This should be on New York Times best sellers list

This book is far better than anything I’ve seen on that list great story that doesn’t have to use profanity or gratuitous sex because it IS such a great story. It tells of cruelty of war, love and forgiveness. Takes place in two generations but strangely linked together I was just imagining the streets of Paris in spring the bistro and the apartment. Totally worth a credit.

10 people found this helpful

Fantastic!

This is one of my favorite stories; each voice brought it to life. Your will not be sorry you listened.

8 people found this helpful

sweet but disjointed story

i love WW2 historical fiction. This had all the makings of a good read and it was. However the characters and circumstances were somewhat unrealistic at times. Debbie Macomber beach read in one of the darkest times in history. The two shouldn't and don't go together. I enjoyed the arc, but was left with very little to chew on. Meat flavored bubble gum. This did not set well with me as the characters suffered great trauma, yet were left unfinished in the last chapter.

6 people found this helpful

Loved this book.

I don't even know where to begin. I loved this book - it made me sad, it broke my heart, it made me happy. I love historical novels, especially those that take place during WWII. There are so many conflicting emotions in this book and Sarah Jio seems to capture all of them perfectly.

5 people found this helpful

Excellent research.

loved it. excellent writing. beautifully written. excellent characters and storyline. well portrayed going between two worlds

4 people found this helpful

Hallmark Movie Story

How this book has a 4.6 star rating is as inconceivable to me as the story itself. The narration was very good, especially Saskia Maarleveld. That narrator is main reason I purchased this book. Other than that, the story was so filled with predictability, unbelievable and unrealistic events and characters, that it was irritating to listen to. I slogged through the whole thing, though,ever hoping for some redemptive qualities. But my hopes were dashed. This is my first (and last) book by Sara Jio whom I discovered is not in the same league as other notable authors of this type of historical fiction. Perhaps if I had never read a book by Kate Morton or Susan Meissner, I would've been happy with Jio's Hallmark Movie style story where characters face seemingly insurmountable troubles, all the while fully aware that the happy ending is just an introspective overly explanatory inner monologue away. (Be prepared for lots of these because Jio mistakenly believes that her readers won't get what's so obviously going on.) I can't really go into details about the difficulties presented in this story without giving the whole story away, but just looking at the initial story set up which was so far-fetched and completely unrealistic (I had to go back and listen a second time because I was sure I must have missed something ) will give you a clue as to the poorly researched story that Ms. Jio offers. 1. No hospital would release a patient suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) with severe and complete memory loss without first ascertaining if the patient had a support person in place at their home. 2. Any bicyclist getting struck head on by a truck is going to have broken bones and internal injuries, not just a bad bump on the head -- even one that puts her in a coma for five days. 3. The Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, is 4 miles away and on the opposite side of the Seine from the Arc de triomphe so it would be impossible to view the Arc de Triomphe from a hospital room window. 4. It is quite easy to hack into a laptop even if the password has been lost. And it CAN be done without wiping the hard drive. 5. A five foot deep "secret room" below the floor of a second story apartment would extend into the space of the apartment directly below on the first floor. Seems to me that not only would it be hard to miss, but noises from the secret space would be easily heard by the first floor apartment tenants. 6. Even an adult with severe memory loss must have some question as to how they had been supporting themselves and where the money for an expensive Paris apartment was coming from. Surely there would be some documentation in your desk or on your computer or even on your bank statements. But luckily, in the serendipitous Hallmark movie atmosphere of this book, such things do not matter to our heroine as she happily gads about using her debit card (apparently the one thing she does remember is her PIN) and rescuing troubled restaurant waitresses from domestic difficulties, falling in love with the not-so mysterious restaurant owner. So, if you like things all wrapped up in neat little packages filled with incredibly formulaic plot lines, then this one is for you. To end on a positive note, I'll add: I really love the book cover art!

5 people found this helpful

Good story

The only thing that I found too unrealistic was when one of the characters wakes up in the hospital with amnesia, she doesn’t look for her family, nor does she try to find out if she has a job or how she supported herself. Other than that, it was a good story.

2 people found this helpful

Now my favorite book

Loved it. Laughed, cried, better for reading it. Please God never again should such evil come to earth. Thank God for all the good that conquered it and for all those that died.

Don’t miss this if you enjoy historical fiction!

Don’t miss this book if you enjoy historical fiction! This author has done a wonderful job of weaving two stories. The stories of two heroic women who despite great tragedies, remain sting and authentic. I rarely read the same book twice, but this one is worth going back to snag all the details that weave the books characters together.

What a story!

The author beautifully intertwined two eras of love, tragedy, and forgiveness in a rollercoaster of emotions. I look forward to more of her work!