Friday 28 April 2017

Cephalopod Coffeehouse: April 2017


Hosted by the Armchair Squid who says:

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun. 

If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, click on the link below to find and sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

This month I have a book I’d like to recommend, 5* in my opinion. 



 The Ambassador’s Daughter
By
 Pam Jenoff
Approximately 384 pages

BLURB FROM AMAZON
Paris, 1919
The nation’s leaders have gathered to rebuild the world from the ashes of The Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbours dark secrets and dangerous liaisons brought to the peace conference by her German Diplomat father, Margot resents being trapped in Paris where she is still looked upon as the enemy.
Yet returning to Berlin means a life with the wounded fiancé she barely knows. Torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, a musician who protects a secret; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who makes Margot question where her true loyalties should lie.
Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford.

MY REVIEW

5*

A well written novel.  Life at the peace talks in Paris in 1919, Margot is a young, naïve woman, helping her father as he negotiates with dignitaries.  She meets Krysia and is taken aback by other people’s views, challenging her rather narrow view of life so far. 

She becomes embroiled in subterfuge, rather wishing she hadn’t, further complicated by her feelings of love for a German naval officer although she is engaged.  All she wants is for life to return to normalcy but that is a forlorn hope in the aftermath of WW1.

This is a compelling read, a way of looking at things from a different perspective with some twists and turns that make a good novel a great novel.

4 comments:

  1. This sounds like an interesting read, and knowing its about WWI and not WWII, actually appeals to me. Sometimes I feel saturated with historical fiction surrounding WWII, but that's not to say it isn't good fiction. I just like it when I see something a little different. Good review.

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  2. Sounds liie a good book. I haven't read too many books from WW1 era, lots from WW2. Might give this one a try.

    Betty

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  3. It's good to see books and stories coming up from the WW1 era. As Betty said, there are so many from WW2 but the earlier war provides a fascinating backdrop. Not that wartime is the only interesting time...

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  4. Ooh! Historical romance! Sounds like a good one, especially with all the intrigue! Thanks for sharing.
    V :)

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