Au coeur de l'Occupation, à Paris, Sarah vient d'être arrêtée. Parce qu'elle est Juive. Juste avant de monter dans le train pour Auschwitz et les camps de la mort, la jeune femme prend une terrible décision : elle donne Samuel, son bébé, à un inconnu.. L'homme n'hésite pas une seconde et décide de tout faire pour sauver et prendre soin de cet enfant. Avec sa fiancée et le petit Samuel, ils fuient Paris pour les États-Unis, pays où l'on peut encore être libre et en sécurité. Ensemble, ils vont former une belle famille. Au fil du temps, ils oublient les traumatismes de la guerre. Jusqu'à ce que, neuf ans plus tard, une femme frappe à leur porte. Une femme qui a survécu à l'enfer par amour pour son fils. Mais ce retour va déclencher une tempête dont personne ne pourra sortir indemne...
À l'aube de la Libération, Paris vit ses heures les plus sombres. Mais la jeune Élise n'hésite pas à braver les dangers et à partager le peu qu'elle possède avec un orphelinat juif. Affamée de justice, elle va encore plus loin, exfiltrant les enfants avant qu'ils ne soient envoyés au camp de Drancy. Un jour, elle fait la rencontre de Sebastian, un jeune soldat allemand. Chaque jour, pour le Reich, il traduit les lettres de dénonciation. Mais sa rencontre avec Élise va le confronter à l'horreur de ses actes et à un terrible dilemme : trahir son pays ou renoncer à l'amour de la belle Française. Dix-neuf ans plus tard, une jeune femme, Jospéhine, découvre dans une vieille valise, une lettre qui remonte à la guerre. Un mot d'amour destiné à sa mère mais écrit par un autre homme que son père. Peu à peu, elle remonte le fil d'une histoire d'amour interdite. L'histoire d'une trahison et d'une vérité indicible qui va changer sa vie à tout jamais.
On a platform in occupied Paris, a mother whispers goodbye.
It is the end. But also the beginning...
'What a book... Emotional and heartrending...absolutely phenomenal. I was on tenterhooks throughout. A wonderful achievement' JILL MANSELL
*** THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ***
'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
Paris 1944
A young woman's future is torn away in a heartbeat. Herded on to a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope.
Santa Cruz 1953
Jean-Luc thought he had left it all behind. The scar on his face a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi Occupation. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door.
On a darkened platform, two destinies become entangled. Their choice will change the future in ways neither could have imagined...
Beautiful. Powerful. Luminous. Unforgettable. A stunning portrait of the brutality of war and the tenacity of love. In the tradition of Virginia Baily's Early One Morning, M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans and Heather Morris's The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
'Historical fiction fans, rejoice! A new voice has entered the arena and she's one to watch. A gripping tale of love and sacrifice. Perfectly paced and plotted, and evocatively written' Woman & Home
'A powerful and poignant debut from a brilliant and bold new novelist' Imogen Kealey, author of Liberation
JUST SOME OF THE FIVE-STAR REAL READER REVIEWS FOR WHILE PARIS SLEPT...
'I loved this novel, I'm still crying. A truly beautiful book that captures the meaning of parental love in all its forms. I highly recommend this book to all my book groups. *****'
'A heartbreaking and emotional read based around WW2. Absolutely fantastic. I have no hesitation in giving this 5 stars *****'
'This book was beautiful - a book on love and courage demonstrated in different ways, showing that there is no one way to love or be brave. I was unable to stop reading *****'
'I loved While Paris Slept. I finished the novel with tears in my eyes. An uplifting novel and will be great for book clubs' *****'
'Wow, what an emotional rollercoaster of a read. The characters so believable. Highly recommend
'Wonderful... A heartbreaking story of the power of love and forgiveness' JILL MANSELL
'A tender yet thrilling story of love and family secrets in time of war' RACHEL HORE
'I was so engrossed. Wonderful, moving and uplifting' LESLEY PEARSE
'Love, loss, bravery... Ruth is an exceptional storyteller' ERICKA WALLER
From the international bestselling author of WHILE PARIS SLEPT, a beautiful, heartwrenching and unforgettable novel of two people bound by love, torn apart by war and entwined forever by an extraordinary sacrifice.
Paris 1944. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to love...and to hate. Her fiancé, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line. Living amongst the enemy Elise must keep her rage buried deep within.
Sebastian Kleinhaus no longer recognises himself. After four years spent fighting a war he doesn't believe in, wearing a uniform he despises, he longs for a way out. For something, someone, to be his salvation.
Brittany 1963. Reaching for the suitcase under her mother's bed, eighteen-year-old Josephine Chevalier uncovers a secret that shakes her to the core. Determined to find the truth, she travels to Paris where she discovers the story of a dangerous love that grew as a city fought for its freedom. Of the last stolen hours before the first light of liberation. And of a betrayal so deep that it would irrevocably change the course of two young lives life for ever.
'From the moment I started reading this book I could not put it down ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' REAL READER REVIEW
'An excellent read for fans of WW2 fiction ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' REAL READER REVIEW
'A gripping story, well-written and about little-known events ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' REAL READER REVIEW
'Outstandingly beautiful and brilliantly poignant ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' REAL READER REVIEW
'I devoured the characters, marvelled at the storyline and really didn't want it to end ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' REAL READER REVIEW
'This kept me captivated on every page' PRIMA MAGAZINE
'Poignant and evocative, this is historical wartime fiction at its finest' CULTUREFLY
Acclaim for the unforgettable international bestseller WHILE PARIS SLEPT:
'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
'What a book... Emotional and heartrending...absolutely phenomenal. I was on tenterhooks throughout. A wonderful achievement' JILL MANSELL
'I absolutely loved it. Wonderful believable characters and it moved me to tears. Fabulous' LESLEY PEARSE
'A heartbreaking debut' JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES
'An amazing story of love, resilience and the human spirit' TRACY REES
'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 gripping tale of love and sacrifice' WOMAN & HOME
