Tag: paris

Book Review: A Fashionably French Murder By Colleen Cambridge

BonnieReadsAndWrites7 Comments

This is Book 3 in the “An American in Paris” cozy mystery series. I did this review for The Historical Novel Society.

BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)

If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
 
Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.
 
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.

BOOK REVIEW

1950. Tabitha Knight is back in the third book in the An American in Paris series.  This time she is visiting an up-and-coming Parisian fashion house with her good friend Julia Child when she discovers the body of the designer, Madame Lannet. Unable to resist an urge to investigate, she soon stumbles on yet another body, and it is not long before she’s once again crossing the path of Inspecteur Etienne Merveille, who is well aware of her sleuthing tendencies.   Romance is also in the air, and Tabitha finds herself attracted to Inspecteur Merveille against her better judgment.  While rescuing a feral cat with a broken tail, she also meets Monsieur Héroux, the veterinarian, and they make plans for a date as well.  Tabitha’s grand-père and his long-time partner also bring fun to the story, as they are fighting over how to design their new restaurant, and they take her to Dior to select a custom gown.

This is another great book in the series.  Julia Child, as always, steals the show with her over-the-top personality.  She injects joy, food, and humor whenever she is a part of the story. The author has obviously done her research well and captured Child’s character in a charming way.  The mouthwatering descriptions of delicious French food add to the delight, and I learned a lot about making crepes through Julia’s instructions to Tabitha.  The mystery is compelling with an unexpected ending, and adding the glamorous fashion industry into the mix makes this a winner.  Fans of cozy mysteries will love this book and the whole series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

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Book Review: The Ball At Versailles by Danielle Steel

BonnieReadsAndWrites9 Comments

I enjoyed this one from Danielle Steel. This is historical fiction set in 1958, mostly in France during the first “Le Bal des Debutantés,” a ball for American and French debutantes held in Versailles. We follow four girls from America who are invited to France as part of this ball. Caroline has little interest because she’s already in love, but her movie star parents think it will be fun. Brilliant Felicity is constantly battling her weight and her verbally abusive sister, so a night in the spotlight is not appealing to her at all. Amelia and her mother Jane once had money, but are now in dire financial straits. How can they afford to go? Samantha has problems with her balance due to an accident years ago, and she is a bit worried about falling during the ball. Her very protective father has the same concerns.

This is set in a time when women had fewer rights and some families still thought that their daughter’s best “career” would be finding a rich husband. The financial struggles of Amelia’s mother Jane are very real, as her late husband came back from the war a different person and had left her with little money when he died. Her career struggles are very true to the period, as women were passed over for promotions and paid much less than men. In some of Ms. Steel’s previous books, someone with money might come in and rescue her, but I was pleased to see that did not happen in this one.

I loved the setting in Versailles, the decadence of the ball, and the descriptions of France. Steel has a tendency to “tell” instead of “show,” but she’s sold a billion books that way, so who am I to judge? Sometimes her style works for me and sometimes it doesn’t. This time it worked. The character Felicity was my favorite. Even though she is a brilliant student at MIT, all her mother and sister can see is her weight. That’s very true even today, and I loved that one of the characters did not have a “perfect figure.” So few of us do.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys books set in France and in the 1950s.

My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own

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