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This powerful debut novel brings to life the hard choices Parisians made—or failed to make—under Nazi occupation, in the tradition of Pam Jenoff and Fiona Davis.
1938. Paris Opera legend Madeleine Moreau must keep newcomer Yvonne Chevallier, whose talent she fears, off the stage. As the long-standing star of the opera, she is nowhere near ready to give up her spotlight. The perfect solution: enlist Yvonne as her understudy so she can never be upstaged. When Madeleine is invited to headline at Germany’s preeminent opera festival, she is sure this will cement her legacy. But war is looming, and when she learns that Adolf Hitler himself will be in attendance, she knows she’s made a grave error. As Madeleine makes a hurried escape back to France, Yvonne finds herself unexpectedly thrown into the limelight on the German stage.
When a newspaper photograph shows Hitler seemingly enraptured by Yvonne, Yvonne’s life is upended. While she is trying frantically to repair her reputation at home, Yvonne’s son is captured and held as a prisoner of war. Desperate to free her son, she makes an impossible choice: turn to the enemy.
As the Nazis invade Paris, both women must decide what they are willing to do in pursuit of their art. They form an unlikely alliance, using their fame to protect themselves and the people they love from the maelstrom of history.
Painting an enrapturing portrait of resilient wartime women, The Paris Understudy is a love letter to the arts and a stark depiction of the choices we make to survive, for fans of Kate Quinn and Kristen Harmel.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 10, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781639108626
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781639108626
- File size: 1139 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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September 1, 2024
Madeleine Moreau, Paris's legendary opera singer, is at the height of her career when she enlists up-and-coming Yvonne Chevallier as her understudy. Moreau wants to sing at Germany's premier opera festival, but when she hears that Hitler will be in attendance, she makes excuses, as she cannot contradict her political beliefs by performing for him. Yvonne finds herself the new star of the festival, and along with that comes attention from not only a recognized German officer, but from Hitler himself. Yvonne struggles with what she will sacrifice to remain in the limelight, but she also wants to save her son, who is a prisoner of war. This engrossing historical novel captures the tension between moral fiber, pride, and furthering one's own interests. Under occupation, how far would you go to be favored by the enemy? Is being favored the same as collaborating? Thiele, in her debut, uses not only her main protagonists to show the challenges of occupation but their surrounding families as well, as war weaves itself into every aspect of their lives--and their lives depend upon how they react to the enemy.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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