Review: A Week in Paris by Rachel Hore

 The streets of Paris hide a dark past…

September, 1937. Kitty Travers enrols at the Conservatoire on the banks of the Seine to pursue her dream of becoming a concert pianist. But then war breaks out and the city of light falls into shadow.

Nearly twenty-five years later, Fay Knox, a talented young violinist, visits Paris on tour with her orchestra. She barely knows the city, so why does it feel so familiar? Soon touches of memory become something stronger, and she realises her connection with these streets runs deeper than she ever expected.

As Fay traces the past, with only an address in an old rucksack to help her, she discovers dark secrets hidden years ago, secrets that cause her to question who she is and where she belongs…

A compelling story of war, secrets, family and enduring love.

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Review by Tanya

We are firstly introduced to Fay Knox when she is on a school trip to Paris as a 17 year old and she finds that some things seem familiar to her. She finds this feeling very strange as she believes that she has never been to Paris previously. She then visits Paris when she is 22, she's now a talented violinist with the West London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her mother, who is in a hospital suffering with depression, gives her an address to visit without any further information. Again Fay has the feeling that she recognises places around Paris. What she discovers is quite a shock and it makes her understand why she has these feelings.

Fay is such an open minded girl, which is a pleasure to read about. She cares greatly for her mum and is constantly worried about her. It’s interesting to read her reactions and how she tackles the problems that she faces.  

 I was captured by this book from the very first page and finished it within a day. A Week in Paris is a book that covers two time periods. The first period is just before and during the Second World War in Paris. The rest of the book is mainly set in 1962, and is again mostly taking place in Paris. The research that must have gone into this book must have taken ages to do and the quality of it definitely shows and helps to make the story more believable. I could picture the places mentioned even though I have only visited Paris for a day when I was 14. 

The book alternates between the time periods and is told from Kitty’s view point as a young lady and then from Fay’s view finding out the details of the past and her experiences in Paris. This book is a great read and one I have already recommended to a lot of people. Happy reading!