mommasaystoread's review against another edition
4.0
The Black Swan of Paris took me by surprise. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The story is full of intrigue and danger as I would expect from the time, but there are so many more layers to this one. It is a book about the perils of Paris during the war, but it's also about family, specifically mothers and daughters, loyalty, friendship, and love. The story is very well written, and the time Karen Robards has taken with research shows in the wonderful descriptions throughout. Then we have the well-drawn characters to draw us in and hold on tight. Everything just comes together for a solid read in the genre, and this is one author I will be reading again.
alliandre's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
If you are passionate about IIWW, forget It. Too many errors and incongruences (like, Cherbourg is too far from Paris for a return train trip during a war with everything that happens in the meantime... and too far from Utah Beach. Just to say one single thing.)
Good just for a light read.
Good just for a light read.
jennms_qkw's review against another edition
4.0
I chose this book because it was on the Lucky Day bookshelf - new items that have a short checkout. I completely did not get organized enough to actually read it until after it was due. It's now 2 days overdue but I read it all in one go. I thought I would just preview a couple chapters and decide whether to read it or not! Now I have to google how historical it was - was the club real? The castle? Certainly the hotel and other Paris landmarks were real. So this kept my attention and I feel accomplished. This was an interesting story and mysterious enough with developed characters.
kaylasbookishlife's review against another edition
2.0
I was really excited about this book but it was a bit of a let down for me. I found it very confusing to follow. Perhaps this was because it was the e-ARC but the lack of dates and places before each chapter letting me know where, when and who I was going to be with in the chapter, just left me confused. I found the huge cast of characters thrown at you from the start so overwhelming. I kept forgetting who everyone was and what was happening to them each time the story flipped.
Thank you HarperCollins for this e-ARC
Thank you HarperCollins for this e-ARC
shardy96's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you, Goodreads for my copy of this book. I love historical fiction books about the French Resistance during World War II, but normally I need to take a break close to the middle of the book before I finish reading it. This time was completely different as I was able to complete it in only a matter of days! I have not read a story that takes on this viewpoint of the resistance. I will read this again and recommend others to read this novel.
sjbugajski's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very well written, and it's one of my most favorite books in the whole wide world! I sware you will love this enthralling story.
partiallybooked's review against another edition
4.0
The Black Swan of Paris is a story about secrets, espionage, danger, loyalty, family, love and war. You are immediately drawn in to the fear and heartbreak Paris is yet to bring during WWII. It proves that not everyone had such a lavish lifestyle at that time: Rich or Poor.
ajroe22's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the characters and Genevieve’s internal monologue. The whole book was very exciting and kept me reading.