BOOK REVIEW: Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

Park Row (February 4, 2024)

Historical WWII Fiction

A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before, when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

REVIEW

A wonderful, well-researched and well-written historical fiction that explores a little-known piece of history during WWII. Two timelines that connect two women and their wartime experiences. One is a Jewish prisoner (Helaine) who we get insight into her sheltered life prior to the war then her experiences as a prisoner. The other is a non-Jewish woman (Louise) who was a Red Cros volunteer during the war. Louise’s discovery of a necklace years later takes her on a journey to find the history of the necklace and hopefully solve what happened to her dear friend who was killed during the war. I liked the connection of the two women who experienced the war very differently and eventually finds them meeting and giving each one a bit of closure. I had never heard of this bit of Holocaust history. A former store in Paris (Levitan) where “VIP” Jews were imprisoned and forced to sort and sell items stolen from Jewish home to German officers. This prisoner camp protected them from the horrors others faced at other camps, but they still suffered greatly. It is always difficult for me to read the horrors that the Jewish experienced, but it’s important to learn the history and this story is told in such a way that it is educational as well as a moving story. Highly recommend.

Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books (December

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley/purchased copy via Brenda Novak Book Box (February)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestseller The Orphan’s Tale. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her JD from UPenn. Her novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives with her husband and 3 children near Philadelphia, where she teaches law.