The Velvet Hours
Alyson Richman
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars
3.90
· 20 ratings · 383 pages · Published: 06 Sep 2016
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother’s treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return.
An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe’s tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path.
Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s legacy behind to save all that she loved.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Tagged as:
- romance 4
- europe 3
- western & central europe 3
- france 3
- city/urban 3
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- war/big battles 3
- world war II 2
- family 2
- mystery 2
- secrets 2
- world war I 2
- coming of age 2
- on the move 1
- literary fiction 1
- 20th century 1
- epic 1
- military, war & conflict 1
- action / adventure 1
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- format - reader age
- audiobook 2
- book 1
- adult fiction 1