Review Headline, Belletristik, The Last Hours in Paris (Englisch, Ruth Druart, 2022)

War brought them together. Liberation would tear them apart. FROM THE AUTHOR OF WHILE PARIS SLEPT, A POWERFUL NOVEL OF LOVE, RETRIBUTION AND ATONEMENT. 'Words are power. They can bring you down, they can lift you up, make your heart soar, make you fall in love. Or make you hate.' Paris 1943. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to hate. Her fiance, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line. Elise's mother fears for her outspoken daughter. In occupied Paris, there is a punishment for those who draw attention to themselves; those who refuse to stay silent. Brittany 1963. Reaching for the old suitcase under her mother's bed, eighteen-year-old Josephine Chevalier searches for her birth certificate. What she discovers shakes her to the core: her mother has been keeping a secret. Determined to discover the truth, Josephine travels to Paris, to her mother's sister. There, she learns the story of a French girl in danger and a forbidden love affair. Of the last stolen hours before the first light of Liberation. And of the whispered words of a shocking betrayal that would irrevocably change the course of a young woman's life for ever... A heartbreaking portrait of war and retribution in its aftermath, THE LAST HOURS IN PARIS is also a redemptive story of forgiveness and enduring love. Acclaim for the unforgettable international bestseller WHILE PARIS SLEPT: 'What a book... Emotional and heartrending...absolutely phenomenal. I was on tenterhooks throughout. A wonderful achievement' JILL MANSELL 'I absolutely loved it. An ingenious plot, wonderful believable characters and it moved me to tears. A fabulous read' LESLEY PEARSE 'An amazing story of love, resilience and the human spirit' TRACY REES 'You'll have your heart in your mouth and tears on your cheeks as it reaches its rich, life-affirming conclusion... Had me completely and utterly enraptured' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Brace yourself for a brilliant read. This will tug at your heartstrings' BEST 'Made me think and cry and rage and smile at mankind's capacity for both terrible, heartbreaking cruelty and beautiful, selfless love' NATASHA LESTER 'A heartbreaking debut' JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES, AUTHOR OF THE PARIS LIBRARY.