Stephanie Sullivan: Review - Last Twilight in Paris

February 12, 2025

TITLE: Last Twilight in Paris (audiobook)

NARRATORS: Saskia Maarleveld and Therese Plummer

RATING: ★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

REVIEW: One of the main reasons I chose this audiobook is because it has two of my favorite narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Therese Plummer. I've never read anything by Pam Jenoff, and now I'm glad I did. Last Twilight in Paris takes place during and after World War II, and if you've read any of my reviews, then you already know that's my favorite timeline in historical fiction. I also love when I can learn some new historical facts about the era in the process, and that was the case with this story. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the plot was very intriguing and contained a little bit of everything - love, romance, mystery, heartbreak - just to name a few. I would also classify it as a "clean" story, since there was no graphic language or scenes, so if you enjoy those types of books, then I would highly recommend it. As always, Saskia and Therese did an incredible job narrating, and it thrilled my little soul to hear them narrating this book together. Overall, I'm glad I took a chance on this new-to-me author, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)

6 comments:

Lark February 15, 2025 at 10:13 AM
I've never read anything by Jenoff, but there are several of her books that look and sound really good.
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Hena TayebFebruary 17, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I am taking a break from war related books. Thanks for sharing.
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SusanFebruary 26, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I enjoy Jenoff's books, although it's been some time since I've read one. Sounds like audio is the way to go with this one since I also like Plummer. I've never heard of Maarleveld.
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