LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS will touch your heart as you embark
on an unforgettable journey. The story is told brilliantly
by co-authors, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. It is a
tribute to how the heart can endure the tragedy that was
World War I, the "war to end all wars." It is told entirely
by letters between friends, family, and lovers. Prepare for
a bumpy ride filled with heartbreaks, but sometimes dreams
that come true.
At the railway station in Richmond, England, Evie bids
farewell to her brother, Will, and his BFF, Tom Harper.
Newly enlisted they are heading to the Western Front.
All three believe the war will be over by Christmas and they
will reunite and celebrate together in Paris. On that day
in August, 1914, Evie returns home to write her first
letters to her brother and her childhood fried, Tom. The
letters will continue until the end of the long, horrible
war. Her relationship with Tom evolves to become the once-
in-a-lifetime love that is rare and beautiful. It took my
heart away!
Evie is spirited and is determined to do something important
to help the war effort. Bored with knitting socks, which is
not her thing, she delivers mail on her bike and when it
snows she walks her route never faltering in her task. She
wants to become a journalist and when Tom's father dies, she
gets her own column in his newspaper. Her column, " A
WOMEN'S WAR," becomes very popular receiving tons of
positive fan mail from women who are eager to hear true
reports on the war. The War Office, however, does not like
her candidness.
Tom is bookish and a natural leader. As Evie describes
him, "Tom is charming without knowing it." The horrors of
the "war to end all wars" take a toll on Tom and he is sent
to a hospital in Scotland to restore his poor mental state.
Doctors then did not know how to property diagnose mental
illness and used a great deal of hypnosis. The best cure
for Tom was Evie who joined him in Scotland and stayed with
him as he progressed until he could return to the field of
battle. Once more, their letters and sometimes telegrams
bring them closer together. Armistice Day is declared on
November 11, 1918.
Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, hit this book out of the
ballpark for me. THE LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS is one of my
favorite reads for 2017. It sits on my shelf of cherished
novels to be read and re-read again and again. I loved Evie
and Tom and rooted for them through all their anguish,
despair, losses, injuries, and illness. I smiled at their
banter as they clung to their hopes and dreams and each
other. In the bittersweet ending, Tom returns to the City
of Light to keep a promise he made to Evie and my tears
flowed. Those scented letters, penned in ink made a
connection to the hearts of Tom and Evie that lasted a
lifetime. I still love the handwritten word and still
write letters, always on stationary that is lovely to look
at. For me, some things will never change and my
admiration for a letter written especially to me is still
magic. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in
love. It is a lovely, heartwarming and uplifting story
that stays with you long after the last page. Brava,
ladies!
New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined
with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic
novel of the Great War. August 1914. England is at war. As
Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend,
Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as
everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when
the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic
cafes of Paris. But as history tells us, it all happened so
differently… Evie and Thomas experience a very
different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young
lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the
conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with
the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal
battles back home where War Office regulations on press
reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper
business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their
greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from
afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World
War, or will fate intervene? Christmas 1968. With failing
health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of
letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts
of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…
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