The Race for Paris...Review

About the book:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Wednesday Sisters returns with a moving and powerfully dynamic World War II novel about two American journalists and an Englishman, who together race the Allies to Occupied Paris for the scoop of their lives,

Normandy, 1944. To cover the fighting in France, Jane, a reporter for the Nashville Banner, and Liv, an Associated Press photographer, have already had to endure enormous danger and frustrating obstacles—including strict military regulations limiting what women correspondents can do. Even so, Liv wants more.

Encouraged by her husband, the editor of a New York newspaper, she’s determined to be the first photographer to reach Paris with the Allies, and capture its freedom from the Nazis.

However, her Commanding Officer has other ideas about the role of women in the press corps. To fulfill her ambitions, Liv must go AWOL. She persuades Jane to join her, and the two women find a guardian angel in Fletcher, a British military photographer who reluctantly agrees to escort them. As they race for Paris across the perilous French countryside, Liv, Jane, and Fletcher forge an indelible emotional bond that will transform them and reverberate long after the war is over.

Based on daring, real-life female reporters on the front lines of history like Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller, and Martha Gellhorn—and with cameos by other famous faces of the time—The Race for Paris is an absorbing, atmospheric saga full of drama, adventure, and passion. Combining riveting storytelling with expert literary craftsmanship and thorough research, Meg Waite Clayton crafts a compelling, resonant read.

From a historical perspective, this was fascinating. The descriptions are rich and I love strong women, but from a narrative aspect it frustrated me. The narrative alternates between Jane's first person and Fletcher's third person and I don't always love alternating tenses. While I learned a great deal and story has its compelling moments of brilliance, it just never completely resonated with me.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Meg Waite Clayton here.  You can see other tour stops and reviews here. You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 9/15

* * *
3/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Thank you for this review. I like this era so making a note of this one.

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  2. I can see where the shift from first person to third person could be frustrating. I still might give this a try.

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