Lynn SheeneRezensionen

Mayo de 1940. Claire Harris huye de Manhattan con la romántica idea de empezar una nueva vida en París. Pero sus planes se truncan cuando ve a los soldados nazis desfilando bajo el Arco del Triunfo: la ocupación alemana ha comenzado. Su única opción es trabajar en una floristería bajo la atenta mirada de madame Palain. A cambio de documentación falsa, Claire empieza a colaborar con la Resistencia francesa. A pesar del peligro que esto supone, la joven florista descubre la eterna belleza de la Ciudad de la Luz mientras la explora en compañía de Thomas Grey, un misterioso inglés que también trabaja para la Resistencia. La valentía y la inteligencia de Claire la convierten enseguida en una eficiente espía, y sus valores cambiarán al ser testigo del valeroso espíritu de los parisinos. Pero la decepción y la traición la fuerzan a huir de nuevo, esta vez para pelear por el hombre al que ama. Claire solo reza para reunir el coraje y la firmeza suficientes para volver a ver París algún día

An interesting novel set in wonderful Paris, in the harshest of times for its citizens. I enjoyed the relationship Claire developed with Madame Palain, and how she grew and developed into a trusted and talented employee until she became involved in The Resistance. As a period in European history I knew little about, I enjoyed the story, and the romance and caring woven through it. I did not enjoy her relationships with Nazis and found her decisions in regard to the sexual situations she frequently found herself in, and her clandestine searching for clues and information a little far fetched.

An adventure historic fiction book. Whew. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen. Resisting working for the resistance, Claire eventually becomes one of the most courageous leaders.½

La autora de este libro es Lynn Sheene y fue publicado en el año 2011. El género es Novela rosa, Ficción histórica. Esta novela está ambientada en la década de los 40 cuando los nazis invaden Francia y que tiene como protagonista a Claire Harris, americana, que que gusta de la buena vida y glamorosa. Huye de Manhattan con la romántica idea de empezar una nueva vida en París para reencontrarse con su amor, el mismo que había sido su amante. Pero sus planes sufren un cambio drástico por el inicio la ocupación alemana en el mismo momento que llega a París. Ella tiene que pasar por muchas dificultades y empieza a colaborar con la Resistencia francesa. La valentía y la inteligencia de Claire la convierten en seguida en una eficiente espía, y sus valores cambiarán al ser testigo del valeroso espíritu de los parisinos. “Desde ese punto de vista descubre en los parisinos algo más allá de los tópicos existentes sobre ellos, el valor que demuestran por la defensa de lo suyo y el amor a su patria inciden hondamente en la protagonista”. La historia esta llena de drama y suspenso donde se mezclan con lo romántico. Tiene todos los elementos de acción trepidante con mucha emociones y que hace que uno no pare de leer para ver cual será el desenlace.

Over the last few years I have become interested in what happened during WWII. This year I have read several fiction books based during that time. This is one of them. I really enjoyed this book. Clair is an Oklahoma farm girl who is dirt poor and heads to NY to get a better life. She fabricates her background and marries into society. When her husband figures out she isn’t society, she flees to Paris to find a man she had an affair with how she thought she was in love with. When she gets to Paris she lands smack in the middle of the war. See soon becomes part of the resistance against the Germans and endangers her life and the lives around her. I found this book beautifully written, very descriptive and enjoyable. I was pulled back to Paris and the war and worried about the different characters. Sometimes when I read historical fiction books, I wonder, would I have had the strength to fight the Germans or would I have fled. I applaud anyone who risked their lives for their country and the sacrifices they made during WWII. I recommend this book.

2.5 Stars

This book was a disappointment overall. It sounded interesting as hell, and I've been on a WWII kick lately. So a Resistance thriller in Nazi-era France sounded right up my alley. Weeeellll..... let's just say I'm impressed I finished the book at all.

The premise of the story intrigued me. An American stuck in occupied France? Yes please! And I did get the exciting escape scenes, the nail-biting confrontations with other Resistance figures and the Nazis, and the edge-of-your-seat tension on whether everyone is going to escape or not.

However... And this is a huge "however"! The main character, Claire/Clara, drives me up the frickin' wall! There were extremely faint glimmers of a character I could have liked: compassion for a Nazi victim dead on the street, a devotion to saving two girls that come to her care, and a fierce dedication to saving the man she loves.
But egads, her other character flaws totally cancel these glimmers out. She's a narcissistic wench who can't seem to solve any problems without shedding all her clothes. I question her motivations and actions more times than I care to remember. And her forging ahead without any planning? Let's just say I'm amazed she survived the war.

Unfortunately, the other characters couldn't save this novel, either. What page time they got was very limited, and what was there made them two-dimensional to the reading audience. I think I could have came to really love Grey if only he was present in the story more.*sigh* I think that could have been said for many of the secondary characters in this novel. Oh well...

I'm giving this book a 2.5 in the end. I actually finished it and enjoyed the plot itself. So it deserves at least that, I think. Yet, the main character is definitely not one to love and the secondary ones aren't present enough to allow for any love to develop for them. If you're looking for something light to read, this might be a good choice. But would I recommend it to the serious historical fiction lover who enjoys a great book? No.

Not entirely my cup of tea, but was interesting and fast moving. A young woman leaves her loveless marriage for romance in Paris, just as the Nazis invade. Unable and unwilling to return home, and without proper identification she finds it hard to live. With the help of new friends, she manages as well as she can, and becomes a valuable asset to the Resistance movement.

When Claire Harris Stone's past catches up with her one night in 1940s New York, she leaves behind her glittering life as a socialite (as well as her domineering husband) and runs away to Paris and the arms of her lover. What Claire hasn't realized in her selfish society haze is that Paris is on the verge of Occupation and without proper papers, her very presence endangers those who try to support her.

Luckily for Claire, a local florist sees potential in Claire and takes her in to work (and live) under the table. Delivering flowers to hotels gives Claire access to the comings and goings of the Nazi occupiers - as well as collaborators - and she is soon courted by the Resistance movement. Claire must decide between returning to the lap of luxury she once so longed for and protecting those who believed there was more to her than an empty-headed socialite.

I wanted to like The Last Time I Saw Paris a lot more than I actually ended up liking it. I wanted to like it because I'm fascinated by the French Resistance (any of the Resistance movements, really) and I love Paris as a setting (one of the major settings of this book was on the same street as the hotel I stayed in last trip). And to be honest, part of the reason this book didn't hit me was simply because I so recently read the heart-wrenching Code Name: Verity and this just couldn't compare. But that's not all.

I simply never warmed to Claire - she was selfish and oblivious to the situation around her and for all her shrewdness in manipulating people, she never really wised up to...well, anything. The plot twists near the end which were clearly meant to be shocking came as no surprise to me at all and I spent most of the book wondering how Claire never considered that her marks and targets might be considerably more cunning than she thought. The love story was a bit weak as a motivation, and while I admired Claire's brazenness in the face of Nazi troops, I didn't like how she used her sexuality without, it seems, so much as a second thought (not that it wasn't realistic or in character...I just didn't like it).

Ultimately, the pay-off didn't really work for me and that coupled with the lackluster love story made this a decent enough read, but not one that I'll be returning to.½

Claire Harris Stone picks the wrong time to flee her husband in New York City for Paris. With the Nazis knocking at the door of France, Claire finds herself stranded without real papers once she reaches her destination. But she's enterprising, and she finds work as a florist's assistant and strikes a deal with the Resistance. Initially only concerned about her own needs, Claire begins to find her values changing as she continues to work with the Resistance operatives, especially Thomas Grey, an enigmatic English spy.

I have to be in a certain mood to read this type of book. Although this book isn't strictly a romance (there's also a good deal of intrigue and, of course, history), there's just something about a historical romance set during WWII that just seems...off to me. But, apparently, I was in a mood to read it, because I devoured this book fairly quickly.

I wasn't sure how likeable the character of Claire would be, because she is exceptionally self-centered and conniving at the beginning. After a bit of a slow start, however, Claire begins to evolve and becomes much more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, "the big mystery" is very transparent from the beginning. I'm sure the author tried to throw it in as a twist for the end, but anyone who didn't see that coming must've been blind. After reading "the reveal," I found myself thinking...wait, what? That was supposed to surprise me?

There are also numerous comma splices in this book, which tend to set my teeth on the edge. I'm not sure if today's editors are lazy about them or just don't know what they are, but you might as well just decorate comma splices with huge blinking lights; they are incredibly distracting.

Still, the book is a good way to spend an afternoon or too, and I'd recommend it to those who like this particular type of book.½

I was doubtful but interested at the beginning of the book. The writing seemed a bit unpolished and about half way through I was starting to wonder if Claire would ever progress from being entirely self-absorbed. But she does, and it's a great read. She grows and shows great strength and resilience as she gets more and more involved in her new life in wartime Paris, after starting out as a rather clueless socialite. The action in the book never stalls either - I couldn't put it down.½

Claire Harris is living in New York, married to a wealthy and powerful man she does not love, and hiding a secret about her past. War has come to Europe, but Claire seems blissfully unaware of the dangers when she makes the decision to flee her unhappy marriage and search for her lover in Paris. Once in France, she is confronted with the Nazi war machine bearing down on Paris – nothing is as she thought it would be and she is forced to take work at a flower shop that supplies flowers for huge events orchestrated by the Nazis. Soon Claire finds her life in danger and turns unwillingly to a group of French resistance fighters where betrayal lurks behind the semblance of safety, and love is to be found in the most unusual of places. Claire will discover a strength she can only imagine, and risk everything to save those closest to her.

The Last Time I Saw Paris is a mix of historical fiction, romance, women’s fiction and suspense – and a surprisingly wonderful read. Lynn Sheene establishes herself as an author to watch in this debut novel about love, redemption, and courage during wartime. Claire is a fabulous character – smart, tough, and inventive – she is a strong woman who starts out as rich and superficial, and grows into a gritty, likable dynamo. Although at times Sheene stretches reality, I still found myself admiring Claire’s gumption and believing in her courage.

The suspense in this novel grows with every turn of the page, and the romance is sizzling. I stayed up far into the night reading. Every time I thought I would just read to the end of the chapter and stop, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next…and so, I would literally find myself falling asleep with the book open on my chest. Sheene’s sense of pacing is spot on. She knows how to build her characters and plot a novel to keep the pages turning.

Readers who think they are just getting an historical romance when they pick up The Last Time I Saw Paris, should think again. Yes, the romance is an integral part of the story, but Sheene has written a book which will also appeal to those readers who like suspense. Author Katherine Neville compared this novel to Casablanca, and I think that is a good comparison. Rich in character and description, readers will find themselves thoroughly immersed in the Paris Occupation.

Highly entertaining, this is a novel I can recommend. I’ll be keeping my eye out for future books by this talented author.½

This was an amazing novel from start to finish. Claire Harris is such a deep charactor. She changes before your eyes as you are made to believe one thing about her - then throughout the story she becomes so much more. A brilliant tale of love and espionage and a very brave woman.