Book Review: Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell

Hi all,

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this amazing novel ~ Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell ~ and I'd love to share it with you. It's a must read for anyone who loves a good story and great writing!

 

 

Letters from Paris

Juliet Blackwell

 

 

Book Description: 

After surviving the accident that took her mother’s life, Claire Broussard has worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something is lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful piece of artwork that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II.

At her grandmother’s urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the century-old mask-making atelier where the object, known only as “L’Inconnue”—or The Unknown Woman—was created. Under the watchful eye of a surly mask-maker, Claire discovers a cache of letters that offers insight into the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art. As Claire explores the unknown woman’s tragic fate, she begins to unravel deeply buried secrets in her own life.

 

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My 5 Star Review:

Beautiful. Intriguing. Captivating. These three words just begin to describe how I felt about this novel. The writing, the setting, and the storyline were all beautiful. The characters were intriguing. And what Claire uncovers in Paris is captivating. It is a story that holds your attention and keeps you wanting more.

Claire’s life in Chicago does not give her all she desires so when her grandmother becomes ill, she goes home to Louisiana, the place she once couldn’t wait to flee. There, she is confronted with her sad childhood and finds the mask in the attic where she used to hide, the mask of the beautiful lady who she’d confide all her secrets and desires to. Her grandmother tells her she should go to Paris to find answers about the mystery of the lady of the mask. With nowhere else to go, Claire heads to Paris and embarks on an adventure. What she finds is a brusque but intriguing mask-maker, a long-hid secret, and even a secret from her own past that startles her to her core.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a well-written story with wonderful characters and an intriguing story. Escaping to Paris for a few hours isn’t too bad either.

 

(I received this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

 

 

About the Author:

Juliet Blackwell was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the youngest child of a jet pilot and an editor. She graduated with a degree in Latin American studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and went on to earn master’s degrees in anthropology and social work. While in graduate school, she published several articles based on her research with immigrant families from Mexico and Vietnam, as well as one full-length translation: Miguel León-Portilla’s seminal work, Endangered Cultures. Juliet taught medical anthropology at SUNY–Albany, was producer for a BBC documentary, and worked as an elementary school social worker. Upon her return to California, she became a professional artist and ran her own decorative painting and design studio for more than a decade. In addition to mainstream novels, Juliet pens the New York Times bestselling Witchcraft Mysteries and the Haunted Home Renovation series. As Hailey Lind she wrote the Agatha Award–nominated Art Lover’s Mysteries series. She makes her home in northern California, but spends as much time as possible in Europe and Latin America.

 

 

I hope you'll give this book a try!

 

Cheers,

Deanna