Keep The Fires Burning

The Last Day In Paris by Suzanne Kelman is a marvellous dual timeline novel that I loved. It is the first book in The Paris Sisters series which promises to be fantastic.

The novel is set in present day and Paris during World War II. We ‘see’ the Nazis collecting and collating works of art to be shipped back to Germany. These treasures are more than their canvases and their worth, they are the very heart of the French people. Art speaks to souls. We witness the lengths some will go in order to protect it.

There are those who want to preserve the art for future generations to enjoy. In contrast, we see black marketeers who merely want the art for personal wealth. These unscrupulous people come in some surprising forms.

We follow a family of three generations. They are strongly bonded with each other and also have a bond with a painting done by their father. This is a microcosm for the value placed on art by the French people as a whole.