Letters from Paris

Juliet Blackwell

Sep 2016 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Key comes the story of a mysterious work of art and the woman inspired to uncover its history in the City of Light.

After surviving the accident that took her mother’s life, Claire Broussard has worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something is lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful piece of artwork that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II. 

At her grandmother’s urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the century-old mask-making atelier where the object, known only as “L’Inconnue”—or The Unknown Woman—was created. Under the watchful eye of a surly mask-maker, Claire discovers a cache of letters that offers insight into the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art. As Claire explores the unknown woman’s tragic fate, she begins to unravel deeply buried secrets in her own life.

Ratings and reviews

Letters from Paris is the latest novel by Juliet Blackwell. Chance “Claire” Broussard lives in Chicago, Illinois. Claire (as she prefers to be called since leaving Louisiana) receives a call from her cousin, Jessica. Her grandmother is not well and wants to see Claire. Instead of taking a leave of absence or a few days off, Claire gives up her job, apartment, and boyfriend and heads home to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (she has not been happy in Chicago). Her grandmother, Mammaw is very ill. Mammaw raised Claire after her mother passed away in an accident, and she was removed from her father’s custody. When Claire is checking the attic for a leak, she finds a box. Inside is a beautiful mask that arrived broken. Claire has many memories of the mask. It intrigues her as a child (and still does) and Claire wonders about the history behind it. Her grandmother encourages her to Paris (where the mask came from) and get answers. After her grandmother passes away, Claire is at loose ends. She feels that she does not belong in Louisiana or Chicago. So Claire heads for Paris. Claire starts with the company that made the mask of the woman. The mask is called L’Iconnue de la Seine (The Unknown Woman of the Seine) and was made by Lombardi family at their atelier. There Claire encounters Armand Lombardi and Giselle Bouvay. They need assistance in the atelier (a sales girl who can translate), and Claire wants information on the mask. Join Claire on her journey for answers about the mask of The Unknown Woman of the Seine in Letters from Paris. Letters from Paris has an interesting premise. The book tells us the history of the mask by going back in time to 1897 and Sabine Moreau (the model for the mask). I was looking forward to Letters from Paris, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the book. I found it to be a slow read and a very long book (it really needed to be edited down). This is a stand-alone book (you do not need to read The Paris Key). The writing is good, but it is lacking (the book is nothing like Juliet Blackwell’s cozy mysteries). The author did a very good job at capturing time and place with her descriptive writing. There is the mystery of the mask, but there is also the romance that develops between Armand and Claire (first they fight and then slowly get to know each other). The answers Claire seeks come at the very end of the book. I give Letters from Paris 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a lovely story, but it was just not for me. I could not get into this book, and I felt that it dragged. I am a big fan of Juliet Blackwell, and I will definitely be reading her future works. I received a complimentary copy of Letters from Paris in exchange for an honest evaluation. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

About the author

Juliet Blackwell was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the youngest child of a jet pilot and an editor. She graduated with a degree in Latin American studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and went on to earn master’s degrees in anthropology and social work. While in graduate school, she published several articles based on her research with immigrant families from Mexico and Vietnam, as well as one full-length translation: Miguel León-Portilla’s seminal work, Endangered Cultures. Juliet taught medical anthropology at SUNY–Albany, was producer for a BBC documentary, and worked as an elementary school social worker. Upon her return to California, she became a professional artist and ran her own decorative painting and design studio for more than a decade. In addition to mainstream novels, Juliet pens the New York Times bestselling Witchcraft Mysteries and the Haunted Home Renovation series. As Hailey Lind she wrote the Agatha Award–nominated Art Lover’s Mysteries series. She makes her home in northern California, but spends as much time as possible in Europe and Latin America.