DETAILS

Title: The Siren of Paris

Author: David LeRoy

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 352

Genre: Historical Fiction/Magical Realism

Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, FREE with Kindle Unlimited

BLURB

Journey through the dark, violent, and haunting landscape of World War II in Paris and beyond – Take on a harrowing tour through the depths of human depravity, exploring themes of love, loss, guilt, and redemption in this gripping historical tale.

Marc Tolbert, a young French-born man from a prominent American family, takes off to Paris for a fresh start after a breakup in 1939. Pursuing his dreams of attending a prestigious Parisian art school, he soon makes friends with some of history's most notable figures, including Sylvia Beach and William Bullitt. Falling in love with an art model from one of his classes, he is blinded to the escalating violence around them as the war inches closer to the City of Lights.

What started as an adventure quickly becomes a nightmare as the war worsens, and Marc is faced with choices that will change his life forever.

When he finally faces the reality that he must leave Paris, fate deals him a cruel hand. Surviving the sinking of the RMS Lancastria, Marc is haunted by the deaths of his friends and the regret of not leaving sooner.

Returning to Paris, Marc is drawn into the resistance movement, risking everything to help those trapped behind enemy lines. But after being betrayed, he is captured and sent away to face the horrors of war and the guilt of his past mistakes.

The Siren of Paris is a powerful and emotional story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With its compelling plot-driven narrative, vivid scenes, and intense action, this novel will transport you to the heart of war-torn Paris and leave you contemplating the weight of human choices and their impact on others. Whether you're a fan of historical fiction, war stories, or symbolic themes, this novel will captivate and intrigue you from start to finish.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Sub-genre: Magical Realism
Language:English
Pages: 352
Paperback ISBN: 978-0983966715

The Siren of Paris is available at Amazon.

Review:

I always enjoy fictional reads that are set in historical times, such as this story in the 1930's and 40's in Paris, when Hitler was 'slowly' taking over in these parts of the world. I enjoyed Marc's journey to Paris, watching him want to be an artist, making friends along the way, going to work, while the regime's story is in the background. It was a change of pace (in a positive way) where the Nazi Regime was (at least in the beginning) a background story, or a backdrop to Marc's story, part of the explanation to his story, and not the centerpiece. The author also did a great job in showing how Parisians and the citizens go from living their lives to slowly but progressively being more worried about the regime advancing into Europe. The historical places and individuals made this story quite interesting as well! I also appreciated that he followed up with his friends' storylines; they didn't simply sizzle out. LeRoy clearly has the potential to be a great author.

That being said, as I advanced into this story, I noticed LeRoy seemed to miss a few opportunities to expand on the history in France at this time. He seemed to cut short opportunities for the reader to learn what it could have been like to be a fly on the wall, such as when Marc is a secretary temporarily while doing a favor, and this has him in the same room during conversations with historical figures such as Mussolini. He skips over these opportunities but spends a few pages on newsreels in the theatre. I also never understood the importance of the cribbage set. Why was it important for the reader to know he always put it back in his bag and always put it on his mantel when he arrived home, other than it was a gift from years ago? I also understood his dreaming, to a point, not only did it seem long-winded, but..he also doesn't tie it back into reality either.

I didn't mind the back and forth between times; a better explanation in the story would have helped the reader stay grounded. Instead, I found myself saying..wait, what? Suddenly, he is in the future playing cribbage with a group of friends, and they write down fake numbers...why? He always ensures to put the cribbage set in his bag and then on his mantel. But it never explains the importance of the cribbage set..

I did not expect some of the turns that this story took...like Marc going to a concentration camp, or for that matter, the very end, which I won't spoil ;)

Also, there were bits and pieces to the story that we, as the readers, never got answers to or explanations for. I was left with questions after finishing the story, which was..disappointing,

I didn't care for the jumping around in the storyline without any notice. That was a bit confusing at first, then a bit annoying.

All in all, I did enjoy the story. I just wish there was more to it.

I received this book for free from PUYB in exchange for an honest review