I'll See You in Paris: A Novel

As a Francophile, I bought Michelle's first book, "A Paris Apartment," and fell in love with it. When I heard her second book was coming out, I pre-ordered it (and received it even before it's official release date; thank you, Amazon). After reading a few mixed reviews, my expectations were not as high for this as the first book, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved this one as much. I love how she interweaves historical facts of an amazingly interesting, complex woman with a fictional story that rings true to a modern American woman. I'm generally not a fast reader (i.e., I'm busy with a million other things), but I read both of her books in a matter of days. They were intriguing, page-turners that made me look up the history and art that inspired both of her books. I can't wait for the third book.

Weaving a novel around a larger than life woman, her history and setting it between parallel times is no mean feat. The story of the Duchess of Marlborough is fascinating enough, but the novel itself was so well written and (at least for myself) hard to put down. After finishing, I went onto Google to read whatever I could find, to see for myself what she was all about, what she looked like - then finally to validate everything Ms. Gable wrote about this woman. The fictional portion of the book also worked well, making the entire story a worthwhile read. This is the second book I have read by Ms. Gable and look forward to her future works.

I’ll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable 400 pages One of my all-time favorite books is Michelle Gable’s debut novel, A Paris Apartment. I loved that story; if memory serves me correctly, I read it in three evenings. So naturally I was excited when Gable’s second novel, I’ll See You in Paris, was released. I purposely waited a while to read it as I was afraid that if it wasn’t as good as the first one, I would be horribly disappointed. I’m glad I waited. I’ll See you in Paris is not as good and at times was a difficult read. Like A Paris Apartment, I’ll See in Paris has dualing timelines with the narrative weaving between 2001 and 1973. One of the biggest issues I have with this book is that the 1973 sections felt more like 1930s or ‘40s. It just seemed like the timeframe was off. The story has four main heroines. First there is Annie. She’s gotten herself engaged to a young man she barely knows who has joined the Army and is headed off to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Her mother, Laurel, is less-than enthusiastic about this development. Laurel is our second heroine. Laurel and Annie are about to leave for the English countryside to settle some business that Annie doesn’t really understand, but the reads figure it out pretty quickly. Right before their departure, Annie discovers a book her mother seems to be interested in, yet the only thing Laurel reads is legal briefs. Then the story shifts to our third heroine, Pru Valentine. She is in desperate need of employment and answers a want ad. There in the English countryside, Pru becomes a companion/assistant to an eccentric woman in her early nineties, our fourth heroine, who has a penchant for running around waving a gun and not wearing a blouse. This would seem too far-fetched is the woman wasn’t the real-life Gladys Deacon Spencer-Churchill. There is a mystery surrounding Gladys. Is she the Duchess of Marlboro who disappeared forty years earlier? It was that mystery that kept me reading, and the one that I didn’t figure out so easily. Gladys felt like a caricature to me. The main theme of the novel seems to be people are probably not who you think they are. And that is certainly true for the male protagonists in this tale. Although reading this review, it doesn’t sound like I cared for this work. I admit, again that I was disappointed that it was an excellent as A Paris Apartment. I’ll See You in Paris receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I enjoyed this story tremendously. I enjoy reading books that switch back and forth between time periods. This story traveled over three timelines and they were each interesting. Sometimes one of the stories suffers with the back and forth. For me, I thought the author did a great job developing each story. The family secrets and mystery slowly unraveled and brought the three stories together. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy digging into family secrets.

I enjoyed this book to a degree. While I love reading books that deal with the past , present, and future, I really had a difficult time keeping the characters and times straight. I think the author could have done better with this part of the book. As for the lady of the manor, at first I really didn't believe there really was one. After research on Google, I couldn't believe all of the information there was, (just on her!) The author could've written a book on just that woman. What a fascinating character!

Once I was hooked, I couldn't stop until I found out what the full story entailed. I was not planning to read the book so quickly, but was hooked and couldn't stop. I really enjoyed the exploration of the complicated Mother-Daughter relationship, as well as watching the protagonist develop and learn. If you like romance, never fear, it can be found in this book as well. Historical fiction more your speed? Again, you are covered. Don't be fooled by the title, this book is not limited to Francophiles. There is plenty to go around!

The story is written in 3 times lines using journals, letters, and current time line. There are 2 different time lines from different sources covered. It covers historical figures, art and architecture qualifying it as a research fiction based on fact. Somewhat...lol...I like learning things while having a fun read of fiction, and this book fits. This is the 2nd book by this author, I have read and would buy another book by her.

I love Michelle's writing style, with so much going on simultaneously. A pleasure to read and so smart. Flawless. Long-lasting.

My only regret is that I didn’t read this book over a shorter time period due to other time pressures. A great yarn, well constructed and broadly based on a real central character. It would be a wonderful holiday or plane read where one could devote the appropriate time to consume continuously.

If you are interested in the real life of Gladys Deacon, read Hugo Vicker's book "The Sphinx." This muddled love story is poorly written and totally misses the point of the narcistic Duchess, sugar-coating the miserable last years of her life when she lived in self-induced squalor. The fictional characters are poorly realized and unbelievable and the plot is very thin indeed.

Great book. Make you want to travel.

Timely delivery , great of book.