Letters from Paris

July 18, 2016
Blackwell’s (The Paris Key) excellent new novel follows Claire Broussard, who leaves her complacent life in Chicago to visit her dying grandmother in Louisiana, then travels to Paris to unravel a secret at her behest. Claire has long been fascinated by a broken plaster mask of a beautiful woman that she found as a child in her grandmother’s attic. Claire traces the mask to the Parisian studio where it was made and finds herself quickly enmeshed with Armand, the grumpy-but-intriguing owner, and his amiable cousin Giselle. The pair offer Claire, who is bilingual, a job dealing with American customers in exchange for room and board while she decides what to do next. The heroine and the handsome curmudgeon immediately bristle at one another, but they warm to each other gradually as Claire learns more about the mask and the family behind the studio. Blackwell seamlessly incorporates details about art, cast making, and the City of Light. She also skillfully weaves in chapters from the point of view of Sabine—the poor country girl behind the mystery, who became the muse of an abusive sculptor after a life of poverty. Blackwell does a fantastic job of incorporating recurring themes in this story; for instance, having survived drowning as a child, Claire is wary of rivers, while Sabine is rumored to have met her end in the Seine. Blackwell especially stuns in the aftermath of the main story by unleashing a twist that is both a complete surprise and a point that expertly ties everything together.

July 1, 2016
A woman's quest to discover the origin of a haunting heirloom leads her to a foreign country and family secrets in this novel from Blackwell (The Paris Key, 2015).When Claire Broussard's beloved grandmother, whom she calls Mammaw, gets sick, she abandons her career and boyfriend in Chicago and heads home to Louisiana. Back in Louisiana, Claire was known as Chance, but since then she's taken every opportunity to distance herself from her old name, her long-gone mother, and her alcoholic father. Her roots have a stronger hold on her than she thought, though. When Claire finds a broken-but-beautiful mask that she remembers from her childhood, Mammaw tells her that it's from Paris and instructs Claire to travel there to find out its story. After Mammaw's death, Claire leaves for Paris with little more than her curiosity. When Claire finds the shop that made the mask, known as L'Inconnue de la Seine (The Unknown Woman of the Seine), she thinks she's simply hit a dead end. But as Claire falls into a job at the shop, she begins to find out more about the history of the mask. She's also drawn into the mysterious past of the grumpy-yet-intriguing mold-maker, Armand. Claire's story is intertwined with the tale of Sabine, a young model in Paris in the 1890s. As Claire's and Sabine's stories progress, the reader learns how their lives are connected in deep and unexpected ways. Blackwell paints a picture of Paris that is both artistically romantic and realistically harsh. Although the story is slow-paced at times, the alternating points of view keep the reader's interest. A compelling story of Paris, art, and love throughout history.

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August 1, 2016

Claire Broussard's life has always had a little mystery. Sometimes figurines would talk to her if she concentrated just right. And her grandfather always referred to her as a miracle, since she survived an accident that took her mother's life. But the Louisiana transplant is tired of Chicago. When Mammaw falls ill, Claire moves back home. There she finds an old mask of a young woman while repairing her grandmother's house. Mammaw tells her to visit the shop in Paris where the mask was made to learn its secrets. She locates the shop, run by a grouchy Parisian, and finds work translating for English and American tourists. Eventually, Claire learns more about the enigmatic woman behind the mask, who is also a great mystery in Paris. Working closely with maskmaker Armand, Claire discovers that their families have crossed paths before--and begins to feel an attraction. VERDICT Blackwell (The Paris Key) has woven a great tale of mystery, artistry, history, and a little romance. With plenty of backstory and tidbits about Parisian life in the 19th century, there's something for everyone in this recommended read.--Brooke Bolton, Boonville-Warrick Cty. P.L., IN

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Best-selling author Blackwell (The Paris Key, 2015) brings us another captivating tale from the City of Light. Claire Broussard leaves behind her life in Chicago to be with her ailing grandmother, Mammaw, in Louisiana. Claire rediscovers an old mask from Paris in the attic that her great-grandfather had sent home during WWII called L'Inconnueor the Unknown Woman. Claire is intrigued by the story behind the mask, and Mammaw encourages her to find answers. After Mammaw's death, Claire tracks down the atelier where the mask was originally made and travels to Paris. Claire finds that a brusque mask maker, Armand, may be her only guide to more information about L'Inconnue. Another mystery waiting for Claire is how much Paris will reveal about her own past and family secrets. Alternating between the present time, with Claire's search for history, and the story of Sabine, an artist's model during the Belle Epoque, this romantic and picturesque novel shows us that even the most broken people can find what makes them whole again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)