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Star Crossed: A True Romeo and Juliet Story in Hitler's Paris
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best History & Biography (2023)Paris, 1940. The City of Light has fallen under German Occupation. Among patriotic Parisians, the pursuit of art, culture, and jazz have become bold acts of defiance. So has forbidden romance for talented and spirited Jewish teenager Annette Zelman, a student at the Beaux-Arts, and dashing young Catholic poet Jean Jausion. Despite their devout families' vehement opposition, the young couple finds acceptance at the famed Café de Flore, whose habitues include Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, Django Reinhardt, and other luminaries of the Latin Quarter's creative world.
For a time, Annette and Jean feel they have eluded the brute might of the relentless Nazis--and more immediately, their parents' threats and demands. But as restrictions on the Jewish community escalate to arrests and deportations, the malevolent forces gathering around the young lovers set them on divergent and tragically inevitable paths. Drawn from never-before-published family letters and other treasures, as well as archival sources and exclusive interviews, Star-Crossed offers precious insight into the Holocaust and the lives that French people bravely led under the Hitler regime.
For a time, Annette and Jean feel they have eluded the brute might of the relentless Nazis--and more immediately, their parents' threats and demands. But as restrictions on the Jewish community escalate to arrests and deportations, the malevolent forces gathering around the young lovers set them on divergent and tragically inevitable paths. Drawn from never-before-published family letters and other treasures, as well as archival sources and exclusive interviews, Star-Crossed offers precious insight into the Holocaust and the lives that French people bravely led under the Hitler regime.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 22, 2023
About the author
Heather Dune Macadam
17 books321 followersStar Crossed: A True Romeo and Juliet Story in Hitler's Paris (Jan. 2023) - Can't wait for you to meet Annette Zelman whose pursuit of art, culture, and jazz has become part of her defiance against the Nazi occupation of Paris. So has forbidden her romance. When our talented and spirited Jewish teenager falls in love with the dashing Catholic poet, Jean Jausion, they find acceptance only at the famed Café de Flore, whose habitues include: Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, Django Reinhardt, and other luminaries of the Latin Quarter’s creative world. Their parents are against the match and so are the Nazis.
999 - The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz brings together stories of girls on the first transport along with historic research that will astound new fans and former fans of Rena's Promise.
999 places the young women of the first transport front and center in Holocaust history and women's history, and I am hugely excited about the reception it is already having—you will meet Edith, who is very much like, Rena (vivacious, generous and compassionate). You can find more on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/999themovie/
Or subscribe to the 999 newsletter by visiting: https://www.999thebook.com/
Sadly, Edith passed away two weeks after her 96th birthday this year (2020). A short memorial is on Youtube: https://youtu.be/X_eRoFu_8Sk
You can also find my Vlog on the Rena's Promise YouTube Channel and follow some of my journeys to Auschwitz, Slovakia and Tylicz, Poland. That channel started as a desire to fight Holocaust denial by promoting truth and helped spur the rebirth of Rena's Promise: The Story of Sisters in Auschwitz and made the digital edition an Amazon BEST-SELLING Holocaust Memoir for 6 months in 2012. Since then a new edition of Rena’s Promise has been released, as well as an audio book. RP has been translated into Japanese, Turkish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and published in the UK and commonwealth. The website for RenasPromise.com offers teachers free curriculum on innovative ways to teach the Holocaust and provides a map called the Promise Project that shows where girls from the first transport lived and the towns they were deported from.
My novel, The Weeping Buddha, was released by Akashic Books in 2003. I really want to write fiction, but even this murder mystery is based in part on my attempt to deal with an unsolved mystery in my life. It was a finalist in the Nero Wolf Awards and Best Mystery, Lambda Awards (2004).
While NPR doesn’t seem to do commentaries anymore, you can find some of my quirky essays in the archives of ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Additionally, I have been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Marie Claire, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, YOU Magazine (Sunday Supplement to Mail on Sunday), The Advocate and Racing Home: Short Stories By Award-Winning North Carolina Writers.
999 - The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz brings together stories of girls on the first transport along with historic research that will astound new fans and former fans of Rena's Promise.
999 places the young women of the first transport front and center in Holocaust history and women's history, and I am hugely excited about the reception it is already having—you will meet Edith, who is very much like, Rena (vivacious, generous and compassionate). You can find more on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/999themovie/
Or subscribe to the 999 newsletter by visiting: https://www.999thebook.com/
Sadly, Edith passed away two weeks after her 96th birthday this year (2020). A short memorial is on Youtube: https://youtu.be/X_eRoFu_8Sk
You can also find my Vlog on the Rena's Promise YouTube Channel and follow some of my journeys to Auschwitz, Slovakia and Tylicz, Poland. That channel started as a desire to fight Holocaust denial by promoting truth and helped spur the rebirth of Rena's Promise: The Story of Sisters in Auschwitz and made the digital edition an Amazon BEST-SELLING Holocaust Memoir for 6 months in 2012. Since then a new edition of Rena’s Promise has been released, as well as an audio book. RP has been translated into Japanese, Turkish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and published in the UK and commonwealth. The website for RenasPromise.com offers teachers free curriculum on innovative ways to teach the Holocaust and provides a map called the Promise Project that shows where girls from the first transport lived and the towns they were deported from.
My novel, The Weeping Buddha, was released by Akashic Books in 2003. I really want to write fiction, but even this murder mystery is based in part on my attempt to deal with an unsolved mystery in my life. It was a finalist in the Nero Wolf Awards and Best Mystery, Lambda Awards (2004).
While NPR doesn’t seem to do commentaries anymore, you can find some of my quirky essays in the archives of ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Additionally, I have been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Marie Claire, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, YOU Magazine (Sunday Supplement to Mail on Sunday), The Advocate and Racing Home: Short Stories By Award-Winning North Carolina Writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
September 26, 2023
This is a well-written, interesting biography of Annette Zelman. It vividly describes her life in Paris prior to, and during the Nazi occupation. It has a vibrant, creative female protagonist, teenage angst, relationship drama, and the the horrors, suffering, deprivation, and heartbreak of the Holocaust. The epilogue is informative and enlightening, and is truly appreciated. I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the narrator, Ms. Christa Lewis, has a lovely voice and does an excellent job depicting the characters and their personalities.
Currently reading
November 10, 2022OMG, I can't believe I won my first print book from Goodreads, and they didn't even notify me!! My mom told me that the book arrived at our house in California. Of course, I'm here in London, so I had no idea. I was like by who??
I think my mom would be interested in this based on the blurb, so I'll tell her to read it before I come back 🤣
I think my mom would be interested in this based on the blurb, so I'll tell her to read it before I come back 🤣
December 10, 2022
Memories of tragic love in Nazi-occupied Paris, written with empathy for all the protagonists who wanted to live, love, and create during WWII
The narrator lovingly tells her about her interesting family and her older, almost adult sister, Annette, who is full of creativity and dreams for the future. When Annette, a Jew, falls in love with Jean, a Catholic, not only the Nazi regime stands against them but also their family.
In addition to personal history, the book also follows the social, cultural, and artistic history of Paris during the Second World War. Young Jewish women were seen as a little more exotic, independently minded, intelligent, and, as their admirers hoped, sexually liberated. Like a fata morgana, Paris was an oasis of art, music, culture, and books.
For young artists and writers, hungry for a sense of direction and place, the Cafe Flore was the perfect oasis in a country whose sense of identity had been shattered by occupying forces. But really, they were well-read, well-informed Parisians, and best of all, Germans avoided them.
Engaging read and a tribute to the family, love and peace.
3,5/5
The narrator lovingly tells her about her interesting family and her older, almost adult sister, Annette, who is full of creativity and dreams for the future. When Annette, a Jew, falls in love with Jean, a Catholic, not only the Nazi regime stands against them but also their family.
In addition to personal history, the book also follows the social, cultural, and artistic history of Paris during the Second World War. Young Jewish women were seen as a little more exotic, independently minded, intelligent, and, as their admirers hoped, sexually liberated. Like a fata morgana, Paris was an oasis of art, music, culture, and books.
For young artists and writers, hungry for a sense of direction and place, the Cafe Flore was the perfect oasis in a country whose sense of identity had been shattered by occupying forces. But really, they were well-read, well-informed Parisians, and best of all, Germans avoided them.
Engaging read and a tribute to the family, love and peace.
3,5/5
August 12, 2023
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway!
I knew it would be sad... I mean it says "Romeo and Juliet" in the title... I actually learned a lot from the book though. I didn't realize that the Nazis completely took over Paris/France during the war in the way that was depicted. The story was heartbreaking, but it was wonderful that it got to be told by remaining family/friends and the letters that were left behind. I would definitely read more books by Heather Dune Macadam. Very well done.
I knew it would be sad... I mean it says "Romeo and Juliet" in the title... I actually learned a lot from the book though. I didn't realize that the Nazis completely took over Paris/France during the war in the way that was depicted. The story was heartbreaking, but it was wonderful that it got to be told by remaining family/friends and the letters that were left behind. I would definitely read more books by Heather Dune Macadam. Very well done.
May 2, 2024
If you enjoy WWII books, pick this one up for sure! I love hearing these stories- as tragic as they are. Soaking up these pieces of history allows their stories to live on and it helps remember the lives that were lost. I think it’s so admirable that people put so much work into these and I especially love the ones that are able to pull out the beautiful love stories that can still be found amongst the most terrible of times.
June 25, 2023
#StarCrossedATrueStory what a great book! Betrayal sadness and much more!
August 27, 2023
I love the story and am so glad the authors told it. It truly is a Romeo and Juliet story. 4 stars because it has a very slow start and it took me until halfway through the book to get really into it. The first half felt like a lot of girl drama (more than was necessary for the story), but the second half was definitely hard to put down. I also learned a lot about the art scene in France during the war. That was interesting as well. All in all a great story and I would recommend.
September 20, 2023
It’s such an emotional read. On the surface it focuses on the every day moments of a young girl’s life. But the reality of the dark political and social winds that are blowing throughout her world create deep and unavoidable tension. Annette isn’t yet aware of just how violent the storm is that’s about to bear directly down on her head. But the reader is.
She is bursting with life and joy and angst as she comes of age and the passages/chapters describing it are just wonderful and recognizable and authentic. You can’t help but fall in love with her and her family.
At the same time such malevolent darkness is creeping steadily across the pages and grief is rising rapidly at what lies ahead.
Excellent writing, incredibly important content. The writer actually puts the reader right into the social/political climate of Nazi Occupied Paris. I am left with a much deeper~albeit still superficial and safely removed~understanding of the horrors.
I can’t stop thinking about it.
She is bursting with life and joy and angst as she comes of age and the passages/chapters describing it are just wonderful and recognizable and authentic. You can’t help but fall in love with her and her family.
At the same time such malevolent darkness is creeping steadily across the pages and grief is rising rapidly at what lies ahead.
Excellent writing, incredibly important content. The writer actually puts the reader right into the social/political climate of Nazi Occupied Paris. I am left with a much deeper~albeit still superficial and safely removed~understanding of the horrors.
I can’t stop thinking about it.
August 2, 2023
I have read many books of WW2 and the holocaust, this book here was one I could not put down, both writers brought to life the people who lived and died during this horrific time in our worlds history. They honored the memory of the two main people in this story, and their love for each other. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for the truth of what happened in those dark days 80 years ago.
December 2, 2022
I won this on Goodreads and it is set to be released Jan 2023. It’s based on true individuals and factual events. While the subject was interesting and it’s great to see true facts spelled out, it was a bit descriptive in matters that weren’t as important. It’s always sad to learn about any individual during this time frame. And with this book, you learn about many.
July 6, 2023
This was full of history and heart-wrenching scenes! I really enjoyed this novel.
May 22, 2023
This is a non-fiction account of two star crossed lovers beginning in the 1930s and continuing thru WWII.
Anette is a young Jewish art student who attends the Académie des Beaux-Arts and frequents the Café de Flore, the in place to be for the surrealist artists and notables, the likes of Picasso, Giacometti, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean=Paul Sarte and more. Here she meets Jean, a catholic, who falls in love with her. They start out with the disadvantage of the families not supporting them and then the Nazis arrive and their relationship becomes illegal. Annette is arrested after the announcement of their upcoming wedding is published in a newspaper and taken to the camps. She is eventually moved to Auschwitz, losing contact with Jean along the way. Jean joins the resistance and begins searching for Annette only to die during his search, never to be reunited with his love.
This is a wonderfully written true love story set in the horrific time of occupied France. Completely captivating and heart-wrenching, I highly recommend to all WWII history buffs who like reading the individual stories of those who endured the Holocaust.
Thank you to Kensington Books and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
Anette is a young Jewish art student who attends the Académie des Beaux-Arts and frequents the Café de Flore, the in place to be for the surrealist artists and notables, the likes of Picasso, Giacometti, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean=Paul Sarte and more. Here she meets Jean, a catholic, who falls in love with her. They start out with the disadvantage of the families not supporting them and then the Nazis arrive and their relationship becomes illegal. Annette is arrested after the announcement of their upcoming wedding is published in a newspaper and taken to the camps. She is eventually moved to Auschwitz, losing contact with Jean along the way. Jean joins the resistance and begins searching for Annette only to die during his search, never to be reunited with his love.
This is a wonderfully written true love story set in the horrific time of occupied France. Completely captivating and heart-wrenching, I highly recommend to all WWII history buffs who like reading the individual stories of those who endured the Holocaust.
Thank you to Kensington Books and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
February 28, 2023
I'm not much for reading history being an engineer by training with many other technical and business experiences. I was tempted to pick up this book because of a short description. I certainly will never regret it. A magnificent story of Paris during the German occupation of WWII, seen through the eyes od a single family - or rather a young daughter of that family. Documented through letters, diaries, and first-hand accounts it is a significant work of research and scholarship made eminently readable by the talent of the authors. It was eye-opening to hear of the sweep and scope of the occupation of Paris and the infrastructure as it evolved (or dvolved) over time. I imagine that students of the historyof WWII will find much of the story familiar, but the personalization of the events brings it to life. Enjoyable as a novel and rich with personal detail teased out of archival material. There have been many novels about the war recently and this book competes favorably. Read this book if you have any interesti n a personal view of a small part of the war.
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May 1, 2024Shelving it... No rating because I couldn't finish and it just wouldn't be right to rate what I did not read. I thought based on reviews and the blurbs that, yes! This is my wheel house! Well I can't say that I was really wrong but the narration held me back from learning if I was right.
I love to read about the hope and fortitude from individuals affected by the Holocaust; it's sad yet inspiring, it makes you weepy but at the same time you find these pockets of joy that fill your chest and make you proud. I thought I would enjoy this story, and it might very well be an exceptional read...but the narration is just not for me. I just couldn't get into it.
I love to read about the hope and fortitude from individuals affected by the Holocaust; it's sad yet inspiring, it makes you weepy but at the same time you find these pockets of joy that fill your chest and make you proud. I thought I would enjoy this story, and it might very well be an exceptional read...but the narration is just not for me. I just couldn't get into it.
June 18, 2024
Unfortunately, Annette’s and Jean’s story gets lost in the wordy narrative. I found it very difficult to get into the story, and by the time it got to the nuts of the love story, I was over it. The narrator wasn’t bad, but she couldn’t save the story.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
February 12, 2023
This true story of star-crossed love in Nazi-Occupied Paris took me a while to connect with. I enjoyed reading 999- I learned so much- so I was immediately intrigued by the author's next foray into Holocaust history. The premise of two lovers, one Gentile and one Jewish, trying to survive in Nazi-Occupied Paris also intrigued me.
I struggled with the first quarter of the book. Too many new names, too much exposition on the surrealist movement in Paris, and not enough background about the two people at the heart of this book. However, once I got past part one, I was immediately much more interested.
The strength of a lot of the Holocaust histories being written now is the focus on individual stories. Bringing history to the level of one person is incredibly powerful. When Star Crossed does this, it does it well. Annette was a young artist, thoroughly enjoying her life in the artist circles in Paris. She falls in love with a young man in the same circle, Jean. But she is Jewish, and the Nazis had just held the fateful meeting at Wannsee that led to the Final Solution. Reading her story was terribly sad, especially as it was told using her letters and art preserved by her family. I won't reveal the ending of Annette and Jean's story, but if anyone wants to know before they go into the book, you can Google their names. If you feel brave enough to venture into the text without knowing the end, however, I highly recommend doing so. The story is much more impactful when you don't know how it ends (I, unfortunately, looked it up before reading and deeply regret it).
I struggled with the first quarter of the book. Too many new names, too much exposition on the surrealist movement in Paris, and not enough background about the two people at the heart of this book. However, once I got past part one, I was immediately much more interested.
The strength of a lot of the Holocaust histories being written now is the focus on individual stories. Bringing history to the level of one person is incredibly powerful. When Star Crossed does this, it does it well. Annette was a young artist, thoroughly enjoying her life in the artist circles in Paris. She falls in love with a young man in the same circle, Jean. But she is Jewish, and the Nazis had just held the fateful meeting at Wannsee that led to the Final Solution. Reading her story was terribly sad, especially as it was told using her letters and art preserved by her family. I won't reveal the ending of Annette and Jean's story, but if anyone wants to know before they go into the book, you can Google their names. If you feel brave enough to venture into the text without knowing the end, however, I highly recommend doing so. The story is much more impactful when you don't know how it ends (I, unfortunately, looked it up before reading and deeply regret it).
November 11, 2022
**I won the book through a Goodreads Giveaway**
The love story of a Jewish artist Annette Zelman, and a Catholic poet Jean Jausion whose love, resistance, courage, and hope gave strength and inspiration to those around them during the German Occupation of Paris and Hitler's regime. Their daily struggles for survival will speak to your emotions and feelings.
Although the book narrates the horrific things that millions of people had to endure, it is a beautifully written story that will make you fall in love with Annette, the Zelman circus (Maurice, Kaila, Guy, Charles, Cami, Michele), and Jean.
Thank you, Goodreads and Kensington Books, for the advanced copy.
The love story of a Jewish artist Annette Zelman, and a Catholic poet Jean Jausion whose love, resistance, courage, and hope gave strength and inspiration to those around them during the German Occupation of Paris and Hitler's regime. Their daily struggles for survival will speak to your emotions and feelings.
Although the book narrates the horrific things that millions of people had to endure, it is a beautifully written story that will make you fall in love with Annette, the Zelman circus (Maurice, Kaila, Guy, Charles, Cami, Michele), and Jean.
Thank you, Goodreads and Kensington Books, for the advanced copy.
July 4, 2023
#StarCrossedATrueStory
**I won this from a Goodreads giveaway.
A history book that reads like historical fiction. The focus is on the deportation of French Jews in WWII. Although, it focuses mainly on Annette Zelman, her family, and her fiancee Jean Jausion, it is window in to what many other people suffered. This book was well researched and full of information but written in away that allows you to connect to the Zelman family.
**I won this from a Goodreads giveaway.
A history book that reads like historical fiction. The focus is on the deportation of French Jews in WWII. Although, it focuses mainly on Annette Zelman, her family, and her fiancee Jean Jausion, it is window in to what many other people suffered. This book was well researched and full of information but written in away that allows you to connect to the Zelman family.
July 12, 2023
Although I like historical books based on both real characters as well those books which are historically based with fictionalized characters as well I just could not really get into this book tho I did finish it. It is difficult to read how Hitler tried to totally exterminate the Jewish people in Europe and the horrors that families suffered. We need to always remember the Holocaust because so many people especially in the US continue to worship Hitler & his Nazi's.
July 2, 2023
In this book we get a little perspective on how things were during this time. To a forbid love affair. We see the ins and outs of how these two managed to get some stolen time with each other.
October 14, 2023
This piece of investigative journalism reads like a good novel. But even the best investigators cannot overcome the chaos of war, destroyed evidence, and the dehumanization of the Holocaust. So, only read this if you can live with the best guess of what happened.
Luckily, there are survivors to testify and to preserve letters and works of art that let the voices of those lost shine through. I have read a lot of works on the Holocaust and studied it relatively in depth, but still managed to learn things about occupied Paris and life in the camps. It also wonderfully shows why and how Jewish people "stayed," one of the recurring questions when people encounter the Holocaust. Also, the options for Jewish families as the nets tightened.
Overall, the Zelmans are lucky. Luck in war-torn countries isn't free, and Annette is with the movers and shakers. Her family is obviously well connected and supplied. So, don't expect this to be the average experience. It's more the best experience possible while staying. Even with more food than others, etc, etc. Ultimately, this protection from the worst is ultimately part of Annette's downfall. There is the feeling of the invincibility you feel in your late teens / early twenties across all of the pages.
Pick this one up if you like WWII, art history, surrealism, poetry, or biographies.
Luckily, there are survivors to testify and to preserve letters and works of art that let the voices of those lost shine through. I have read a lot of works on the Holocaust and studied it relatively in depth, but still managed to learn things about occupied Paris and life in the camps. It also wonderfully shows why and how Jewish people "stayed," one of the recurring questions when people encounter the Holocaust. Also, the options for Jewish families as the nets tightened.
Overall, the Zelmans are lucky. Luck in war-torn countries isn't free, and Annette is with the movers and shakers. Her family is obviously well connected and supplied. So, don't expect this to be the average experience. It's more the best experience possible while staying. Even with more food than others, etc, etc. Ultimately, this protection from the worst is ultimately part of Annette's downfall. There is the feeling of the invincibility you feel in your late teens / early twenties across all of the pages.
Pick this one up if you like WWII, art history, surrealism, poetry, or biographies.
January 15, 2024
"Star Crossed" is a non-fiction account of Nazi-occupied Paris and is an epic true story of love and survival. The book tells the true story of 19-year-old Annette Zelman, a young Jewish art student, and her forbidden romance with Catholic poet, Jean Jausion, during the German-occupation of Paris. While at times it's hard to read due to the content, the author skillfully weaves together personal narratives, historical context, and the accounts of friends and acquaintances to bring Annette's story to life. The book references French surrealist artists and other notables, such as Picasso, Giacometti, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who frequented the Café de Flore, a renowned gathering place for intellectuals and artists in Paris, where Annette and Jean fell in love.
August 29, 2023
This was a giveaway win from Kensington Publishing via Between The Chapters Book Club. This is a non-fiction book of young people in Paris During WWII. Yes a Romeo & Juliet story about 2 young people who fell in love but were betrayed and sent to camps where they perished. Not yet 21 years old, they were energetic, free-spirited artists studying at a prestigious arts school, whos lives were cut short. Included their friends, some who survived and some who did not. Well researched and well written.
August 27, 2023
Love during Nazi Paris? Had to give it a read.. getting to know the characters and the situation. Jew and Catholic was not their only obstacle .. I could not put this down. How everything intertwined just pulled me in.
August 23, 2023
Heartbreaking 💔
Now I need to find where I can watch this movie…
Now I need to find where I can watch this movie…
December 12, 2022
**I entered a giveaway for this book on Goodreads and won.**
I'm not sure where to start. This review is difficult to write, given the content of the book and being not my usual wheelhouse (I tend to read Fantasy and Sci-Fi).
I'll start at the beginning. The title feels wrong. It's not entirely inaccurate, but I don't think it imparts enough to the reader about what to expect. A significant part of this story takes place well before the "Romeo & Juliet" story begins. Because of that, the first half of the book or so feels very drawn out and irrelevant to the supposed story, given the title. It took me over a month to read this book, and honestly it comes down to expecting a Romeo & Juliet style story but getting a tale of Annette Zelman growing up in France, and being a teenager in Paris during the onset of World War II and Hitler's rise to power.
Most of this book focuses on Annette Zelman and her family - a family of Jews from Nancy, France (though her parents are from Poland) - as they go about their lives in a post World War I France, featuring the rise of Nazi Germany and Anti-Semitism. As tensions rise in the areas near Germany, the family begins moving towards Paris and eventually settles in the city itself, where a majority of the early parts of the story take place.
Aspects of World War II and life in Nazi-occupied France are heavily featured in this book, and the last 120 pages or so (NOTE: Goodreads lists the Hardcover copy as having 320 pages, but my paperback ARC sports 374 pages including the Epilogue. The "last 120 pages" may be different for anyone who reads the hardcover edition) go into spine-chilling detail about the Nazi's so-called "Final Solution" and the Concentration Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi-occupied Poland.
The next part of this review will feature spoilers hidden behind the spoiler tag. You have been warned.
I hate that books like these exist. Not in that it shouldn't be written, but the fact that circumstances arose that allowed it to be. However, these types of books serve a bigger purpose. These events - these atrocities! - committed by humans against humans have to be remembered. We have to learn from the past and remember the horror that has occurred, in order to prevent the atrocities from repeating themselves.
This book is entirely worth the read, if only to remind yourself that humans are capable of terrible deeds, and that humanity needs to be better than it was yesterday.
I'm not sure where to start. This review is difficult to write, given the content of the book and being not my usual wheelhouse (I tend to read Fantasy and Sci-Fi).
I'll start at the beginning. The title feels wrong. It's not entirely inaccurate, but I don't think it imparts enough to the reader about what to expect. A significant part of this story takes place well before the "Romeo & Juliet" story begins. Because of that, the first half of the book or so feels very drawn out and irrelevant to the supposed story, given the title. It took me over a month to read this book, and honestly it comes down to expecting a Romeo & Juliet style story but getting a tale of Annette Zelman growing up in France, and being a teenager in Paris during the onset of World War II and Hitler's rise to power.
Most of this book focuses on Annette Zelman and her family - a family of Jews from Nancy, France (though her parents are from Poland) - as they go about their lives in a post World War I France, featuring the rise of Nazi Germany and Anti-Semitism. As tensions rise in the areas near Germany, the family begins moving towards Paris and eventually settles in the city itself, where a majority of the early parts of the story take place.
Aspects of World War II and life in Nazi-occupied France are heavily featured in this book, and the last 120 pages or so (NOTE: Goodreads lists the Hardcover copy as having 320 pages, but my paperback ARC sports 374 pages including the Epilogue. The "last 120 pages" may be different for anyone who reads the hardcover edition) go into spine-chilling detail about the Nazi's so-called "Final Solution" and the Concentration Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi-occupied Poland.
The next part of this review will feature spoilers hidden behind the spoiler tag. You have been warned.
I hate that books like these exist. Not in that it shouldn't be written, but the fact that circumstances arose that allowed it to be. However, these types of books serve a bigger purpose. These events - these atrocities! - committed by humans against humans have to be remembered. We have to learn from the past and remember the horror that has occurred, in order to prevent the atrocities from repeating themselves.
This book is entirely worth the read, if only to remind yourself that humans are capable of terrible deeds, and that humanity needs to be better than it was yesterday.
January 30, 2024
So many awesome facts in this book! I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the book, but towards the middle I started to really connect...I think I felt a bit overloaded with details. Good book otherwise!
July 13, 2023
Without a doubt, the most well written, fact-packed WWII book I've ever read! Telling the story of a young French aspiring artist from the joys of pre-occupation to the horrors of Auschwitz the authors incorporate the experiences of so many others impacted by the war, all while weaving Annette's love story. I can't recommend this book enough! Many thanks to Kensington Books and Goodreads for this Advanced Reader's Edition!
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November 29, 2023This is quite likely a very good book but I did not finish it which is why I have not rated it. While I did not rate it a feel an explanation is in order. The synopsis of the book had me very excited, a true life account of what so many historical fiction books are like and the true story is always a better one. The problem was that one third of the way into the book it seemed to be all about the art scene in Paris which was of no interest to me. Lots of name dropping (a fun game, count how many times the author mentions Simone Beauvoir) and maybe it was all setting the stage but enough of the intro! I kept thinking 'read one more chapter and it will get into the meat of the story' but I finally gave up. Like I said, I'm sure if I had continued on it eventually would have gotten interesting for me but there are just too many other books to read that will capture my interest in their entirety.
September 25, 2023
I won this book from a Kennsington giveaway!
Annette, young Jewish women meets a Catholic man in Paris! They fall in love.
Her family must leave Paris before it is taken over by the Nazi party.
Annette makes their marriage announcement. Their parents do not approve.
She is taken into custody by the Nazis. She is sent to Auschwitz.
Jean's father is an important man but he does nothing to help get Annette out of Auschwitz.
Annette does not make it out of the death camp. Jean is devastated.
Annette, young Jewish women meets a Catholic man in Paris! They fall in love.
Her family must leave Paris before it is taken over by the Nazi party.
Annette makes their marriage announcement. Their parents do not approve.
She is taken into custody by the Nazis. She is sent to Auschwitz.
Jean's father is an important man but he does nothing to help get Annette out of Auschwitz.
Annette does not make it out of the death camp. Jean is devastated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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