What could present-day twenty-five-year-old Ruby Nevins have in common with Cecile, a famous French actress of the early 1940s and Sylvia Rousseau, her dressmaker? As it turns out, quite a bit. Ruby, a cancer survivor, has begun research into what happened after both women disappeared from Paris in 1942. Ruby's research leads her to Sylvia's diary. Will she find the answers she's looking for?
Told in multiple timelines by the characters AFTER PARIS, by Mary Ellen Taylor, is an intense story filled with danger. Nazi-occupied Paris was filled with spies and members of the Resistance and it was a time that brought out the best and worst in people. Anyone opposing the Nazis faces serious consequences, but this doesn't deter Cecile and Sylvia. They were courageous women who did what they could, all the while doing what they could to survive no matter what obstacles they faced. While the fears and the stress in Ruby's life are different, her future, too, is uncertain and what she learns from Cecile and Sylvia is invaluable.
Skillfully crafted, this mesmerizing story is engrossing from start to finish. It is packed with deep emotions and strong characters who do have something in common and that is a strong desire to survive.
From the author of The Brighter the Light comes a haunting tale of hope that spans generations, intertwining the lives of three women who fight for survival in 1940s France and present-day Virginia.
At twenty-five, Ruby Nevins has already endured more than most. But after two years of battling cancer, she’s warily determined to move forward. Researching a new project about a French actress, she soon uncovers an old diary that will change her life forever…
Cécile, the “it girl” of early 1940s French cinema, vanished from Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942. Sylvia Rousseau, Cécile’s dressmaker and confidante, left that same year. Working to piece together the truth behind Cécile’s disappearance and Sylvia’s extraordinary life, Ruby recognizes the women as kindred spirits. They risked their hearts and lives to aid the Resistance, and each day was a struggle to survive.
Ruby knows her cancer could come back, but she’s learning to embrace the future rather than fear it. If Cécile and Sylvia could live their lives in the shadow of death, so can Ruby. Because she knows there’s so much life—and love—to fight for.
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