train ride. Thinking to take them out of the city away from the Gestapo’s as the children are Jewish away to safety. Children under twelve don’t need papers and she has her false identification papers with her. The train ride is long, and you can feel the fear pouring off the children as the German police are everywhere. Charlotte stays brave in the face of danger for the children’s sake and knows the trip is not much longer and they will be free of danger. When it’s discovered one of the children has a forbidden item and then she is betrayed by the one she thought she could trust who will she turn to and what will happen to the children? This is the prequel to the Paris Sisters series and ends in a cliff hanger, so I’ll need to continue reading it to find out what happens. I eagerly look forward to finding out what happens to the characters whose bravery shines.

Free download on Amazon here. I’m not sure if it’s free in any other countries besides the US right now.

THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Kelman an Amazon bestselling author in America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and her books have sold over 400,000 copies worldwide accumulated 10 rights deals across eight territories. Her WW2 historical fiction books are published by Bookouture – an imprint for Hachette U.K.

She is also the author of the bestselling book, “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club”, published by Lake Union, which is the first book in the Southlea Bay series. Other books in the series include, “Rejected Writers Take the Stage” and “The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding”.

Kelman is an award-winning writer/screenwriter whose accolades include the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award from the L.A. International Film Festival, the Gold Award from the California Film Awards, and the Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival.

In 2015 her script, Held, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures and was shortlisted to the top ten in the Academy Of Motion Pictures Nichols Fellowship competition.

As well as a screenwriter and a published author, Suzanne is also a playwright, and her award-winning comedy play, “Over My Dead Body”, had its World Premiere at Outcast Theatre in Washington, Fall 2019.

Born in the United Kingdom, Suzanne now resides in Washington State.

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