Thursday 28 June 2018

Review: The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel

For fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family—by the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again—tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II.

When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too.

Charlotte Dacher is eleven when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can’t imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart.

Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he’s really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting—and an unexpected road home.

When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis—and to open their own broken hearts—as they fight to survive.


Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published March 27th 2018 by Gallery Books 
Genre: Historical Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

In the interest of full disclosure I need to explain that I read this book months ago so my thoughts are not exactly fresh when it comes to The Room on Rue Amelie. I finished it at the same time that my mother became critically ill and eventually passed away. So forgive my lateness in posting my thoughts but I needed to work through my grief before I could get back to my love of reading.

Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I love historical fiction and stories that take place during both world wars. I have read hundreds of books that take place in these time frames and yet no two stories are alike. What drew me to this book was the comparison to two different books and authors in the synopsis. Being a genre that I adore, I had read both of those books and adored both of them. It was a no brainer to pick up The Room on Rue Amelie.

Let me just say that I couldn't put this book down. I loved the writing, the setting and the story. There was a simplicity to the writing that made a complex story easy to read and even easier to get lost in. I loved the evolution of Ruby and Charlotte's friendship and I found the work they did for the resistance fascinating. I understand that the story was fictional but things like what they did in this book happened all over during that time.

I loved every minute of this book and I would highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys historical fiction. I wish I could do it the justice it deserves with my thoughts but unfortunately I read it at a traumatic time in my life. I fully intend to read it again when I can savour and enjoy it even more and perhaps write my thoughts again when I can give it the detail it deserves.



About the Author
Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING, THE LIFE INTENDED, WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, and several other novels. Her latest, THE ROOM ON RUE AMELIE, is out now from Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster. A former reporter for PEOPLE magazine, Kristin has also freelanced for many other publications, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Glamour, Woman’s Day, Travel + Leisure, and more.

Kristin grew up in Peabody, Mass.; Worthington, Ohio; and St. Petersburg, Fla., and she graduated with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida. After spending time living in Paris, she now lives in Orlando, Fla., with her husband and young son.

Connect with Kristin

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