Idgie Says:
I clearly remember when this Paris apartment was discovered, untouched for almost 70 years. I adored looking through the photographs of it and wondering how and why it became closed off for all that time, like a beautiful time capsule.
Now Alyson Richman has created a novel around that apartment. Sounds fun to imagine and then write a story revolving around this very interesting mystery, doesn't it?
Berkley Trade Paperback Original
September 6, 2016
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As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a
young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother’s
treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return.
An
elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and
beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in
the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she
shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her
prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all
are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe
painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe’s tale
unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it
helps to guide Solange on her own path.
Inspired by the true
account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to
life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s
legacy behind to save all that she loved.
