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The Lost Girls of Paris
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From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female spies during World War II.
1946, Manhattan
Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandon ...more
1946, Manhattan
Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandon ...more
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Paperback, 384 pages
Published
January 29th 2019
by Park Row
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“And now go set Europe ablaze!”
- Winston Churchill to Hugh Dalton, first director of the Special Operations Executive
It has been awhile since I read a book with a wider gap between idea and execution. The concept of Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris is excellent: a World War II thriller based on the missions of the real-life women of the Special Operations Executive. Unfortunately, this great idea is squandered in a book of such mediocrity I hesitate to say anything further.
But I will, with ...more
- Winston Churchill to Hugh Dalton, first director of the Special Operations Executive
It has been awhile since I read a book with a wider gap between idea and execution. The concept of Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris is excellent: a World War II thriller based on the missions of the real-life women of the Special Operations Executive. Unfortunately, this great idea is squandered in a book of such mediocrity I hesitate to say anything further.
But I will, with ...more

I wish I had a better experience with and more positive things to say about this book. I went in worried about it being another “Girl-in-the-title” book or just another entry in the oversaturated “Girl-living-through-WWII” genre. While it was definitely both of these things, it was neither of those that led to this being a frustrating read.
The book was way too cheesy. If a book is supposed to be fun, silly, or light-hearted, cheesiness is a thing to be celebrated and embraced. This book was supp ...more
The book was way too cheesy. If a book is supposed to be fun, silly, or light-hearted, cheesiness is a thing to be celebrated and embraced. This book was supp ...more

4.5 stars!
This is a historical fiction novel about women working with the SOE as spies during the World War II. The setting takes place in France and is inspired by true events. There are girls who are recruited and trained. One of the girls who are recruited is Marie, who is a single Mom.
Eleanor Trigg is the leader of a ring of female secret agents who are deployed out of London during the war. There were twelve woman that were sent to Occupied Europe as radio operators and couriers to aid the ...more
This is a historical fiction novel about women working with the SOE as spies during the World War II. The setting takes place in France and is inspired by true events. There are girls who are recruited and trained. One of the girls who are recruited is Marie, who is a single Mom.
Eleanor Trigg is the leader of a ring of female secret agents who are deployed out of London during the war. There were twelve woman that were sent to Occupied Europe as radio operators and couriers to aid the ...more

Jan 15, 2019
Lindsay - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
edelweiss,
traveling-sister-read
4.5 stars! Another outstanding novel by Pam Jenoff!
This fascinating and unforgettable story, inspired by true events, revolves around a handpicked group of British female spies sent to France by a top secret government division during WWII. Weeks of rigorous training aim to prepare these young women to venture into unknown territory, planting themselves as everyday French citizens, intending to smoothly transition into society. Putting their lives largely at risk, they plan to connect with the l ...more
This fascinating and unforgettable story, inspired by true events, revolves around a handpicked group of British female spies sent to France by a top secret government division during WWII. Weeks of rigorous training aim to prepare these young women to venture into unknown territory, planting themselves as everyday French citizens, intending to smoothly transition into society. Putting their lives largely at risk, they plan to connect with the l ...more

Vivid. Inspiring. Moving.

The Lost Girls of Paris drew me in from the very beginning and it never let go.
This is a compulsively readable story!

Following three perspectives, this Adult Historical Fiction novel weaves together a beautifully intricate story of a group of women working Special Ops during WWII.
The reader learns of the development of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Women's Unit and follows along with the founder and head of that unit, Eleanor, as well as with one of the women, ...more

4.5 stars
I wasn’t planning on reading this book. I had previously read two books by Pam Jenoff, and while I thought they were important books on the Holocaust, I just didn’t connect with the characters. I was offered an advanced digital copy by the publisher but didn’t immediately accept it. Then a lovely Goodreads friend sent me a paper version of the advanced copy. Then I saw some rave reviews by some of my trusted Goodreads friends. Those were enough things to convince me to read it and I’m ...more
I wasn’t planning on reading this book. I had previously read two books by Pam Jenoff, and while I thought they were important books on the Holocaust, I just didn’t connect with the characters. I was offered an advanced digital copy by the publisher but didn’t immediately accept it. Then a lovely Goodreads friend sent me a paper version of the advanced copy. Then I saw some rave reviews by some of my trusted Goodreads friends. Those were enough things to convince me to read it and I’m ...more

Dec 29, 2018
Meredith ( on Semi-Hiatus until February)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Historical novel that tells the story of fierce women who served as British secret agents during WWII. This is a story about friendship, love, and tenacity.
The plot is intriguing: British women are recruited to assist the military during WWII. They are trained to serve on the ground as operatives in France. Not only was this an extremely dangerous and risky mission, but it also is one that was filled with betrayal.
The reader experiences the plan to recruit and train the women through Eleanor T ...more
The plot is intriguing: British women are recruited to assist the military during WWII. They are trained to serve on the ground as operatives in France. Not only was this an extremely dangerous and risky mission, but it also is one that was filled with betrayal.
The reader experiences the plan to recruit and train the women through Eleanor T ...more

***NOW AVAILABLE***
I read a lot of historical fiction and I had read “The Orphans Tale” by Pam Jenoff and really enjoyed it. I most recently read “The Light Over London” by Julia Kelly which was about the Brtitish “gunner girls” who worked atop London’s rooftops calculating the firing of anti-aircraft guns.
This novel drew me in from the beginning, it was a quick, satisfying read with characters that I could root for. The story starts in 1946 Manhattan when a young woman, Grace, comes across a ...more
I read a lot of historical fiction and I had read “The Orphans Tale” by Pam Jenoff and really enjoyed it. I most recently read “The Light Over London” by Julia Kelly which was about the Brtitish “gunner girls” who worked atop London’s rooftops calculating the firing of anti-aircraft guns.
This novel drew me in from the beginning, it was a quick, satisfying read with characters that I could root for. The story starts in 1946 Manhattan when a young woman, Grace, comes across a ...more

2.5-3 stars. Disappointed...don't hate me people!!!
Despite owning several Pam Jenoff books this the first one I have read! I definitely will give her another shot as I respect her research and creativity (for coming up with this story) and I was happy to learn something new. I enjoyed how the story was told from three different perspectives (kind of a past, present & future) so that you were always seeing the story from a different angle. I think this was the strongest part of the book.
My lower ...more
Despite owning several Pam Jenoff books this the first one I have read! I definitely will give her another shot as I respect her research and creativity (for coming up with this story) and I was happy to learn something new. I enjoyed how the story was told from three different perspectives (kind of a past, present & future) so that you were always seeing the story from a different angle. I think this was the strongest part of the book.
My lower ...more

3.5 Women operatives during WWII, and the dangers they faced. I just adored these characters, become very invested in their welfare, wanted them to succeed where the men had failed. When the OSE realized their male agents were being captured, so many men were gone fighting, they stood out like sore thumbs. It is suggested by a woman named Twigg, that females would more easily blend in, and accomplish what they needed to accomplish. She is given control of this very secret program.
The book follow ...more
The book follow ...more

4.5 stars
Now this is what historical fiction is meant to be! A wonderful story that draws you in quickly and completely while teaching you about something you knew nothing about.
As is typically the case, this one is told through two storylines. Right after WWII, Grace finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central which contains the photos of a dozen young women. The women turn out to be agents of SOE, couriers and saboteurs sent behind enemy lines into France. It turns out the suitcase belonged ...more

4.5 stars.
C'est magnifique!!
In 1946, shortly after World War II ended, Grace Healey is living in New York, fleeing for an anonymous life in the city after the tragic death of her husband. One morning on her way to work she takes a detour through Grand Central Station, where she trips over a suitcase hidden beneath a bench.
She can't resist opening the suitcase, and when she finds a group of photographs, each of a different woman, she can't seem to explain why she has this powerful need to keep th ...more
C'est magnifique!!
In 1946, shortly after World War II ended, Grace Healey is living in New York, fleeing for an anonymous life in the city after the tragic death of her husband. One morning on her way to work she takes a detour through Grand Central Station, where she trips over a suitcase hidden beneath a bench.
She can't resist opening the suitcase, and when she finds a group of photographs, each of a different woman, she can't seem to explain why she has this powerful need to keep th ...more

I loved it!
Once I started reading and became invested in these wonderful characters and the suspenseful plot, I simply had to keep on reading...
This took over my day and I set aside chores, appointments and anything else that was causing me to have to put this book down. It did take a few chapters to get settled into it, then it was easy sailing all the way to the end. A week later, I'm still thinking of these "girls".
The author does a wonderful job of characterization and I felt that I al ...more
Once I started reading and became invested in these wonderful characters and the suspenseful plot, I simply had to keep on reading...
This took over my day and I set aside chores, appointments and anything else that was causing me to have to put this book down. It did take a few chapters to get settled into it, then it was easy sailing all the way to the end. A week later, I'm still thinking of these "girls".
The author does a wonderful job of characterization and I felt that I al ...more

THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS is a story I wanted to love. It's an excellent premise, with multiple POV and some overlapping timelines, of three women during and after the second world war. One a spy, another her commander, and a civilian who is compelled to pursue the truth of their story after piecing together their identities. It sounds amazing, right? If only.
Not only was the writing slow, dull, halting and unpolished (not something I think is to blame from an ARC format perspective), but the char ...more
Not only was the writing slow, dull, halting and unpolished (not something I think is to blame from an ARC format perspective), but the char ...more

I have rolled my eyes as many times as I have heard, “This is the next Nightingale”. To be fair, I didn’t hear this regarding The Lost Girls of Paris. Instead, this book is being compared to Lilac Girls and The Alice Network but this one comes very close to Nightingale. I never expected it. It’s a fictionalized account of Vera Atkins and her “girls” who were dropped into France to work with the resistance as saboteurs and radio operators. Another storyline takes place shortly after the war that
...more

4.5 (rounded to 5) stars
Wow, this one was a real surprise. I had never read this author before, but was struck by the blurb as well as the title of this novel, and just look at that cover. These factors, plus the fact that several of my Goodreads friends gave it 4 or 5 stars, moved me to give this book a go. I was most impressed!
This WWII historical fiction novel is darker and a bit grittier than many of the other books of this subgenre. It revolves around a small organization of young women wil ...more
Wow, this one was a real surprise. I had never read this author before, but was struck by the blurb as well as the title of this novel, and just look at that cover. These factors, plus the fact that several of my Goodreads friends gave it 4 or 5 stars, moved me to give this book a go. I was most impressed!
This WWII historical fiction novel is darker and a bit grittier than many of the other books of this subgenre. It revolves around a small organization of young women wil ...more

The Lost Girls of Paris is historical fiction storytelling at its finest. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
It’s 1946 in Manhattan, and Grace Healey is late for work. She is starting over because her husband was killed during the war, and she has to keep this job to make ends meet.
As she rushes to work, things continue to go awry, when she happens upon a suitcase in Grand Central Terminal. Inside are a dozen photographs of women. In a moment of haste, she takes the photos with her.
Grace later learns the suitcase ...more
It’s 1946 in Manhattan, and Grace Healey is late for work. She is starting over because her husband was killed during the war, and she has to keep this job to make ends meet.
As she rushes to work, things continue to go awry, when she happens upon a suitcase in Grand Central Terminal. Inside are a dozen photographs of women. In a moment of haste, she takes the photos with her.
Grace later learns the suitcase ...more

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Historical fiction is not typically my wheelhouse, but when I heard that The Lost Girls of Paris was about a group of female spies in WWII, I was all in. It seems this plotline may be the new Gone Girl as I’ve seen several new releases regarding women in WWII all over my Goodreads’ feed, but I wanted it pretty much due to my one and only experience with this topic - Code Name Verity. The story here is about a woman named Grace who not ...more
Historical fiction is not typically my wheelhouse, but when I heard that The Lost Girls of Paris was about a group of female spies in WWII, I was all in. It seems this plotline may be the new Gone Girl as I’ve seen several new releases regarding women in WWII all over my Goodreads’ feed, but I wanted it pretty much due to my one and only experience with this topic - Code Name Verity. The story here is about a woman named Grace who not ...more

At a certain point, I had to be honest with myself and say that I don't really like historical fiction.
It is, by and large, boring. Most of the stories are about the same thing (World War II). Most of the characters are just boring old people. Well, not old at the time, but would be old now. And I am young and full of life and have, like any other living person, read a lot about World War II already.
But this book...well, this was cool as hell.
It's about WOMAN SPIES in WORLD WAR II in FRANCE. Wha ...more
It is, by and large, boring. Most of the stories are about the same thing (World War II). Most of the characters are just boring old people. Well, not old at the time, but would be old now. And I am young and full of life and have, like any other living person, read a lot about World War II already.
But this book...well, this was cool as hell.
It's about WOMAN SPIES in WORLD WAR II in FRANCE. Wha ...more

Overall: I wish I could say I liked this book, but I didn't... For a similar storyline but done much, much better, try The Alice Network by Kate Quinn or learn about the true story that inspired this book 3.5/10
The good: This book had a lot of potential and was based on a portion of the resistance I knew nothing about. The novel is based on the true story of Vera Atkins and her team of Special Operations Executive spies (many of them young women) who advanced into France before D-Day to help the ...more
The good: This book had a lot of potential and was based on a portion of the resistance I knew nothing about. The novel is based on the true story of Vera Atkins and her team of Special Operations Executive spies (many of them young women) who advanced into France before D-Day to help the ...more

A suitcase found - stories told.
Grace finds a suitcase while traveling through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work. Curious about what is inside, she opens it and finds pictures- each one of a different woman. Who were these women? Who does the suitcase belong to?
Grace soon finds the answer as to who owned the suitcase - a woman named Eleanor Trigg who was the leader of female secret agents deployed out of London during the war. The twelve women who were in the pictures that Grace found, w ...more
Grace finds a suitcase while traveling through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work. Curious about what is inside, she opens it and finds pictures- each one of a different woman. Who were these women? Who does the suitcase belong to?
Grace soon finds the answer as to who owned the suitcase - a woman named Eleanor Trigg who was the leader of female secret agents deployed out of London during the war. The twelve women who were in the pictures that Grace found, w ...more

Loosely based on real events involving female spies in 1942 war-torn France.
I mean, seriously, what is there not to love about that?
Even before starting this book I was fascinated with the plot so it didn't take me long to become totally enamored.
The story begins in 1946 following Grace after she finds a set of photographs of women in an abandoned suitcase. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she goes about trying to find the identity of these women.
Honestly, I could have done without Grace' ...more
I mean, seriously, what is there not to love about that?
Even before starting this book I was fascinated with the plot so it didn't take me long to become totally enamored.
The story begins in 1946 following Grace after she finds a set of photographs of women in an abandoned suitcase. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she goes about trying to find the identity of these women.
Honestly, I could have done without Grace' ...more

One simple statement changed the course of Eleanor’s life forever.
It was 1943 when the infuriated Director of Special Operations Executive called a meeting. As his secretary, Eleanor was present. As his metaphorical right-hand, she understood the operations better than anyone else in the room. The SOE, created three years prior to light Europe up with sabotage and subversion, had run smoothly and successfully until now.
Too many agents were being caught, and the captures seemed to quickly follo ...more
It was 1943 when the infuriated Director of Special Operations Executive called a meeting. As his secretary, Eleanor was present. As his metaphorical right-hand, she understood the operations better than anyone else in the room. The SOE, created three years prior to light Europe up with sabotage and subversion, had run smoothly and successfully until now.
Too many agents were being caught, and the captures seemed to quickly follo ...more

Aug 20, 2019
Jonetta
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jonetta by:
Marialyce
It’s post-war 1946 and young widow Grace Healey is running late for work. As she takes a shortcut through Grand Central Station, she discovers an abandoned suitcase under a bench. In it, she finds photographs of 12 women and something compels her to take them with her. Once Grace learns that the owner, Eleanor Trigg, was killed in an accident that morning, she returns to get the suitcase but it’s gone. As she continues to investigate Eleanor’s life and the identities of the women in those photos
...more

4+ stars. This historical novel of WWII focuses on an unusual aspect of the war: the British women who were deployed to France under Britain's Special Operations Executive or SOE program to work with the Resistance as radio operators, saboteurs, and couriers.

Real-life SOE agent Christine Granville with members of the French Resistance in 1944
Most of the reason for this dangerous venture is that most men were too suspiciously visible in France (since most men were off at war). It was a highly pe ...more

Real-life SOE agent Christine Granville with members of the French Resistance in 1944
Most of the reason for this dangerous venture is that most men were too suspiciously visible in France (since most men were off at war). It was a highly pe ...more

The Lost Girls of Paris opens with Grace Healey trying to maneuver her way through the crowded streets of Manhattan. It's post-war in 1946 and traffic jams and throngs of people are the new norm. Grace decides to take a shortcut through the Grand Central Terminal knowing full well that she's already late for work. A policeman tells her that there has been an auto accident and the individual didn't survive.
As Grace enters into the darkened train station building, her eyes come upon a lone suitcas ...more
As Grace enters into the darkened train station building, her eyes come upon a lone suitcas ...more

Feb 08, 2019
Cheri
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
wwii,
washington-dc,
2019,
historical-fiction,
paris,
arc,
nyc,
london,
park-row-books-harlequin
4.5 Stars
As this story begins, World War II has ended, and Grace Healy is living in New York City, where she can spend her days without the look of concern and pity on the faces of passersby, unlike her former home. Here, she is just another face in the crowd, nameless and unknown, no one knows her, or that her husband has died. She’s been avoiding Grand Central Station, but on this morning on her way to work she decides to go through there and ends up bumping into a suitcase left under a bench, ...more
As this story begins, World War II has ended, and Grace Healy is living in New York City, where she can spend her days without the look of concern and pity on the faces of passersby, unlike her former home. Here, she is just another face in the crowd, nameless and unknown, no one knows her, or that her husband has died. She’s been avoiding Grand Central Station, but on this morning on her way to work she decides to go through there and ends up bumping into a suitcase left under a bench, ...more

Nov 14, 2018
Katie B
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
arc,
read-in-2018,
fiction,
1940s,
new-york,
historical-fiction,
war,
ww2,
france,
bookish-first
I hadn't even read the synopsis yet when I realized I wanted to read this book. This is one of the rare instances when a book cover completely sold me. The use of the clock just really stood out to me. Thankfully, this turned out to be a compelling historical fiction read which was worthy of a good cover.
It's 1946 and Grace Healey is working in Manhattan after losing her husband during the war. While at Grand Central terminal she discovers a suitcase containing photographs. She soon learns the s ...more
It's 1946 and Grace Healey is working in Manhattan after losing her husband during the war. While at Grand Central terminal she discovers a suitcase containing photographs. She soon learns the s ...more

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin- Trade Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was so EXCITED when I was approved for this title because Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite WWII era writers and I have devoured each of her titlesThe Orphan's Tale,The Winter Guest, and The Kommandant's Girl just to name a few. So it would be an understatement to say The Lost Girls of Paris is one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. It certainly lived up to my expectations.
Based on the tr ...more
I was so EXCITED when I was approved for this title because Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite WWII era writers and I have devoured each of her titlesThe Orphan's Tale,The Winter Guest, and The Kommandant's Girl just to name a few. So it would be an understatement to say The Lost Girls of Paris is one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. It certainly lived up to my expectations.
Based on the tr ...more

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In the 1940’s, with the world at war, Eleanor Trigg leads a mysterious ring of secret female agents in London. Twelve of these women are sent to Paris to aid the resistance.
They never return home!
Shortly after the war ends, passing through New York’s Grand Central Station, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase beneath a bench. The case is filled with a dozen photographs, each of a different woman.
Setting out to find the women in the pictures, ...more

In the 1940’s, with the world at war, Eleanor Trigg leads a mysterious ring of secret female agents in London. Twelve of these women are sent to Paris to aid the resistance.
They never return home!
Shortly after the war ends, passing through New York’s Grand Central Station, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase beneath a bench. The case is filled with a dozen photographs, each of a different woman.
Setting out to find the women in the pictures, ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Play Book Tag: The Lost Girls of Paris / Pam Jenoff - | 3 | 20 | Feb 05, 2020 07:20AM | |
Bookish First Rea...: The Lost Girls of Paris | 1 | 7 | Oct 22, 2019 11:54AM | |
Kindle Book Club ...: August 2019 SPOILER ALERT, The Lost Girls of Paris, Reading Completed | 3 | 14 | Sep 19, 2019 10:36AM | |
Kindle Book Club ...: August 2019 Discussions, The Lost Girls of Paris, Reading In Progress | 9 | 13 | Aug 29, 2019 05:38PM |
Pam is the author of several novels, including her most recent The Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale, both instant New York Times bestsellers. Pam was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Speci
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