Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Charlotte Villette watches in horror as the train leaves the station in a cloud of smoke. Five innocent children stare back at her through the glass, tears running down their cheeks. She promised to keep them safe but, now they have been separated by the Nazi guards, how can she protect them?
For days, Charlotte searches for the missing children. They know the plan was to travel to her aunt’s village, but could they really find it on their own? When she finally arrives, she is overjoyed to see them. But joy soon turns to fear when she discovers the Nazis are already searching the property, and they must run for safety once more.
When she meets Luc, a Frenchman with his own scars from the war, he offers to help them. As the weeks pass, Charlotte begins to trust him. Sitting with him in the candlelight once the children are asleep, she realises his quiet kindness and bright blue eyes have made her feel safe for the first time in years.
But just as she’s wondering whether there can be light in the darkness of war, a Nazi officer she fears from her past steps back into her life, threatening everything she has fought to protect. How far will Charlotte go to protect those she has grown to love? And will she be brave enough to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Last Train from Paris to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Last Train from Paris brings to a conclusion the Paris Sisters series by Suzanne Kelman. There have been five books in total, each of which have followed the Valette sisters during the occupation of France during World War Two. This last book picks up directly from where book four left where subtle clues had been dropped at the end as to what was to come. I loved how the reader is sucked directly back into the story right from the get go. There were no filler in initial introductory chapters which long time readers of the series didn’t need. But for those coming across this book and not knowing it was a series over the course of the story there is plenty of information supplied so new readers can fill in the gaps and in a way it does encourage you to go back and read everything that came before Charlotte’s story. I have been gripped by this series from the very beginning up until this point and this story proved no different. It was a real page turner with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter which navigated effortlessly back and forth between the war years and the modern day plot set in 2021. I kept wanting to just read one more chapter and the fact I had to get up for work the next morning was the only thing preventing me from reading long into the night.
Book five felt to me like the coming together of the individual stories previously told but there was still one story waiting to reveal itself and that centres around Charlotte and the five Jewish children with whom she is tasked to bring to safety. Ben (her nephew), Sophie, Rachel, Kurt and Rebecca. Each of these children have featured in the previous books but I enjoyed making connections and seeing their stories come to light through a different lens. In the modern day Esther is gathering everyone together for a retreat in France where Dr. Clara will help untangle their stories and allow grief and grievances to be aired. Esther knows that time is running out as dementia is taking her mother Sophie firmly in its grip and now is the chance for the secrets that have haunted the group to finally come to light as Sophie’s moments of lucidity are materialising few and far between. Resolution, forgiveness and acceptance need to be found. To allow for healing from the trauma and sacrifices of the past.
As the group gather there is clearly tension and unspoken words. Lives and families have been fractured through trauma, separation and destruction and the time is right for many wrongs to be put right. I enjoyed how the modern day characters from the previous books featured heavily once again as Olivia and Lily also continue some detective work and piecing the jigsaw together. When an unwanted visitor arrives claiming everything the group had believed about their guide and protector Charlotte is utter lies, hackles are raised and they are more determined to see justice served and for the truth no matter how hard it is to hear to come to the surface.
I can’t say that I preferred one element of the storyline over the other as I feel both were equally as strong and as riveting and each had much to offer. In 1944 Charlotte, is onboard a train with the five children and hoping to get to the South of France where she believes safety will be assured. On the train German officers discover something about Kurt which puts the whole plan in jeopardy and the group are separated but this separation does not last long. That’s not to say that safety has been secured. Instead there is even a greater threat on their backs as the German officer from the train is determined to find them. This ignites even more fire is Charlotte’s belly and will do her utmost best to provide safety and protection for their children so that one day they may be able to return to Paris and their families. Charlotte’s sense of responsibility becomes both her greatest asset and vulnerability. Her only hope is now reaching the Spanish boarder and to this end the character of Luc is introduced. He works for the Resistance and is haunted by his own personal tragedy which led him to turn to drink and become hardnosed and indifferent. To him taking Charlotte and the children through France is just another job but overtime it changes into something more for him and the children slowly start to melt a closed heart and perhaps Charlotte may do so too. But is it reciprocated?
There is always a sense of danger and tension in the chapters which focused on Charlotte and her charges. Yes, there are moments of peace and serenity when things calm a bit and they establish a place to stay in France as the boarders with Spain close but at the same time Charlotte can never rest as she fears the German officer will reappear and the worst fate will be fall them all. For Charlotte, fear and determination co-exist alongside one another and it’s a battle she wrestles with on a daily basis. She can’t only think of her own survival but that of the children and their vulnerability. I thought it was brilliant that in the present, aspects of Charlotte’s story were unfolding that had me thinking oh really is that what happened that has caused so much hurt and trauma for the children now well advanced in their years? But then we delved back into the past and a more accurate and at times disturbing picture was explored and I could begin to make sense of things and connect the dots. I was a bit smug in thinking I had it all figured out as to what specifically had gone on that in turn caused the downfall of what had become a somewhat stable situation or at least it was for a period of time. But I was totally wrong and delighted to be so as it only had me reading as quickly as possible to see how things would eventually pan out. Charlotte, Luc, the children certainly held me in their thrall.
Suzanne Kelman has written a fantastic series which was a big undertaking as it has taken several years for the full series to come to fruition. Throughout it all she has demonstrated that through the darkest times love, kindness and courage always matters. These are the qualities that each of the Valette sisters possess in spades. Charlotte consistently fought to give the five children entrusted into her care the safety, love and support which their parents could not provide due to the horrific circumstances enshrouding them. Charlotte was a remarkable as was each of her sisters. As the author herself says in her end notes, Charlotte is a tribute to the many who walked in the darkness with courage, compassion and determination to save everyone that they could. So many of the people and their stories from the war have gone untold but as long as we have authors like Suzanne Kelman their fight will not be forgotten. All told, The Paris Sisters was a fantastic and fitting conclusion packed full of depth and emotion with plenty of twists and turns and a surprise reveal towards the end which drew everything together very well. I envy those who can read and devour all five books in one fell swoop. Do yourself a favour and do this as you will be richly rewarded.
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