Paris 1944. To save her people, she served the enemy. In enemy-occupied Paris, as the locals go to bed starving and defeated by the war, music and laughter spill through the door of a little restaurant crowded with German soldiers. The owner Marianne moves on weary feet between its packed tables, carrying plates of food for the enemy officers. Her smile is bright and sparkling, her welcome cordial. Nobody would guess the hatred she hides in her heart. One night the restaurant closes its doors for the final time. In the morning, the windows are scratched with the words traitor and murderer. And Marianne has disappeared without a trace... Years later, Marianne's granddaughter Sabine stands under the faded green awning of the restaurant left to her by the grandmother she never met. She knows she isn't welcome. Marianne was hated by the locals, and when Sabine discovers they blamed her for the terrible tragedy that haunts the restaurant, she is ready to abandon her dark legacy. Then she finds a hidden passport with a picture of a woman who looks like her grandmother but has a different name, and she knows there must be more to Marianne's story. As Sabine digs into the past, she starts to wonder if her grandmother was a heroine, not a traitor. What happened to her after the tragic night when she fled from her restaurant? And will the answer change Sabine's own life forever?
Reviews with the most likes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – Such a beautiful cover on this one!
This was such an enthralling and quick read. Stories set during the world wars are not usually my jam, but this one had me hooked from the first chapter. It was very readable and wonderfully written. The author did such an amazing job capturing the settings. The flowers, the food, the atmosphere of occupied Paris. Just incredible. The characters were charming. I especially loved Sabine and Gilbert's relationship. And Elodie's and her grandmothers. The plot was engaging with three different time periods that we jumped around through. And this is where I had a tiny issue. Nothing major, but I felt the long section where we see Elodie as a child and growing up would have worked better for the flow of the book to be placed when the Nun was telling the story near the end. It just seemed like a more logical place, as I felt a little like we went from Sabine and Gilbert to this long section with no real lead in as to why...if that makes sense. In anycase, it was just a minor “me” issue. This one definitely deserves two huge thumbs up!
