"Parisian intrigue and mystique both in the past and present."
Reviewed by Bharti C
Posted August 21, 2016
Women's Fiction
LETTERS FROM PARIS, a story set off by a single letter,
which is more of a note, discovered in the box of a mask
sent
from Paris to a woman in New Orleans by her husband, Jerry
Duval, who was
stationed in Paris at the end of WW2. The mask is of an
unknown woman popularly known as L'Innconue or the
stranger
in French language. The story is of the bride's
granddaughter (Chance Broussard)
who finds solace in the now cracked, almost broken mask
she finds in
Mammaw's attic. In her
childhood to avoid the family bullies and loneliness
Chance
takes to hiding in the attic and talking to the mask for
hours. By the time she leaves behind the small town and
her
childhood to achieve bigger things in life the mask is but
a
long lost friend for Chance. Years after moving to the big
city Chance achieves success, money and a standard of
living
her small town folks wouldn't even dream of, but she
still
feels empty and lost. As Mammaw is dying and summons Chance back to town, she
discovers a bittersweet peace and happiness along with her
old friend the mask in the attic back in the small town of
her birth. Mammaw dies soon but not without taking a
promise
from Chance -- sending her to Paris to satisfy her
curiosity
about her mask friend. Chance sets off for Paris with
nothing but the note and address in the mask box. In the city of love and light, Chance is not off to a
great start, a crappy room and halfhearted sightseeing
soon
frustrates her. Her first visit to the mask maker, the
famous and legendary mask makers Lomabardi family's shop
leaves her with no more than what she already knows and
her
encounter with the shop master leaves her more bewildered.
Being an English speaking American things soon turn for
Chance and she ends up temporarily working at the
legendary
mask maker's shop where she hopes to discover more about
the
woman of the mask. What follows is a intriguing and heartbreaking revelation
of who the woman behind the mask
is. The parallel story of L'Innconue is well placed in
the
story and while the reader slowly learns her identity our
heroine makes guesses and tries to piece together her
story
as patiently and lovingly as she does with her own life.
It's a win win because as a reader we get two intricately
woven together stories in one and the revelation of both
set
in Paris among its local beauty and French speaking hero
is
a tale which will remain with you for a while after you
finish it. If the touristy parts of Paris is what attracts
the world and keeps them coming to the city in flocks all
year, it is the local Paris through the eyes of its
citizens
which wins the readers heart. LETTERS FROM PARIS will make
you want
to know more secrets of Paris, of its long dead artists
and
the mysterious letters discovered through the times.
SUMMARY
From the New York Times bestselling author of
The Paris Key comes the story of a mysterious work of
art and the woman inspired to uncover its history in the
City of Light. After surviving the accident that took her mother’s life,
Claire Broussard has worked hard to escape her small
Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something is
lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago,
Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother.
There, she unearths a beautiful piece of artwork 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 century-old mask-making atelier where the
object, known only as “L’Inconnue”—or The Unknown Woman—was
created. Under the watchful eye of a surly mask-maker,
Claire discovers a cache of letters that offers insight into
the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work
of art. As Claire explores the unknown woman’s tragic fate,
she begins to unravel deeply buried secrets in her own life.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
1 comment posted.
Re: Parisian intrigue and mystique both in the past and present.
This review makes me want to find the "secrets". Great
review.
(Leona Olson 9:15am September 1, 2016)
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