Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

Wonderful Book-Last Christmas in Paris

Last christmas

I finished the best book over the weekend.  I actually read it in two sittings!  Set during World War I, Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb was a such a good read.  The book is told through an exchange of letters between two friends.  Evie and Thomas grew up together in the English countryside.  He was the best friend of her brother Will, and she was the little tag along throughout their childhood.  Will and Thomas join the war effort and are sent to the fronts in France, while Evie stays behind wondering how to occupy herself productively.

Their letter exchange starts out as a gesture of friendship and support between the young people, but turns into something much more.  The book was well researched from a historical perspective, and I felt the descriptions of life in the trenches in France in 1914 were very accurately depicted.   The way of life for the women left behind in England is well told also. Evie is keen to do something in support of the war effort, and ends up getting a job at the newspaper owned by Thomas' family.   She becomes one of the first female journalists to relay the truth and horror of what was really going on in France, while the majority of newspapers at the time put a much more positive and false spin on events.  Her truth telling was seen as unpatriotic by many, and it was felt she should have been sharing knitting patterns or recipes rather than involving herself in the manner she chose.  The book is about freedom of speech, the beginning of the women's rights movement, and the horror of war.

But the romance….This was one of the best romances I have read in a long time.  The relationship between Evie and Thomas is so sweet and touching.  Frustrating too, but that makes the story even more compelling.  The story is not particularly Christmassy, despite the title, but I found it totally wonderful.  Give this one a try if you love a good historical book, the letter writing style, and a terrific romance.  Right now it is only $6.99 on Amazon for the Kindle.

18 responses to “Wonderful Book-Last Christmas in Paris”

  4. Interesting! I have a friend who loves this type historical book so will let her know about this one. Thanks!
    Hugs!

  5. Interesting! I have a friend who loves this type historical book so will let her know about this one. Thanks!
    Hugs!

  6. Interesting! I have a friend who loves this type historical book so will let her know about this one. Thanks!
    Hugs!

  10. Will definitely read. Love your recommendations and follow you on Goodreads. I so miss the small Wisconsin town that I grew up in. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Will definitely read. Love your recommendations and follow you on Goodreads. I so miss the small Wisconsin town that I grew up in. Thanks for sharing.

  12. Will definitely read. Love your recommendations and follow you on Goodreads. I so miss the small Wisconsin town that I grew up in. Thanks for sharing.

  16. Thanks for the recommendation- sounds like a good story and I’ve added it to my long list!

  17. Thanks for the recommendation- sounds like a good story and I’ve added it to my long list!

  18. Thanks for the recommendation- sounds like a good story and I’ve added it to my long list!