A Bakery in Paris

by: Aimee K Runyan

Goodreads Description:

From the author of The School for German Brides, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post-World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.

1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau–headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents–awaits the outcome of the war from her parents’ grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Theodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.

1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.

Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.

Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓

I have a very firm grasp on war-torn European love stories. We have read quite a few over the years! I listened on audible. The French accents were pretty annoying and it sounded like the characters were hocking up something in the back of their throats when speaking. Definitely READ this one instead of listening. It was so-so…kind of sicky sweet in parts and predictable in other parts. I am probably not giving it a very fair review, but I just didn’t love it.

Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓1/2

I liked this book perfectly fine. Not particularly memorable, but it’s enjoyable along the way. It is a very sweet story, and the end is a little too much “tied up with a bow”, but I still had fun reading it. I loved that Nanette’s and Lisette’s recipes were included in the book. My favorite parts of the book were probably the ones that related to Micheline and Laurent at the baking school. My friend, and most excellent baker, Suzanne – and any fellow bakers- if you are reading this blog, I think you would really like this book!

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