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    Letters From Paris
    Letters From Paris
    Letters From Paris
    Audiobook9 hours

    Letters From Paris

    Written by Juliet Blackwell

    Narrated by Xe Sands

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    After surviving the accident that took her mother's life, Claire Broussard worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful sculpture that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II.



    At her grandmother's urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the centuries old mask-making atelier where the sculpture, known only as "L'inconnue"—or the Unknown Woman—was created. With the help of a passionate sculptor, Claire discovers a cache of letters that offer insight into the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art.



    As Claire uncovers the unknown woman’s tragic fate, she begins to discover secrets—and a new love—of her own.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 6, 2016
    ISBN9781515974932

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    Reviews for Letters From Paris

    4/5

    62 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A Cajun woman who escaped her rough childhood to live the corporate life in Chicago, returns home to take care of her dying grandmother. While she's there she rediscovers an old death mask in the attic (death masks were made from plaster moulds taken after someone died - it was a thing about a century ago), that leads her to Paris, searching for answers about the elusive face of L'Inconnue.

      I really enjoy Juliet Blackwell's writing and this book did not disappoint. It's not a perfect read; there are moments that aren't followed through at all or very well in the first half of the book, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

      I bought this for the mystery and the setting; I've read her other book The Paris Key and remembered how vividly she brought Paris to life in my mind. Paris came to life again here, although the mystery sort of fizzled. (I don't know how to explain it without spoiling so I'll leave it at that.)

      The big surprise (for me) was the romance. It was excellent! I expected it to be more a suggestion of romance (as she did in her last Paris book), but here it was much more a part of the plot, and it made the book so much better.

      What can I say? I liked it - I'd recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Perhaps a bit over dramatic in the ending, but I loved it anyway.
    • 3/5
      I should never have started this book but the Paris locale intrigued me, and I didn't realize it was a romance.

      I might have been able to stomach the romance if had not been for the string of improbable coincidences that set it up. Still, the Paris/France elements kept me reading to the end.
    • 4/5
      Claire "Chance" Broussard returns home from Chicago to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana because her grandmother, her beloved Mammaw, is dying. It's her grandmother and her Uncle Remy who raised her after her mother died in a car accident and her father proved unfit as a parent. Chance never felt she fit in with all her cousins, but studied, worked, and escaped, first to college and then to life in the software industry in Chicago.

      Now she's back, remembering her past, asking questions, and wondering why neither Chicago nor Plaquemines Parish feels like "home."

      And then she finds a treasure from her past, a mask of a beautiful woman that her great-grandfather sent to her great-grandmother from Paris at the end of World War II. As a child, she hid in the attic and talked to that mask. Now she talks to Mammaw about it, and about the odd letter, torn in half, that was apparently used as part of the packing materials. There are no names, but it includes the plaintive line, "He will never let me go alive."

      After her grandmother's death, Chance goes to Paris, looking for the secret of the mask, and for a family secret Mammaw hinted she'll find there.

      The mask is a woman known only as L'Inconnue, "the unknown woman," and her mask is famous and popular--and still unknown. Chance finds she doesn't much care for being a tourist in Paris, but as she gets to know the descendants of the Lombardi family, the maskmakers who made the L'Inconnue mask, she finds he quite likes living in Paris. She takes a job working in their shop, mainly as a translator at first because Armand hates dealing with tourists--his main customers--and his cousin Giselle doesn't speak English. Armand is grumpy, remote, and surrounded by a mystery of his own. The previous translator, who quit abruptly, is also American, and is as grumpy and remote as Armand when Chance brings her some mail.

      In alternate chapters, we get Chance's story in modern-day Paris, the real story of L'Inconnue in the Paris of the late 1890s, and even a glimpse of Chance's great-grandfather's visit to the maskmakers's shop in 1945. It's a slow, fascinating, and ultimately satisfying unfolding of both romance and family secrets.

      Recommended.

      I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      Chance Broussard is known as 'Claire'. Her tragic background includes as a toddler being involved in the accident that killed her mother and later almost drowning at the hands of her alcoholic father. She was raised by her grandmother in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Claire was educated at the University of Chicago in Illinois, and has reinvented herself there. When her cousin calls and tells her that her grandmother is very ill, she thinks on her life, then realising she is very unhappy, gives up her job, boyfriend and apartment to head home and nurse her grandmother. Arriving home, she discovers a tree branch has fallen on the roof. Whilst checking out the damage to the attic, Claire rediscovers the broken mask her grandfather sent home in 1944 whilst helping to liberate Paris during World War II. During her childhood, the mask had almost been Claire's only friend, she could tell secrets to it and the glue and tape is still visible from where she tied to piece it back together. A torn letter inside the packaging gains her attention, one that says 'He will never let me go alive'. Claire's grandmother wants her to go to Paris to try and uncover the mask's secrets. When she passes away, Claire is without direction and doesn't feel at home anywhere. She goes to Paris and visits the mask-making Lombardi studio, discovering that the death mask is called 'L'Inconnue de la Seine' ('The Unknown Woman of the Seine'). Family business owners Armand Lombardi and Giselle Bouvay are in need of a translator to help with their customers, and Claire wants to continue investigating the mask, so she agrees to stay and temporarily help them out. The book moves back and forth in time to desperately poor country girl Sabine Moreau, who in 1897 moves to Paris after the death of most of her family from fever. In Paris she becomes an artist’s model to an abusive and controlling wannabe artist. That is, until she meets Jean-Baptiste Lombardi and imagines a new future. Slower at the start, so hard to get into, this becomes a compelling novel about uncovering family secrets and interconnectedness, with a Parisian romance rounding things out. Nice to learn that the author was inspired by the real 'L'Inconnue' to create a story around what might have been. Enjoyed!
    • 4/5
      Set in 1897 and current times

      Claire (Chance) leaves her job, fiancee & home in Chicago to return to Baton Rouge in order to be with her Maw-maw who is dying.

      After her Maw-maw's death, Claire goes to Paris in search of the story of L’Inconnue de la Seine (the mask in Maw-maw's attic that was her childhood friend) and the mysterious letters contained within the shipping crate.

      While in Paris, Claire, comes upon the shop where the death mask of L’Inconnue de la Seine was created and lands a job as their English speaking Shop-girl...

      Between the chapters of Claire's life, is woven the story of Sabine, an artist's model whose face was the inspiration for the death mask of L’Inconnue de la Seine.

      The story was interesting, dramatic, romantic, sad, with just enough mystery to keep me interested.
    • 3/5
      Once again I thought I was suckered into reading Chick lit but I was pleasantly surprised. the twist in the story was good. real good. so good I never saw it coming and gasped along with the heroine when BOOM!

      I love most anything to do with Paris and France. this was very good in several ways. using paris as a character and developing a good story that was only slightly unrealistic. good characters.
    • 3/5
      Letters from Paris is the latest novel by Juliet Blackwell. Chance “Claire” Broussard lives in Chicago, Illinois. Claire (as she prefers to be called since leaving Louisiana) receives a call from her cousin, Jessica. Her grandmother is not well and wants to see Claire. Instead of taking a leave of absence or a few days off, Claire gives up her job, apartment, and boyfriend and heads home to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (she has not been happy in Chicago). Her grandmother, Mammaw is very ill. Mammaw raised Claire after her mother passed away in an accident, and she was removed from her father’s custody. When Claire is checking the attic for a leak, she finds a box. Inside is a beautiful mask that arrived broken. Claire has many memories of the mask. It intrigues her as a child (and still does) and Claire wonders about the history behind it. Her grandmother encourages her to Paris (where the mask came from) and get answers. After her grandmother passes away, Claire is at loose ends. She feels that she does not belong in Louisiana or Chicago. So Claire heads for Paris. Claire starts with the company that made the mask of the woman. The mask is called L’Iconnue de la Seine (The Unknown Woman of the Seine) and was made by Lombardi family at their atelier. There Claire encounters Armand Lombardi and Giselle Bouvay. They need assistance in the atelier (a sales girl who can translate), and Claire wants information on the mask. Join Claire on her journey for answers about the mask of The Unknown Woman of the Seine in Letters from Paris.

      Letters from Paris has an interesting premise. The book tells us the history of the mask by going back in time to 1897 and Sabine Moreau (the model for the mask). I was looking forward to Letters from Paris, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the book. I found it to be a slow read and a very long book (it really needed to be edited down). This is a stand-alone book (you do not need to read The Paris Key). The writing is good, but it is lacking (the book is nothing like Juliet Blackwell’s cozy mysteries). The author did a very good job at capturing time and place with her descriptive writing. There is the mystery of the mask, but there is also the romance that develops between Armand and Claire (first they fight and then slowly get to know each other). The answers Claire seeks come at the very end of the book. I give Letters from Paris 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a lovely story, but it was just not for me. I could not get into this book, and I felt that it dragged. I am a big fan of Juliet Blackwell, and I will definitely be reading her future works.

      I received a complimentary copy of Letters from Paris in exchange for an honest evaluation. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
    • 4/5
      This book is the perfect read to wrap up the summer! Who wouldn't want a last-minute getaway to Paris, even if you're just an armchair traveler? LETTERS FROM PARIS is Juliet Blackwell's second contemporary novel set in the City of Lights. In this story, her inspiration comes from the mask of L'Inconnue de la Seine, a famous work of art from the turn of the last century. It was so interesting learning about the mask! Turns out I've seen her face many times before, but didn't realize it.

      The story unfolds in alternating time periods. In the 1890s, a young country girl named Sabine comes to Paris to escape her cruel stepfather, only to find the city can be just as cruel. In present day, Claire Broussard travels to Paris from Louisiana to trace the origins of a mysterious broken mask found in her grandmother's attic. I enjoyed how the two story lines intertwined with a couple of very surprising twists. LETTERS FROM PARIS is a lovely blend of mystery, family secrets, art, history, and second chances, with the city of Paris as its star. Enjoyed!

      Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      What a beautifully, crafted story of love, secrets, family, beauty, and freedom. Claire may have reinvented herself once before after leaving Louisiana but she found her true identity when she came to Paris. This is where with each passing day I found that Claire grew more and more into an independent woman. Where it concerned Armand, he in the beginning came off as very abrupt and a man of few words but yet I knew he was a good man. I was right. He and Claire made a good couple.

      The past had lots to share about what brought Claire to Paris and the present. Thus the reason I was a little disappointed that the chapters were shorter then the present. There was a few time where I was just getting into the moment and then the story would flash back to the present as quickly. However the ending left me with a smile on my face. Letters from Paris is a book to be read.