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The Room on Rue Amélie (2018)

by Kristin Harmel

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6522335,357 (3.87)7
"For fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family--by the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again--tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II. When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too. Charlotte Dacher is eleven when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can't imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart. Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he's really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting--and an unexpected road home. When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis--and to open their own broken hearts--as they fight to survive. Rich with historical drama and emotional depth, this is an unforgettable story that will stay with you long after the final page is turned"--… (more)
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» See also 7 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
This is a very interesting historical fiction book! I enjoyed Ruby's story. It was filled with sadness and happiness. I liked her persevering nature and her courage. ( )
  Sassyjd32 | Dec 22, 2023 |
read 2023
  AbneyLibri | Jul 22, 2023 |
Kristin Harmel is truly a gifted writer. The story flows so nicely that you make yourself stop to get sleep. And even then, you think about it until you once again are able to continue the journey.

As with her other books (think I've read 3 at this point), I have added a biographical book to my TBR after reading. ( )
  lorimpalmer | Nov 28, 2021 |
As I sit down to write my review of this incredible story the words escape me. I finished The Room on Rue Amélie a few days ago and it has haunted me ever since. How do I put into words the emotions that this book awakened in me?

Ruby Henderson Benoit fell in love. It was a simple glance at a man in a coffee shop in Manhattan that would forever change the trajectory of her life. She forgets all about the path that she was on and follows her husband back to his home in Paris. It's July 1939. Her parents warned her about going, with rumors swirling of Paris being on the brink of war, but nothing would stop her. Ruby wanted a life with the man she loved.

At first everything was like a dream. Her husband's career as an art dealer for his dads company put them in the most elite social circles and they were "soaking up life." Even if there was to be a war there is no way it would ever reach Paris. Less than two months later France, and their British allies, are at war with Germany. Immediately the climate of the entire city changes as well as Ruby's relationship with her husband. He is cold and distant, disappearing for days at a time without an explanation. As the country begins to crumble so does her marriage.

Being alone in a city where she knows no one Ruby is lonely and heartbroken. She begins an unlikely friendship with one of her neighbors, a ten-year-old Jewish girl named Charlotte Henderson. As the war intensifies so does the incredible bond between Ruby and Charlotte.

It is revealed to Ruby that her husband has been apart of an escape line in France, which helps aid allied RAF pilots that have been shot down. The escape line helps bring the pilots back to allied territory so that they can continue the fight against the Nazis. Ruby feels its her duty to also aid in the escape line and to do everything she can to fight the war herself. Thomas Clarke, as well as many of the RAF pilots that Ruby helps, feel the exact same way. Through the escape line many find more than just a means to fight against this cruel war. They find friendship, love, and even forgiveness in the most unlikely place: the middle of a war.

The Room on Rue Amélie is incredibly well written with characters that you root for from the beginning and a plot that keeps you guessing. You can feel the anxiety and pressure that these characters were under, being so close to the enemy, and fighting the resistance, knowing that they themselves were putting their own lives on the line for the cause.

There were moments where I had to stop reading, close my eyes, and will the tears away. No matter how many times I read about World War II and the Holocaust I am always rendered speechless, my heart aching. To imagine the horrors that were endured by so many is unfathomable. It's evil personified and the author does an incredible job of being sensitive to the subject.

This book is loosely based on the true story of Virginia d'Albert-Lake, an American woman who followed her love to Paris and found herself working for the anti-Nazi French Resistance during World War II by means of the Comet escape line. There are many parallels between Virginia and Ruby but the author took great care to give Ruby her own story, one that is painful yet beautiful.

This is a love story yes but not in all the ways you would imagine. It's a gripping read that is hard to put down and one that I highly recommend.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gallery Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own. ( )
  cflores0420 | Jun 24, 2021 |
Extremely moving and detailed account of life in occupied Paris during World War II. Great character development and research. You will feel the tension of daily life in Paris during this time. Recommend for anyone that enjoys a moving story that grips you from page one. Historical fiction at is best. 4..5 stars. ( )
  SharleneMartinMoore | Apr 24, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
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"For fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family--by the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again--tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II. When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too. Charlotte Dacher is eleven when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can't imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart. Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he's really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting--and an unexpected road home. When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis--and to open their own broken hearts--as they fight to survive. Rich with historical drama and emotional depth, this is an unforgettable story that will stay with you long after the final page is turned"--

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