Promising but not as exciting as anticipated
The Lost Girls of Paris promises a dive into the world of espionage in Nazi occupied France, and an accompanying search to discover the fate of women who were declared “missing, presumed dead.” It’s also a fictional exploration of the SOE’s use of women as spies, and the changing roles of women in the United States right after the war. Jenoff makes use of three distinct protagonists to tell her story: Marie, the every-woman recruited for her perfect French; Eleanor, the director and originator of the SOE women’s unit; and Grace, a woman widowed during the war years who stumbles upon a stack of photos Eleanor kept of her operatives. The story moves from Marie’s training to her deployment, paralleled by Grace’s search for answers about the stack of photos in an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Station.
It seems like this novel should have been a winner for my reading tastes- mystery, intrigue, female spies, inspired-by-a-true-story, all against the backdrop of France as D-Day approached. But, for me, it fell flat. I didn’t become engaged with the drama of the story until about three-quarters of the way through the work, and just when the author finally had my complete investment in the characters, the book ended. When put against other World War female operatives novels, such as The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, or Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Lost Girls of Paris pulls its punches. In comparison to the mysteries of the Maisie Dobbs series, the drama and sleuthing lack depth. The Lost Girls of Paris favors a resistance more akin to that found in All the Light We Cannot See, albeit in a less atmospheric way: quiet in action, but firm in resolve.
Final verdict: Good for individuals who are looking for a relatively gentle read in the realm of historical espionage. It is more about the relationships between and around the stories and people who happen to be linked via war, sabotage, and espionage, than about the waging of war, sabotage, and espionage.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
It seems like this novel should have been a winner for my reading tastes- mystery, intrigue, female spies, inspired-by-a-true-story, all against the backdrop of France as D-Day approached. But, for me, it fell flat. I didn’t become engaged with the drama of the story until about three-quarters of the way through the work, and just when the author finally had my complete investment in the characters, the book ended. When put against other World War female operatives novels, such as The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, or Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Lost Girls of Paris pulls its punches. In comparison to the mysteries of the Maisie Dobbs series, the drama and sleuthing lack depth. The Lost Girls of Paris favors a resistance more akin to that found in All the Light We Cannot See, albeit in a less atmospheric way: quiet in action, but firm in resolve.
Final verdict: Good for individuals who are looking for a relatively gentle read in the realm of historical espionage. It is more about the relationships between and around the stories and people who happen to be linked via war, sabotage, and espionage, than about the waging of war, sabotage, and espionage.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.