The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

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 abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Genre

Historical Fiction

Literary Recognition

Goodreads Choice Awards - Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2019)

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the foundation of the story and, in fact, I would like to read more about 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 British defeat the Germans. Sarah Helm’s wrote a nonfiction account, A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of World War Two, and I might check that out at some point. For me, this fictional retelling fell a little flat, though.

This multiple perspective novel brought us three main characters. First, we have Eleanor, who is the fictional version of Vera Atkins. I wanted her to be better developed as a character. She just doesn't seem to have much depth, but at least she escapes most of the book without having a romantic interest thrust upon her, although it is implied. Then there is Marie who was actually my favorite of the three characters. She is sent as a spy to France even thought there seems to be some question about how qualified she is. I want to root for her from the beginning. I can never quite wrap my brain around how she can leave her young daughter, but at the same time be so invested in Josie's (another spy) well-being. And I just didn't really get the pseudo-romance between her and Julian. This, in my opinion, was not well-developed. Finally, we have Grace. I felt lie she existed just to find some photos and give the story a starting point. Perhaps she was to function as the glue to hold the story together and I can see that she helped advance the mystery in the story. When Jenoff really lost me, though, was when she determined that Grace needed a love interest to help her solve the mystery. I just wanted her to be a strong woman investigating the mystery of these photos on her own. I don't understand why this romance comes from out of nowhere. It seemed distracting to me, more than anything. I didn't dislike this book but it is not one of my favorite historical fiction reads either. It was a pretty quick read and it did keep my attention, but I give this one 3 stars.