Book Review – The Light of Paris
The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown 
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on July 12th 2016
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 308
Goodreads
Goodreads Synopsis:
The miraculous new novel from New York Times–bestselling author Eleanor Brown, whose debut, The Weird Sisters, was a sensation beloved by critics and readers alike.
Madeleine is trapped—by her family’s expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears—in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters. In Madeleine’s memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been—elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie’s bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafés, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist. Despite her unhappiness, when Madeleine’s marriage is threatened, she panics, escaping to her hometown and staying with her critical, disapproving mother. In that unlikely place, shaken by the revelation of a long-hidden family secret and inspired by her grandmother’s bravery, Madeleine creates her own Parisian summer—reconnecting to her love of painting, cultivating a vibrant circle of creative friends, and finding a kindred spirit in a down-to-earth chef who reminds her to feed both her body and her heart.
Margie and Madeleine’s stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be.
My Review:
I was unfamiliar with Eleanor Brown prior to reading The Light of Paris and have to confess the main reasons I picked it up were 1) I had just visited Paris last summer and wanted to recreate the magic I experienced during my time there, and 2) that gorgeous purple cover kept catching my eye every time I saw it displayed at the bookstore and in the library.
I’m so glad that I picked up The Light of Paris though because it introduced me to a wonderful writer in Eleanor Brown and it most definitely made me fall in love with Paris all over again.
View of Paris from the bell tower at Notre Dame Cathedral – photo taken by me.
So what did I love about The Light of Paris?
Dual Narrative Point of View and Time Jumps:
I’ve always enjoyed novels where a historical tale is framed within a contemporary one and The Light of Paris fits that bill for me. Eleanor Brown has beautifully woven together the stories of Madeleine in 1999 and her grandmother Margie in 1924. Aside from their biological relationship, their stories, although being told 75 years apart, are tied together by another common thread as both women are dealing with the same basic struggle – how to live their own lives and pursue their passions when societal and family expectations dictate they should do otherwise.
Brown begins with Madeleine’s journey. Madeleine is dealing with an overly controlling husband and, consequently, an unhappy marriage. When she learns that her mother is selling her home, Madeleine uses this as an excuse to get away from her husband for a while. It is while she is at her mother’s home that Madeleine discovers some old journals in storage and first learns about Margie and her trip to Paris. The rest of the novel alternates between Madeleine in 1999 and Margie in 1924 as they each try to find their own way and live life on their own terms. I have read books where the time jumps and switch in point of view can be confusing and doesn’t work well, but Brown does a lovely job and the story flows smoothly and naturally between Madeleine to Margie from start to finish.
Setting:
I also love the way Brown captures the sights, sounds, and spirit of Paris as she describes Margie’s time there. If you’ve never been to Paris before, by the time you’re finished reading, you’ll have a first class case of wanderlust and will want to pack your suitcase and head there for a romantic adventure of your own. And if you’ve been to Paris before, Brown will make you fall in love with the City of Lights all over again. Brown also paints a truly vivid portrait of 1920’s Jazz Age Paris — so much so, in fact, that as I was reading, I half expected Ernest Hemingway to come strolling through the doors of one of the cafes that Margie frequented.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo taken by me.
Main Characters You Can Root For:
Margie’s story was, by far, the more interesting of the two narratives for me. Margie’s dilemma is that while her parents expect to her marry and settle down with a suitable husband as soon as she is finished with her education, what she really wants to do is follow her passion, which is writing, and become an author. It was spectacular watching her go from being this little cotillion-attending, debutante girl doing everything that was expected of her to suddenly rejecting the suitor her parents have chosen for her, then further rebelling against them by refusing to return home from a trip to Paris and instead living there on her own for months. She was really a woman ahead of her time in that sense and I cheered her on every step of the way. Watching her blossom into her own person as she sat in cafes indulging in her writing habit and then finding love on her own terms was so inspirational. I loved Margie’s story so much that if that had been the sole focus of the novel, this probably would have been a 5 star read for me.
Where Margie’s story was inspiring, however, Madeleine’s story was often frustrating for me. Similar to Margie and her passion for writing, Madeleine has a passion for art and actually wanted to go to school to study to become an artist. Instead of following her heart though, Madeleine instead lets her family convince her that being an artist isn’t a viable career and that she should study something more practical like Marketing, and then find herself a good husband. I loved Madeleine and wanted her to be happy, but it blew my mind how much she let her mother, in particular, dictate how she lived her life. As I watched her mope and lament this miserable marriage she’s supposedly trapped in, all I kept thinking was ‘Why did you marry Phillip in the first place? He’s a controlling ass. Why would you let anyone — your husband or your mother — convince you that you shouldn’t pursue your love of art? It’s 1999 and you are a modern woman so start acting like one!’ It made no sense to me that Madeleine needed to read about her grandmother’s rebellious and romantic time in Paris to come to the conclusion that perhaps it was time to kick Phillip to the curb and try something different. I actually think if Margie had still been alive in 1999, she probably would have wanted to give Madeleine a kick in the pants and tell her life is too short not to do what makes you happy.
Likeable Secondary Characters:
I guess it’s a quirk with me but I have to have a likeable secondary cast of characters in order to thoroughly enjoy a story and Brown has given me exactly what I need with the characters of Sebastian and Henry. Sebastian is an artist that Margie meets while in Paris, and Henry is a restaurant owner that Madeleine meets while visiting her mother. Both Henry and Sebastian are charming, down to earth, and just delightful characters. I liked the touch of romance that each of the characters brought to the story, and I especially liked the pivotal role each of them plays in helping Margie and Madeleine discover who they are meant to be. In addition to showing her all that Paris has to offer on a social and artistic level, Sebastian is actually the one who convinces Margie she should stay in Paris when the trip with her cousin doesn’t go as planned. He takes her to a place where she can find suitable, affordable housing and that also helps with job placement for Americans. Henry plays a similar role in Madeleine’s journey, first and foremost, by being her friend and being supportive about things that are of interest to her, namely her artistic abilities, which is something her husband never bothered with. Henry also serves as an inspiration to Madeleine because the whole reason he has this restaurant next door to Madeleine’s mother’s house is because he left his job as a chef at a restaurant to follow his dream – that of owning his own restaurant. If he hadn’t followed his own heart, he and Madeleine never would have met. His journey, especially when considered alongside Margie’s brave and adventurous sojourn in Paris, really give Madeleine the push she needs to start re-evaluating the direction her life has taken and to forge a new and more fulfilling path for herself.
Anything I didn’t care for?
Aside from my frustration with Madeleine, I can’t think of anything else that I didn’t enjoy. Margies’s cousin, Evelyn, was a nasty little girl, but that said, I like to have characters that I can actively dislike as well and she definitely falls into that category.
Who would I recommend this book to?
The Light of Paris was a delightful read on many levels so I’d recommend it, first of all, to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a hint of romance. I’d also recommend it to anyone who wants a taste of the City of Lights and to anyone who likes a story about people finding themselves.
Rating: A strong 4 stars
About Eleanor Brown
Eleanor Brown is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of The Weird Sisters, hailed by People magazine as “a delightful debut” and “creative and original” by Library Journal.
Her second novel, The Light of Paris, will be published by Putnam Books in the summer of 2016.
Eleanor teaches writing workshops at The Writers’ Table in Highlands Ranch, CO, and at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, CO, as well as writing conferences and centers nationwide.
An avid CrossFit participant, Eleanor is the author of WOD Motivation and a contributor to CrossFit Journal.
Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Eleanor lives in Colorado with her partner, writer J.C. Hutchins.
20 Bookish Quotes All Bookworms Will Relate To
I don’t know about you, but I love to read quotes from famous people. It’s amazing to me how truly quotable some people are – they just have a gift for summing up what I’m thinking or feeling, but in a way that is so much more eloquent than I could ever hope to express myself. And being a bookworm, those quotes that I am the most passionate about are those that involve books and reading, and especially those from my favorite authors. Some day I’m going to redo the walls of my library so that quotes like these literally fill any space that isn’t covered with books.
20 Books Quotes All Bookworms Will Relate to
1. A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. – Neil Gaiman
2. You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. – Paul Sweeney
3. Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore? – Henry Ward Beecher
4. Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood. – John Green
5. The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you. – W. Somerset Maugham
Source: someecards.com
6. If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it. – Toni Morrison
7. I cannot live without books. – Thomas Jefferson
8. There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island. – Walt Disney
9. Books open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can. – William Feather
10. Be awesome! Be a book nut! –Dr. Seuss
Source: someecards.com
11. You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. –C.S. Lewis
12. There is no friend as loyal as a book. -Ernest Hemingway
13. Books are a uniquely portable magic. – Stephen King
14. You can find magic
wherever you look.
Sit back and relax,
all you need is a book.
― Dr. Seuss
15. Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. ― Maya Angelou
Source: someecards.com
16. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. – Chinese Proverb
17. Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled “This could change your life.” – Helen Exley
18. We read in bed because reading is halfway between life and dreaming, our own consciousness in someone else’s mind. – Anna Quindlen
19. If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book. – J.K. Rowling
20. If a book is well written, I always find it too short. – Jane Austen
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So are any of these quotes also favorites of yours or do you have other favorite bookish quotes that I haven’t listed here? I’d love to hear from you!
Top 10 Books Set in New York City
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books With X Setting (top ten books set near the beach, top ten book set in boarding school, top ten books set in England, etc). I selected for my ‘X Setting’ my favorite city in the whole world, NEW YORK CITY! Oh, the sights, the sounds, the diversity, the endless possibilities for entertainment and culture! I don’t even have the words to convey how much I adore New York City, but if I were ever to win the lottery, one of the first things I would do is get myself an apartment in the Big Apple.
To tie my love of NYC to books, let me just say that I have been known to buy books that I know absolutely NOTHING about aside from the fact that they are set in New York. That said, below is my current list of Top 10 Favorite Books Set in NYC, subject to change as I have several potentially amazing books in my TBR that are also set in New York.
My Top Ten Favorite Books Set in New York City
1. Jazz by Toni Morrison
Goodreads Synopsis: In the winter of 1926, when everybody everywhere sees nothing but good things ahead, Joe Trace, middle-aged door-to-door salesman of Cleopatra beauty products, shoots his teenage lover to death. At the funeral, Joe’s wife, Violet, attacks the girl’s corpse. This passionate, profound story of love and obsession brings us back and forth in time, as a narrative is assembled from the emotions, hopes, fears, and deep realities of black urban life.
Jazz is the story of a triangle of passion, jealousy, murder, and redemption, of sex and spirituality, of slavery and liberation, of country and city, of being male and female, African American, and above all of being human. Like the music of its title, it is a dazzlingly lyric play on elemental themes, as soaring and daring as a Charlie Parker solo, as heartbreakingly powerful as the blues. It is Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison at her best. (Read more…)
2. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Goodreads Synopsis: Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of “the Brotherhood”, and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, Joyce, and Dostoevsky. (Read more…)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Goodreads Synopsis: A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life … If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience … It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919 … Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city’s poor. Primarily this is Francie’s book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie’s growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. (Read more…)
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Goodreads Synopsis: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature. (Read more…)
5. The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Goodreads Synopsis: It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again…. (Read more…)
6. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
Goodreads Synopsis: It’s New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany’s. And nice girls don’t, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveller, a tease. She is irrepressibly ‘top banana in the shock department’, and one of the shining flowers of American fiction. (Read more…)
7. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Goodreads Synopsis: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don’t know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch combines vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher’s calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate. (Read more…)
8. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Goodreads Synopsis: Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and he works on Wall Street, he is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to head-on collision with America’s greatest dream—and its worst nightmare—American Psycho is bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront. (Read more…)
9. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Goodreads Synopsis: Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption. (Read more…)
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Goodreads Synopsis: “…the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.”
Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with “cynical adolescent.” Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he’s been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation. (Read more…)
Do you have any favorite books that are set in New York City?
If so, I’d love to hear from you, especially since I’m always looking for new NYC-based reads 🙂