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While Paris Slept cover art

While Paris Slept

Written by: Ruth Druart
Narrated by: Luke Thompson, Frazer Hadfield, Jane Collingwood, Heather Long
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Publisher's Summary

One woman must make the hardest decision of her life in this unforgettably moving story of resistance and faith during one of the darkest times in history.

Santa Cruz, 1953. Jean-Luc is a man on the run from his past. The scar on his face is a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi occupation in France. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door.

Paris, 1944. A young Jewish woman's past is torn apart in a heartbeat. Herded onto a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope.

On a darkened platform, two destinies become intertwined, and the choices each person makes will change the future in ways neither could have imagined.

Told from alternating perspectives, While Paris Slept reflects on the power of love, resilience, and courage when all seems lost. Exploring the strength of family ties, and what it really means to love someone unconditionally, this debut novel will capture your heart.

©2021 Ruth Druart (P)2021 Grand Central Publishing

What the critics say

"As writers, some stories keep us up at night with the need to get them down on paper. Ruth Druart has one such tale. We met in 2006, and I read pages of her story then. She never let go and never gave up. Thanks to this tenacity, her heartbreaking debut will be published in several languages. It will appeal to fans of The Light Between Oceans as well as to readers fascinated by novels set in World War II. While Paris Slept delves into eternal questions: How far will we go to protect our child? Is love holding tightly or letting go? The characters - and readers - must choose between what is right and what is best in this mediation on love and sacrifice." (Janet Skeslien Charles, author of The Paris Library and Moonlight in Odessa)

"While Paris Slept made me think and cry and rage and smile at mankind's capacity for both beautiful, selfless love and terrible, heartbreaking cruelty. It is at once a story of wartime courage and desperation, and of the many ways in which war reverberates through people's lives for years after the fact. Prepare to question yourself and the characters in the novel, to wonder what you might have done in their place; in short, prepare to be thoroughly engrossed in this compelling book in which four adults and one child grapple with the true meaning of love and family." (Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Secret)

"What a book...emotional and heartrending...absolutely phenomenal. I was on tenterhooks throughout. A wonderful achievement." (Jill Mansell, New York Times best-selling author of And Now You're Back)

What listeners say about While Paris Slept

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    4 out of 5 stars

some good story, some suffering overdone

at this moment it seems redundant and tiresome to repeat some of the gory details of the Holocaust. I'm hoping these details are well established in our minds, not to be forgotten. Not sure why these details need to be repeated in such as rote fashion. I liked the conundrum of ownership of a child.

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Absolutely beautiful.

I love historical fiction, but this one is different. It’s beautifully written and the performances are perfect. Read this book. You will not be disappointed.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Couldn't finish

Started out in 1953 but now it's a tedious story about 2 self centered young people in Paris in spring 1944. maybe it gets better but I can't give it another 9 hours of listening to find out. Will be returning.

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