The Postmistress of Paris

Meg Waite Clayton

Publication date: November 30, 2021 by Harper

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wealthy, beautiful Naneé was born with a spirit of adventure. For her, learning to fly is freedom. When German tanks roll across the border and into Paris, this woman with an adorable dog and a generous heart joins the resistance. Known as the Postmistress because she delivers information to those in hiding, Naneé uses her charms and skill to house the hunted and deliver them to safety.

Photographer Edouard Moss has escaped Germany with his young daughter only to be interned in a French labor camp. His life collides with Nanée’s in this sweeping tale of romance and danger set in a world aflame with personal and political passion.

My thoughts:

This book is deeply thought provoking. While it provides a glimpse of the sacrifices people made for the French Resistance it also seems to focus on coping mechanisms, personal identity, and relationships. Clayton draws the reader in so subtly. Her characters wrap the reader into their fold and one cannot help but feel their sorrows, regrets, determination, courage, and love. Theirs is not a story of defiance, just simply of survival. They wished not just for survival of their person but also survival of their culture. Clayton superbly uses art as means to reflect the hope and despair of the world. A wonderfully crafted story that provides another view of the French Resistance during WWII.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.