The Paris Secret: A Novel
1 journaler for this copy...
"Somewhere along the cobbled streets of Paris, an apartment lies thick with dust and secrets: full of priceless artworks hidden away for decades.
High-flying Fine Art Agent Flora from London, more comfortable with the tension of a million-pound auction than a cosy candlelit dinner for two, is called in to asses these suddenly discovered treasures. As an expert in her field, she must trace the history of each painting and just who has concealed them for so long.
Thrown in amongst the glamorous Vermeil family as they move between Paris and Antibes, Flora begins to discover that things aren't all that they seem, while back at home her own family is recoiling from a seismic shock. The terse and brooding Xavier Vermeil seems intent on forcing Flora out of his family's affairs - but just what is he hiding?"
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
High-flying Fine Art Agent Flora from London, more comfortable with the tension of a million-pound auction than a cosy candlelit dinner for two, is called in to asses these suddenly discovered treasures. As an expert in her field, she must trace the history of each painting and just who has concealed them for so long.
Thrown in amongst the glamorous Vermeil family as they move between Paris and Antibes, Flora begins to discover that things aren't all that they seem, while back at home her own family is recoiling from a seismic shock. The terse and brooding Xavier Vermeil seems intent on forcing Flora out of his family's affairs - but just what is he hiding?"
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
Flora Sykes, based in London & working as an art agent, is asked to help examine & inventory a large selection of fine art just discovered in an apartment in Paris. The apartment has been locked up & abandoned since WWII, and there is a significant likelihood that the artwork is valuable and that the discovery will be newsworthy. However, a possible scandal comes to light and Flora must do some sleuth work in order to reveal the true mystery. In the meantime, a scandal is brewing at home with one of her own family members.
I didn't realize it until I finished the novel, but this story is loosely based on a real occurrence -- there really was a large cache of valuable artwork found in an abandoned Paris apartment several years ago. The whole idea of making such a discovery, dating back to Hitler's reign, is intriguing, and I did really like that aspect of the story. However, I did feel that there was a little too much going on in this novel. I think it would've flowed better if the author had stuck with the main story line. Was it a mystery? Chick lit? Romance? I wasn't sure. I was fairly engaged in the story until the end, where it became too cliche'd and predictable, and that sort of ruined it from being a higher rated book for me.
I didn't realize it until I finished the novel, but this story is loosely based on a real occurrence -- there really was a large cache of valuable artwork found in an abandoned Paris apartment several years ago. The whole idea of making such a discovery, dating back to Hitler's reign, is intriguing, and I did really like that aspect of the story. However, I did feel that there was a little too much going on in this novel. I think it would've flowed better if the author had stuck with the main story line. Was it a mystery? Chick lit? Romance? I wasn't sure. I was fairly engaged in the story until the end, where it became too cliche'd and predictable, and that sort of ruined it from being a higher rated book for me.
Journal Entry 3 by indygo88 at Little Free Library - Kossuth & Main in Lafayette, Indiana USA on Friday, August 21, 2020
Released 3 yrs ago (8/20/2020 UTC) at Little Free Library - Kossuth & Main in Lafayette, Indiana USA
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Dropped in the Little Free Library.
You have found a BookCrossing book! Please take a brief moment to journal your thoughts upon reading this book. Then, if you'd like, re-release the book (to a friend, a stranger, or back out into the wild). That way you can track its travels & its readers throughout the world!
You have found a BookCrossing book! Please take a brief moment to journal your thoughts upon reading this book. Then, if you'd like, re-release the book (to a friend, a stranger, or back out into the wild). That way you can track its travels & its readers throughout the world!