Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Because Paris is always a good idea...
Years ago, Juliet left a little piece of her heart in Paris - and now, separated from her husband and with her children flying the nest, it's time to get it back!
So she puts on her best red lipstick, books a cosy attic apartment near Notre-Dame and takes the next train out of London.
Arriving at the Gare du Nord, the memories come flooding back: bustling street cafés, cheap wine in candlelit bars and a handsome boy with glittering eyes.
But Juliet has also been keeping a secret for over two decades - and she begins to realise it's impossible to move forwards without first looking back.
Something tells her that the next thirty days might just change everything...
Many thanks to Orion via NetGalley for my copy of Thirty Days in Paris to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Thirty Days in Paris, the new book from Veronica Henry, was just the read I needed having recently read a slew of books set during World War Two, some of which were heavy going. This is a gorgeous read which transports you away from your everyday humdrum life to the special city that is Paris as one woman sets out find herself following the conclusion of her marriage. She is attempting to put to bed the ghosts that have haunted her from a summer she spent in the city of lights as an impressionable young girl many years ago.
From the opening chapter, this lovely story wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go until the final word. This story had such a relaxed and comfortable feeling about it with the most perfect of pacing and very good character and plot development. The city comes alive off the pages as a character itself as we follow Juliet on her journey to recapture the past but also to kickstart her future. Juliet has had an amicable separation from her husband Stuart after 25 years of marriage. The house is all packed up and her two grown up children have fled the nest. So now it’s time for Juliet to find herself.
There is a sense of excitement coupled with uncertainty as to her future but she is ready to take the next steps to find a new life of peace, contentment and passion. She has decided to go to Paris and rent an apartment for thirty days where she will write her life story. Her work as a freelance journalist and ghost writer means she can work anywhere, and the city has drawn her back after many years. The summer she spent there aged 20 changed and moulded her and she still feels the affects of the events that occurred during that time. Can she put past demons to rest which will then enable her to move forward? Or does she want to bring elements of that time and the love she found into her new future?
Juliet is determined to rise from the ashes and by writing the book she hopes some healing will occur and give her some ideas as to what her next steps should be. For the first half of the book the story alternates between Juliet in the present writing her story and revisiting places that meant so much to her and then it moves back to her time as an au pair. In the present, she reconnects with old friends, Nathalie in particular. Nathalie now has her own wine bar which has been hugely successful and the pair restablish their friendship as if no time had passed at all. Nathalie is a strong support system to Juliet amongst some of the new friends she makes. She is funny, loyal, quick, bold and very observant. But the question on her lips and the question that persists in the readers mind the further the story moves forward is why did Juliet leave so abruptly? She never gave an explanation and left Olivier in the lurch always wondering what he had done and how could things have been different.
To discover the answers we go back to that fateful summer and I loved how it was intertwined with the present day.The chapters alternated timelines but it never at all felt jarring. It showed the two sides to Juliet and how she was not the same woman as she had once been. She has been through a marriage, had children and experienced a lot of life.You sense that if she was in the same situation as she previously had been in Paris then she would have dealt with things differently.
Juliet arrived in Paris to work for a family with three young children. The family are affluent and run a real estate business. Corinne is the mother and Jean Louis the father. They are both welcoming and Juliet settles in and tries to learn some French and adapt to her new life. She feels relaxed and comfortable in Paris especially when she is introduced to Olivier through Nathalie. Cliched though it may seem theirs was a passionate Parisian love affair and I was all for it. It felt so right and natural and not at all forced or unbelievable. I loved this description of how Juliet felt about Olivier. ’A syrupy, narcotic pull she had never felt with anyone else’. Don’t those words just scream pure love, passion and excitement at falling in love and finding the one for you even though Juliet is so young?
Olivier was the best thing that ever happened to her and he changed her life. Paris comes alive through Juliet’s eyes both in the past and the present. I could clearly visualise all the tourist sites, the streets, the wine, the tantalising food, the nightlife and the whole culture and it just added such flavour and feeling to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed journeying with Juliet as she reconnects with her past and finally tries to put right some wrongs. She needs closure and to get everything out of her system. She is chasing around after forgotten dreams and lost love but perhaps this is the best thing for her as you fervently hope that her dreams will come true. To discover whether they do or not you’ll have to grab a copy of this glorious, uplifting and romantic story.
Thirty Days in Paris was a wonderful read and one I very much enjoyed. Even though, I have never been to Paris, I felt I was with Juliet every step of the way as she retells her past story whilst trying to make amends and move forward in the present into what she hopes will be a more positive and happier future. Veronica Henry captured the tone of everything perfectly. It never felt at any point as if the story was dragging as it had a steady and well assured pace to it with finely drawn characters. You are rooting for Juliet all the way but also keen to discover what made her leave both the city and that special someone she had come to love so much.
Yes, I had my sneaking suspicions as to what was the cause but I could never exactly pinpoint. I will admit, I felt ever so slightly let down as to the specifics. Dare I say it, I wanted things to go in another direction to add a little bit more spice as to the reason for her departure. But on reflection, the cause did fit in well with the overall themes and emotions that were explored and developed throughout the story. This really was a fantastic love story which wasn’t cliched or over the top instead it all felt so perfect and right. It’s definitely a book I would recommend. Ideal for a summer or holiday which will inspire you to visit the city that meant so much to Juliet.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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