Genre Fiction
![Meg Waite Clayton - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_meg_waite_clayton.jpg)
The Postmistress of Paris: A Novel
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER* A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK* A GMA BUZZ PICK * AN INDIE NEXT PICK* AN AMAZON BEST OF THE MONTH PICK, LITERATURE AND FICTION*A PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK
The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Train to London revisits the dark early days of the German occupation in France in this haunting novel-a love story and a tale of high-stakes danger and incomparable courage-about a young American heiress who helps artists hunted by the Nazis escape from war-torn Europe.
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.
Inspired by the real life Chicago heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who worked with American journalist Varian Fry to smuggle artists and intellectuals out of France, The Postmistress of Paris is the haunting story of an indomitable woman whose strength, bravery, and love is a beacon of hope in a time of terror.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Train to London revisits the dark early days of the German occupation in France in this haunting novel-a love story and a tale of high-stakes danger and incomparable courage-about a young American heiress who helps artists hunted by the Nazis escape from war-torn Europe.
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.
Inspired by the real life Chicago heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who worked with American journalist Varian Fry to smuggle artists and intellectuals out of France, The Postmistress of Paris is the haunting story of an indomitable woman whose strength, bravery, and love is a beacon of hope in a time of terror.
Editorial Reviews
"An evocative love story layered with heroism and intrigue - the film ‘Casablanca' if Rick had an artsy bent … powerful." - San Francisco Chronicle
"A sweeping tale of perseverance and courage set against the backdrop of Nazi-era Europe, The Postmistress of Paris is the very best kind of historical fiction: a complex and intriguing story that both highlights a little-known moment in the past and resonates powerfully in the present, reminding us that bigotry can only be vanquished when people are willing to take a stand." - Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
"I loved The Postmistress of Paris, a novel of so many layers - a suspense story, a love story, and a story about the purpose of art. Meg Waite Clayton is a brilliant and deft writer, and I rooted for her strong, witty and brave heroine on her pulse-pounding mission to save Jewish painters, intellectuals, and a motherless child from Vichy France." - Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Eternal
"Widely esteemed for her previous World War II novels, Meg Waite Clayton triumphantly returns with The Postmistress of Paris, a story of one woman's heroic quest to help the forgotten in Occupied France. Clayton's immaculately researched and beautifully written tale of passage and courage and heart is her best work yet." - Pam Jenoff, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Woman With The Blue Star
"The work of an unsung heroine rises from the pages of The Postmistress of Paris. Meg Waite Clayton draws a vivid contrast between the beauty of art and the brutality of war, the power of humanity and the human cost of cruelty, greed, and prejudice. With a heart-stopping flight across war-torn Europe, this is a story readers of historical fiction and strong female characters will devour." - Lisa Wingate, # 1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Before We Were Yours
"Clayton expertly rende...
"A sweeping tale of perseverance and courage set against the backdrop of Nazi-era Europe, The Postmistress of Paris is the very best kind of historical fiction: a complex and intriguing story that both highlights a little-known moment in the past and resonates powerfully in the present, reminding us that bigotry can only be vanquished when people are willing to take a stand." - Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
"I loved The Postmistress of Paris, a novel of so many layers - a suspense story, a love story, and a story about the purpose of art. Meg Waite Clayton is a brilliant and deft writer, and I rooted for her strong, witty and brave heroine on her pulse-pounding mission to save Jewish painters, intellectuals, and a motherless child from Vichy France." - Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Eternal
"Widely esteemed for her previous World War II novels, Meg Waite Clayton triumphantly returns with The Postmistress of Paris, a story of one woman's heroic quest to help the forgotten in Occupied France. Clayton's immaculately researched and beautifully written tale of passage and courage and heart is her best work yet." - Pam Jenoff, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Woman With The Blue Star
"The work of an unsung heroine rises from the pages of The Postmistress of Paris. Meg Waite Clayton draws a vivid contrast between the beauty of art and the brutality of war, the power of humanity and the human cost of cruelty, greed, and prejudice. With a heart-stopping flight across war-torn Europe, this is a story readers of historical fiction and strong female characters will devour." - Lisa Wingate, # 1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Before We Were Yours
"Clayton expertly rende...
Readers Top Reviews
Donna SealsRichar
This book was filled with mysteries amid a time period I thought I knew more about. I found it fabricating that this type of underground network of people could exist to try to get refugees out of German controlled Dance and other countries. I absolutely loved the different point of views and would habe love to see Nanee and Androu reunite.
Kindle Lucille L
This book started extremely slow, so slow that I almost gave up on it. It picked up pace at around the halfway point and I started enjoying it a bit. Still a few annoyances: there were several instances where storylines/scenes abruptly ended and the next chapter would pick up later in the story with barely an explanation of what happened. Also, the "baby talk" of the 5-year old girl was a distraction, in my opinion. An OK book, but I was expecting better.
DarKindle Lucill
This WWII historical novel highlights the courageous fictional Nanée, based on American heiress Mary Jayne Gold, and Varian Fry, who risked their lives trying to help artists escape from Vichy France. Well researched...highly recommend!
Trish HenryDarKin
I wanted to love this more. But I didn’t. Too disjointed and not enough character development. The introduction of surrealist artists was an interesting touch but at times it simply felt like a plot device.
Trish HenryDar
Flawless. I am not a historian, so I cannot testify to accuracy. My way is to read a story as written, and this one captured me completely and increasingly as the plot and characters were developed. The courage of members of the French Resistance inspires me to be braver in my own pedestrian life. Character development, plot twists, and scene descriptions put me right there. I feel like I have been on a trip.
