351 pages Gallery Books April 13, 2021 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
When a deed to an apartment in Paris turns up in an old attic trunk, an estranged mother and daughter must reunite to uncover the secret life of a family matriarch—perfect for fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Beekeeper’s Daughter.
Hannah Bond has always been a bookworm, which is why she fled Florida—and her unstable, alcoholic mother—for a quiet life leading Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year’s Eve, everything comes crashing down when she arrives back at her London flat to find her mother, Marla, waiting for her.
Marla’s brought two things with her: a black eye from her ex-boyfriend and an envelope. Its contents? The deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand. Hannah, wary of her mother’s motives, reluctantly agrees to accompany her to Paris, where against all odds, they discover great-grandma Ivy’s apartment frozen in 1940 and covered in dust.
Inside the apartment, Hannah and Marla discover mysterious clues about Ivy’s life—including a diary detailing evenings of drinking and dancing with Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and other iconic expats. Outside, they retrace her steps through the city in an attempt to understand why she went to such great lengths to hide her Paris identity from future generations.
A heartwarming and charming saga set in the City of Lights, Lost in Paris is an unforgettable celebration of family and the love between a mother and a daughter.
MY THOUGHTS
Lost in Paris is one of those books that languished on my to read shelf for four years. I’m so glad I finally got a chance to read it.
This is historical fiction with a time split and it finally makes itself know with a connection between each time period for a nice wrap-up.
In modern times Hannah Bond is estranged from her mother. Does her mother even deserve the title of mother, pregnant as a teen she wasn’t ready for motherhood and Hannah’s grandmother raises her giving her what her mother can’t, a warm home, parental guidance and more.
Her mother shows back up unexpectedly with some news after not seeing Hannah for years when her grandmother passes away. By this time Hannah has moved out and is in an apartment of her own. Her mother brings shocking news, the both of them have inherited a Paris apartment they knew nothing about from the family matriarch.
This long-deserted apartment and trying to sort it with a mother not in the best mental shape who can barely take care of herself after always being dependent on others is not what Hannah needs now or any time in her future.
As a diary from the 1920’s is discovered and clues given to a long-forgotten time period we see family matters coming together. I really enjoyed this time period of the story; it seems like such a marvelous and exciting time.
A reassessment of family and how an absence and rediscovery can lead to astonishing and heartwarming results.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Paris past and present and the characters, some pretty quirky add to the authentic flavor of the story. I’m glad I got a chance to read this finally.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Thompson is a lifelong Francophile with a degree in journalism. She loves food, books, and art. Lost in Paris is her first novel for Simon and Schuster‘s Gallery Books. She currently resides in Tennessee with her husband and their Pembroke Welsh corgi, Luna.
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