The Last Time I Saw Paris

Friday Spines Book Review:

The Last Time I Saw Paris, by Lynn Sheene

Warning: This is not a romance novel! Nor is it a one-sided account of a woman turned traitor to her husband/lover/country, swept off her delicate, high-heeled ankles by a dark stranger and into the intelligence network of the rebels. 

Powerful New York socialite Claire Harris Stone must flee her glamorous life when a connection to her past (formerly Clara May Wagner, Claire raised herself and her siblings on an Oklahoma farm) threatens the new life she's built on lies. She travels to Paris to be with her lover, the artist Laurent, unaware that Nazi invasion has begun while she travels. After a quarrel with Laurent, she manages to find a job as a florist at a prestigious establishment. 

(I recommend you stop reading here, as the plot is wonderfully enthralling!) 

She is reluctantly involved in the French Resistance; bribed with false identity papers that she needs to remain in Paris, Claire finds herself further drawn in, but refuses to become sympathetic to the cause for its own sake. A friend of Laurent's, intriguing, infuriating Englishman Thomas Grey crosses paths with Claire a number of times in her work for the Resistance, and the two become tenuous friends, if intense acquaintances. 

The two are forced to flee the city when the security of the Resistance is compromised by an unknown spy; they take refuge in the countryside together, along with two young girls and a wounded pilot. The five wandering, transplanted people form a sort of a family; Grey and Claire fall in love (almost predictable, but the negative intensity of their relationship through the early part of the story make it a more thrilling romantic subplot), only to be torn apart when Grey must return the pilot to England. 

A few months later, Grey is believed dead; Claire is working for the safety of the two girls and her friends in the city. Using her looks and personality to gain information from the Nazis back in Paris, she continues to aid the Resistance for her friends' sake, but is eventually captured. Seconds before her execution, there's an organized revolt against the prison where she's being held, and she escapes with her life. Nearly six months pass before Grey appears back in the flower shop where Claire is once again working--he travelled miles from the forest where he was shot (but not killed), and there's a bittersweet happy ever after.

(It's safe--spoiler free from here down!)

The author seamlessly blends French, British and American English along with a subtly evocative narration style to envelope the reader in scenes of Paris and the French countryside. The dialogue is realistic and excellently portrays the characters without stating the obvious: It's clear that Madame Badeau, Claire's friend and mentor at the flower shop, is Parisian in the best way, yet we learn this through her words, the way she arranges flowers, how she treats Claire, rather than it being flatly laid out for us. Sheene's plot quietly brings us along with the different characters, touching on different points in Claire's life without being confusing. Her journey through the years in France is riveting, though not uncomfortably so. The reader may feel homesick for Paris after reading this book (see bottom of post).

I recommend this book for ages 15 and up (not YA fiction, but can be read by more mature young readers). While it's not irreverent writing, there are fairly graphic (although not over-the-top) scenes involving shooting, as well as drinking, and sexual favors and violence. Claire's first marriage (in New York) is abusive, with both her and her husband clearly only using the other for their personal gain. However, there's genuine and respectful love in many different kinds of relationships: her dear friend Madame Badeau at the flower shop is a strong and ethical character; Claire has recurring friends throughout the book that she relies on for kindnesses, and she tries her best to repay them; her relationship with Grey evolves to be passionate, kind, and loving--while he's not a Prince Charming, he's quite easy to fall in love with. 

Other things I liked about this book:

• The contrast of the settings (high society in New York, both the poorest and richest parts of occupied Paris, rural French countryside) are deftly portrayed with equal interest and attention to detail.
• The theme of the garden picture: Laurent is a photographer, and at the beginning of the story Claire falls in love with a photograph of Paris that leads her through the story.
• The characters are vivid and believable: Not all are one-sidedly good or bad, but the author doesn't allow each character to mature and develop excessively over the story.
• Excellent balance between dialogue and narration keeps the story readable but easy-to-follow.

More Paris:

• My Life in France, by Julia Child
• Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly
• Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
• The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, by Sally Gardner
• The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, by Thad Carhart

(Am I missing your favorite book set in France? Leave a comment and let me know!)

Happy reading!

M. Gabrielle