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Moonlight over Paris
(The Great War #3)
by
USA Today and internationally bestselling author Jennifer Robson takes readers to 1920s Paris in an enthralling new historical novel that tells the riveting story of an English lady who trades in her staid aristocratic life for the mesmerizing salons and the heady world of the Lost Generation.
It’s the spring of 1924, and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has just arrived in ...more
It’s the spring of 1924, and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has just arrived in ...more
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Paperback, 352 pages
Published
January 19th 2016
by William Morrow Paperbacks
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Start your review of Moonlight over Paris (The Great War #3)

The year is 1924 and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has decided that she will fulfill her life dream to become an artist. She has barely recovered from being seriously ill and because of almost dying does she want to explore more of life and not sitting home feeling sorry for herself after her ex-fiancé married someone else. Everyone thinks that she dump him because he was injured in the war, but the truth is that they both agreed to split since they didn't love each other. Her parents have ag
...more

I was attracted to the novel because I enjoy early twentieth century stories set in Europe, and the Lost Generation, although captured many times in books, was a beacon of creativity and liveliness, and always ripe for the imagination. The author’s stats were also very impressive, and I was hoping for a story of substance. Although Robson writes clean, well-parsed sentences, I was disappointed in the formulaic, anodyne, and too-familiar story. The entire tale was predictable to me, and the chara
...more

I adored this book. Like Robson's previous novels, Moonlight Over Paris is meticulously researched and beautifully written. But there is something particularly irresistible about Paris in the 1920s. I cheered for Helena and Sam - for their relationship with each other, but also for each character's development from a citizen of the pre-war world into an individual of the modern age. Robson handles these vast social transitions with the subtlety and care of a serious historian - which, of course,
...more

Jul 20, 2015
nikkia neil
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
edelweiss,
historical-fiction
I love Jennifer Robson's books! You fall into another world and it is utter bliss. This is just the kind of book I love- art, love, philosophy, and life. Wish I could have lived back then
...more

This is the third installment of the series of The Great War. Going in, I wasn't that enthusiastic to read it because Helena had been such a minor character in the second book that I didn't feel any connection to her. I had no sense of wanting to see what happened next in her life.
And during the first couple of chapters that thought was pretty much proven out. After a near fatal illness, she decided to get away from the rumor mill and go live with her aunt in France. She also planned to attend a ...more
And during the first couple of chapters that thought was pretty much proven out. After a near fatal illness, she decided to get away from the rumor mill and go live with her aunt in France. She also planned to attend a ...more

Most people are normal book readers. They like good stories that transport them to another time and place. This book does just that! In the first few chapters, I was immediately caught up in the new life of Helena as she boarded her train from London to Paris!! The descriptions and the settings of each new day drew me in immediately. Her Aunt, the friends she meets, her Art classes, SAM....it all sets up very nicely and the story hums along. Around the 30% mark I think to myself.....wow I'm real
...more

This is the third Jennifer Robson book I have read in the last year. I LOVED IT!! A fantastically romantic story. Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr recovers from a near-death bout with illness. Once she recovers, she decides she wants to go to France to study art. In France she befriends a group of artists that allow her to really come into her own. Among those friends is the American Sam Howard. She is immediately smitten as is he but their relationship becomes distant and complicated. While in
...more

I'm pretty much a sucker for any book set in Paris, but this is just a piece of preposterous trash. Lady Helena Montague-Douglas-Parr has been unlucky in love and then suffered a near fatal illness. So when her aunt invites her to come and stay at her home in France she goes off to study art in Paris for a year.
She meets a handsome American correspondent for the Chicago Tribune & sparks fly, but he has A SECRET that, of course causes endless misunderstandings until all are happily resolved in t ...more
She meets a handsome American correspondent for the Chicago Tribune & sparks fly, but he has A SECRET that, of course causes endless misunderstandings until all are happily resolved in t ...more

This book just reinforced why Robson is an autobuy for me. I gobbled it up and am eagerly awaiting her next release.
From the moment Helena set foot on the train from Calais, I was hooked. Robson's incredibly well-researched and evocative descriptions are paired with a lovely, independent heroine. Paris is as much of a setting as Helena, Sam, Aunt Agnes, and Helena's friends, and the addition of real-life artists and writers add a lovely sense of glamour. I've read all three of Robson's books, b ...more
From the moment Helena set foot on the train from Calais, I was hooked. Robson's incredibly well-researched and evocative descriptions are paired with a lovely, independent heroine. Paris is as much of a setting as Helena, Sam, Aunt Agnes, and Helena's friends, and the addition of real-life artists and writers add a lovely sense of glamour. I've read all three of Robson's books, b ...more

On the face of it, "MOONLIGHT OVER PARIS" can be seen as a continuation of Jennifer Robson's 2 previous historical novels: (1) 'Somewhere in France: A Novel of the Great War'; and (2) 'After the War is Over'. Yet, it can also be regarded as a stand alone novel for anyone who comes to it without having read the 2 aforesaid novels.
Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr (aka Helena Parr, Helena, or "Ellie" by her closest friends) figures prominently here. In the previous 2 novels, she was largely a peri ...more
Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr (aka Helena Parr, Helena, or "Ellie" by her closest friends) figures prominently here. In the previous 2 novels, she was largely a peri ...more

Moonlight Over Paris is vibrant in setting and history. 1920s Paris comes alive under Jennifer Robson’s pen! The bond between an unlikely group of friends kept me invested in the story even when I found the main character herself difficult to relate to. Cameos from actual “influencers” of the time period intrigue and inspire further study of their lives. While beautifully crafted sentences drape every page, I do feel the book to be lacking a dimensionality that I could truly embrace. Likewise, s
...more

This one felt like more historical fiction than romance than the rest of the series. There still was the romance, but it took a back seat to Helena's life in Paris. And learning about moving to Paris and the art classes was interesting, but not really absorbing.
...more

I couldn't stop. Now tomorrow is going to be very long, indeed.
Original review at The Book Adventures ...more
Original review at The Book Adventures ...more

This is one of those books that I generally liked until the end and then I was bored. Also (view spoiler)
...more

Ms. Robson never fails to write a beautiful story. She brings a character or two from the previous books to just cement the story. It is post WWI and Lady Helena has come out of a very serious illness and her parents are trying to keep her sheltered. Helena feels the need to spread her wings and wants to get back to her art. She heads off to Paris, surprising her parents, to stay with her aunt and enrolls in art school as simply Helena Parr. There she makes Parisian artist friends and meets jour
...more

This novel is better than Robson's first, Somewhere in France. One of the best things about it is the well-rounded nature of the protagonist's journey. It really is not much about the romance and is more about Helena's year in Paris, where she attempts to develop her talents as a painter and overcome the problems imposed by her family and English society. That is much more interesting that just a romance. The descriptions of Paris between the wars and especially Helena's visit to the markets of
...more

Jan 14, 2021
Richard
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
by-women,
canada,
war,
reviewed,
art,
lockdown-reads,
france,
historical-fiction,
2021,
romance-m-f
This is possibly the best of the series. I enjoyed its details of Lady Helena's apprenticeship in a famous but very challenging Parisian art school. Along the way, various "ex-pat" celebrities make memorable cameos, including Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Sylvia Beach and others.
...more

Jennifer Robson is a wonderful writer for the period around WWI. After The War Is Over was a particular favorite of mine that I reviewed last year here.
Moonlight Over Paris takes place in the mid-twenties. I felt like Helena was a little bit like Edith from Downton Abbey, only a little more spunky. She really took charge of her life after her illness. I especially liked how hard she worked for what she wanted.
There are a few personal things about this book that made me smile. One is the use of t ...more
Moonlight Over Paris takes place in the mid-twenties. I felt like Helena was a little bit like Edith from Downton Abbey, only a little more spunky. She really took charge of her life after her illness. I especially liked how hard she worked for what she wanted.
There are a few personal things about this book that made me smile. One is the use of t ...more

When I picked up this book I did not realize it was the final book of a three part trilogy. The first book which I read and enjoyed was “Somewhere in France”. The second book which I have yet to read is “After the War is Over”. This novel, “Moonlight Over Paris” is the third in the series. As the trilogy rolls out, Robson pulls a character with a small role in one novel to be the main character in the following one. I like to read things in order but in this case Robson has written each book as
...more

I wanted to like this one more, honestly.
I did like Helena's determination to find a way to express herself through her art, but I wanted a more in-depth look at that struggle (a few arguments with her mentor just didn't cover that). And I liked Sam's straightforwardness (though I wished he had a few faults (view spoiler) ...more
I did like Helena's determination to find a way to express herself through her art, but I wanted a more in-depth look at that struggle (a few arguments with her mentor just didn't cover that). And I liked Sam's straightforwardness (though I wished he had a few faults (view spoiler) ...more

I genuinely enjoyed reading this novel as I consider it a periodic beach read set in Paris. It's a mindless read but has a few good elements of history that make you swoon (It is Paris after all).
...more

This book had all the elements that usually appeal to me - a historical setting in the 20's, europe, a woman before her time, a love story. However, it really just didn't come together for me and felt a little lackluster as if the author were going through the motions of what was supposed to be in a love story - they meet, something prevents them from being together, they figure out a way around it, happy ending. I found there was a lack of passion in the interactions between Helena and Sam that
...more

It was fine. One of those books that took me some time to get into. When I did get into it I ran through it in two days. Cool story, just no substance. I’ve read novels that allude to the American Expats living in Paris in the 20s. This one just didn’t do it effectively. The allusions were more like name drops. By far the best character was Aunt Agnes. A woman before her time. I loved her. She is all the eclectic independent things I wish to be.

This is one of the earlier books by Jennifer Robson, author of the recent, amazing novel The Gown. This story takes place in post World War I London and Paris. The novel opens in England as Lady Helena is close to death, battling scarlet fever. As she struggles to recover, she decides that she needs a change of scenery since she is unable to deal with the gossip and cruel stares of people within her social circle as a result of her broken engagement. Her aunt invites Helena to join her in Paris
...more

A satisfying third book to the series that began with After the War is Over. This time we follow Helena Parr, Edward's former fiancée, to Paris.
After Edward asked to be released from their engagement, Helena was the one who became persona non grata in the top crust of the titled and wealthy world she grew up in. For years she has been shunned and ignored by everyone except her family. After a near-fatal illness, she is determined to seize the reins of her life and find something that does not in ...more
After Edward asked to be released from their engagement, Helena was the one who became persona non grata in the top crust of the titled and wealthy world she grew up in. For years she has been shunned and ignored by everyone except her family. After a near-fatal illness, she is determined to seize the reins of her life and find something that does not in ...more

I really enjoyed Helena and Sam's story. Similar to Somewhere In France (the first book of this series), Moonlight over Paris is a story that is all at once about a young woman developing her own identity, learning who she is and standing up for herself in the face of a family and society that she does not fit in with, as well as a beautiful love story. I give this one 3.5 stars because it didn't live up to Somewhere In France (but let's face it, that was a tall order) nor did it live up to Afte
...more

A sweet story of a woman trying to find herself after a broken engagement and a near fatal illness. As an artist, she accepts an invitation to stay with an aunt in Paris. Overall it is an acceptable story, nothing outstanding, with predictable outcomes. Good for a beach read, but not great literature. I haven't read the first two in the series, and I probably will pick them up if I see one in the used bookstore, but not one I'll seek out.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 4 | Sep 28, 2015 09:59AM |
Jennifer Robson first learned about the Great War from her father, acclaimed historian Stuart Robson, and later served as an official guide at the Canadian National War Memorial at Vimy Ridge, France. A former copy editor, she holds a doctorate in British economic and social history from the University of Oxford. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and young children.
Other books in the series
The Great War
(3 books)
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