Until Leaves Fall in Paris

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Until Leaves Fall in Paris By Sarah Sundin / Revell

Historical Fiction fans will love this book. Until Leaves fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin draws readers into a unique WWII setting. Her main characters are American expatriates who were long standing residents of the American Colony in Paris. One protagonist, Lucie Girard, is a former ballerina who studied and danced with a ballet company in Paris. In 1940, as the Nazi military conquests increase, many expats flee and return to the U.S. Lucie chooses to remain in Paris. As a Christian American, she feels more secure. She buys a bookstore since it appears her career with the ballet company will end. The purchase solves her need to make a living. Her payment to the former owners pays their passage back to America. Lucie is thrilled to complete this sale since it opens a door to safety for the former owners who are long time family friends. The former owners are Jewish. A decision to remain in Paris would likely be a death sentence for this older Jewish couple.

Paul Aubrey is an engineer and automaker. He is an American expatriate as well. Once the Germans arrive in Paris, they negotiate a contract with Paul to oversee the production of trucks. According to the terms of the contract the trucks are to be used only in civilian transport activities. Paul suspects the Germans may be making alterations to his trucks. He worries that they are repurposing them for the war effort. This leads Paul and some of his employees to adopt a variety of techniques to slow down the production line and even commit sabotage.

Each main character shows in many instances that they are good people. They are considerate of others. They tap into their sense of creativity to see their businesses succeed. They treat their employees fairly. Paul and Lucie meet through the bookstore. They develop a strong romantic bond that grows throughout the story.

The author includes many subplots. These storylines help us understand the complexity of everyday life in Paris during the war years. We meet resistors, some militant and others more subtle. We learn about the collaborators. The description of banned books and burning books provokes the ire of book lovers and champions of free speech.

This book does not get bogged down in the gruesome details of war. Readers are spared descriptions of this nature. The action at the last part of the book is filled with suspense as our main characters escape. Each has to dodge grave obstacles that threaten to block their safe passage. After seeing the characters through this action packed time period, I was glad the final destination was a happy ending in America.

I recommend this book to my reading buddies. I reviewed a paperback copy supplied to me by the publisher Revell.