Hannah Bond was raised mostly be her grandmother. She had been estranged from her alcoholic mother, Marla, for most of her life. After her grandmother's death, Hannah learned the estate was to be split between her and Marla, and Marla was to empty the house and sell it. Hanna was living in London and had made a career of giving Jane Austen-themed tours. She was happy to let Marla handle the house. She was not happy to find that Marla came to her home unannounced. Marla had found a deed and a key to a Paris apartment amongst her mother's possessions and she wanted Hannah's help. And thus began a search that led to the discovery of a life that had been kept secret for decades.
The beauty of Paris is vividly brought to life as Hannah and Marla try to trace the life of Hannah's great-grandmother Ivy. Diaries revealed she had fallen in love with a writer and had partied with Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds. She had aspired to be a fashion designer. How did she end up being married to an American soldier and living in Florida?
LOST IN PARIS by Elizabeth Thompson is a skillfully told story that takes readers inside a Paris apartment that had not been occupied for decades and was actually a living piece of history. It was a museum of sorts and its contents helped to tell the story of its former occupants. Thompson thoughtfully showcases the complicated relationship of a mother and daughter who have to find a way to make peace with each other as they come face to face with a legacy they never knew existed.
Told in a creative and believable way, LOST IN PARIS is heartwarming and packed with emotion. Highly recommended.
When a deed to an apartment in Paris turns up in an old attic trunk, an estranged mother and daughter must reunite to uncover the secret life of a family matriarch—perfect for fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Beekeeper’s Daughter.
Hannah Bond has always been a bookworm, which is why she fled Florida—and her unstable, alcoholic mother—for a quiet life leading Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year’s Eve, everything comes crashing down when she arrives back at her London flat to find her mother, Marla, waiting for her.
Marla’s brought two things with her: a black eye from her ex-boyfriend and an envelope. Its contents? The deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand. Hannah, wary of her mother’s motives, reluctantly agrees to accompany her to Paris, where against all odds, they discover great-grandma Ivy’s apartment frozen in 1940 and covered in dust.
Inside the apartment, Hannah and Marla discover mysterious clues about Ivy’s life—including a diary detailing evenings of drinking and dancing with Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and other iconic expats. Outside, they retrace her steps through the city in an attempt to understand why she went to such great lengths to hide her Paris identity from future generations.
A heartwarming and charming saga set in the City of Lights, Lost in Paris is an unforgettable celebration of family and the love between a mother and a daughter.