This is the third book by Ella Carey about the abandoned apartment of Marthe de Florain – Paris Time Capsule and The House By The Lake – that I’ve reviewed.
From A Paris Balcony
The small green chest was concealed at the back of her father’s wardrobe. Its hinges were made of brass that must once have shone, but now the surface was roughened and dull. As she opened the lock, there was only one thing inside: a letter, postmarked 1895, Paris.
England, 1895. Louisa West, a young beauty from Boston, looks like she has it all: a handsome husband, she is lady of Ashworth Manor and one day she’ll be a duchess. But in truth, her life is falling apart. Louisa’s honeymoon is barely over when her husband deserts her, leaving her devastated and alone. She flees to Paris, longing to escape her grief, but finds only tragedy…
Boston, 2015. Life hasn’t been kind to Sarah West. In one year, she has lost both her parents and her marriage. After her father’s death, Sarah is sorting through his belongings when she finds a letter about her mysterious ancestor, Louisa. There have always been whispers in the family about Louisa’s suicide—from a high balcony in Paris—but as Sarah reads, she starts to question everything she was told. Desperate to leave her broken heart behind, she books a trip to Paris to find out more…
When Sarah arrives in the city of lights, the cobbled streets of Montmartre and the river Seine at twilight make her heart sing. Then, on the bookshelf of a beautiful Paris apartment, hidden inside the yellowing pages of an old novel, she finds a note about Louisa which shatters Sarah’s understanding of her family’s past. Did Louisa really throw herself from a Paris balcony? And when Sarah uncovers the truth, will it change everything about her future?
An utterly captivating and emotional historical novel from bestselling author Ella Carey that will transport you to Paris at its most glamorous. From a Paris Balcony will have fans of Rhys Bowen, Fiona Valpy and My Name is Eva totally gripped!
My review
I love how the author has created several characters and stories that connect back to the Paris apartment of the French demimondaine (courtesan), Marthe de Florain. This story too has a past and a present storyline that eventually converge. Present day Sarah visits Paris to find out more about her mysterious ancestor, Lousia who supposedly threw herself from the balcony of the apartment. What she finds will change her and her way of thinking.
Another wonderful book of historical fiction from Carey who never fails to enthrall with her great characters and rich descriptions from another time in history. There’s enough romance, intrigue, history to make me read the book through the night and enjoy it immensely.
Buy From A Paris Balcony
Meet The Author
Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.
Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her Facebook page and on her website and Twitter.
Read what other reviewers are saying about From A Paris Balcony
Many thanks to Bookouture for an advanced reader’s copy of this book via Netgalley.