The Lost Girls of Paris

by Pam Jenoff

Overview

From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female spies during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

Grace Healy is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778330271
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	31,576
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Woman with the Blue Star. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her J.D. from UPenn. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia, where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Editorial Reviews

12/17/2018

Jenoff’s terrific, fast-paced novel follows a network of female WWII operatives in a smartly constructed narrative. In 1946 New York, young war widow Grace Healy stumbles upon a suitcase at Grand Central with photographs of 12 women inside. She follows a cold but irresistible trail through New York and Washington, D.C., determined to learn about the women and, in the novel’s second story line, uncovers information about the girls’ leader, the indomitable Eleanor Trigg: “Her style was brusque, unfeminine and unquestionably stern.” Eleanor had recruited Marie Roux in 1943 for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work with the French Resistance as an undercover radio operator. Marie’s deployed to work in France with an intense, handsome circuit leader. As much as Marie often shows courage and pluck, some of her behaviors are misguided, including putting lives at risk for her budding romance when she pursues her own ideas rather than SOE orders regarding dangerous field operations. Despite Marie’s sometimes dubious decisions, her colleagues in the field do show more guile as they fight in the Resistance, and Jenoff (The Kommandant’s Girl) allows their distinct personalities to shine. This is a mesmerizing tale full of appealing characters, intrigue, suspense, and romance. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Jenoff brings serious girl power to this story of brave women and the war.” —Cosmopolitan

“A portrait of sisterhood, courage, and drama. A must-read.” —Glamour

“[A] terrific, fast-paced novel…. This is a mesmerizing tale full of appealing characters, intrigue, suspense, and romance.” —Publishers Weekly

"[A] gripping WWII-era tale…. Jenoff breathes life into the tale of a committed “Band of Sisters” who displayed boundless courage in the face of historically dire circumstances, creating a compelling and exciting read." —Booklist

"Jenoff deftly brings to life the history of ordinary women who left behind their home front lives to do the extraordinary—act as secret operatives in occupied territory. Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

"In The Lost Girls of Paris, Pam Jenoff has used her finely honed story-telling skills to give us a smart, suspenseful, and morally complicated spy novel for our time. Eleanor Trigg and her girls are every bit as human as they are brave. I couldn't put this down." —Jessica Shattuck, New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle

"Pam Jenoff's meticulous research and gorgeous historical world-building lift her books to must-buy status. Her latest interweaves the gritty World War II exploits of England's female spies with the post-war struggle of damaged survivors trying to build new lives in the fallout of tragedy. An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!" —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK

“Based on true events, The Lost Girls of Paris showcases important WWII events and brings us three courageous, determined women who braved constant danger to survive this fascinating, little-known part of the war.” —Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

From the Publisher

2018-11-13

Fictional account of the unsung women operatives who helped pave the way for D-Day.

Jenoff's (The Orphan's Tale, 2017, etc.) latest alternates between postwar America and war-torn Europe. The novel opens in 1946 as Grace, whose soldier husband died in an accident, is trying to reinvent herself in New York City. In Grand Central terminal she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase, wherein she discovers several photos of young women. Soon, she learns that the suitcase's owner, Eleanor, recently arrived from London, has been killed by a car. Flashback to 1943: Eleanor, assistant to the Director of Britain's Special Operations Executive, suggests sending women agents to France to transmit radio intelligence on Nazi movements in aid of the Resistance and the coming Allied invasion. Women, she points out, are less conspicuous masquerading as civilians than men. A native speaker of French, Marie is an ideal candidate. After rigorous training, she is dropped into an area north of Paris, with scant instructions other than to send wireless transmissions as directed by her handler, Julian, code-named Vesper. For reasons not adequately fleshed out, Grace feels compelled to learn more about the women pictured and their connection with Eleanor. With the help of her late husband's best friend, Mark, a burgeoning love interest, Grace accesses SOE records in Washington, D.C., only to find puzzling evidence that Eleanor may have betrayed her own agents. We hardly see Marie in action as a radio operator; we know of her transmissions from France mainly through Eleanor, the recipient, who immediately suspects something is off—but her superiors ignore her warnings. In any spy thriller clear timelines are essential: Jenoff's wartime chronology is blurred by overly general date headings (e.g., London, 1944) and confusing continuity. Sparsely punctuated by shocking brutality and defiant bravery, the narrative is, for the most part, flabby and devoid of tension. Overall, this effort seems rushed, and the sloppy language does nothing to dispel that impression.

A sadly slapdash World War II adventure.

Kirkus Reviews

02/01/2019

In 1946 New York, newly widowed legal secretary Grace Healy stumbles upon a suitcase labeled with the name Trigg containing a dozen photos of women with only first names and no other identifiers. She learns it belongs to Eleanor Trigg, an outsider with a painful past and the leader of a group of secret female agents sent from London into occupied Europe during the war. These young women, who posed as radio operators, were charged with sabotaging the Germans and arming the citizens. Grace feels a connection to Eleanor and the girls, yearning to discover why they never made it home, and creating an element of mystery to the story. She's especially drawn to single-mother Marie, who was sent to Paris and served in Trigg's Vesper circuit under the direction of roguishly handsome Julian. In the City of Light, passion and heartache greet the brave patriot. VERDICT Jenoff (The Orphan's Tale) seamlessly weaves the stories of three remarkable women in this fast-paced title that boasts an intriguing plot and strong female characters. Recommended for fans of Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls and Kate Quinn's The Alice Network. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]—Laura Jones, Argos Community Schs., IN

Library Journal