The Paris Network

 Tell me a story... about resisting tyranny

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham

Publication date: February 15, 2022

Date read: June 23, 2024

When Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence. Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square, boarded up, and in complete disrepair. As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

It feels like every other historical fiction book written these days is about World War II, and it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth reading. This is one book that I haven't really seen talked about, but which I thought was an incredibly well-written and fascinating story.

While Jeanne's present-day chapters were fine, and I had no issues with her or her father as characters, the star of this book is Laurence, and I always found myself wanting to rush through Jeanne's occasional chapters in order to get to more of Laurence's story. 

There are aspects of other WWII spy thrillers here, and I'm not going to claim that this book is unique in that regard, but I found the way that Laurence was working in a more isolated area to be really engaging. She was part of something larger, but still working more or less on her own a lot of the time, and her determination to resist the Nazi rule in her little town was endearing. And, without giving anything away, the ending was powerful and really got me in the feels even though I more or less knew what was coming. 

It's not a perfect read and did feel a bit heavy-handed at times, even though the messages were good ones. (The power of books. Never give up. The importance of resistance, even in the smallest of ways.) A few things that were said had me rolling my eyes a little, but not enough to take me out of the story. 

Overall, this was a great read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII fiction or historical fiction featuring strong women. This one, especially the ending, will stick with me for a while. 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: suicide, war, execution, anti-Semitism and Nazism, hanging, death of a loved one, starvation

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.