From a Paris Balcony

A story that is intricate and woven. What a pleasure it was to read. I chose the book because of Paris but I has also previously read and enjoyed the Lake House. This is definitely an author I will follow.

Loved the book. Story is very interesting. Enjoyed the history of Paris in the early 1900s. I didn't realize this was the second book of the series so I am reading the first one now. Highly recommend both books.

A wonderful captivating story. Written in an interesting way chapter by chapter going from the present to the past. This is a book you have to finish as the way it is written leads you in the best way to find out the end.

After reading both of Ella's prior books, this book was equally enthralling! Her writing is superb and her characters and circumstances are so engaging. Read the book in two days, couldn't put it down.

I have visited Paris a couple different times. This story, which was so wonderfully written, allowed me to reminisce about some of my favorite places that I visited while I was there; the Louvre, Eiffel tower and some of the restaurants etc.

This novel is a combination of historical fiction, mystery and romance. It takes place in two different time periods: current time (2015) and La Belle Époque (1895) and the book alternates between them. The main character in the present time is Sarah West who is recovering from her parents' deaths and a divorce. When cleaning out her father's possessions she finds a letter written by a well-known Parisian courtesan to Henry Duval, the husband of one of Sarah's ancestors, Louisa Duval. It implied that Louisa's reported suicide might might be something else. Sarah decides to take a leave from her job as an art curator and go to Paris to research the incident. She learns that the apartment in Montmartre from which Louisa supposedly jumped had been closed up for many years and was recently found and cleaned up by a young couple who was leasing it.

I really enjoyed the parts of the book that took place in the past in England and Paris. The part in the present time was not as interesting to me. In fact it was fairly predictable. Nonetheless, the historical part kept me reading.

There was no graphic sex or violence and I don't recall reading any swear words.

This was an interesting enough story, and the author did a great job juggling the story by shifting back and forth from the present to the past. The characters were fairly well-developed, the writing itself was fine, and the romance was sweet.

Still, the book didn't blow me away. Much of the writing reminded me of books I used to read and love as a young woman, which compared to the books I read nowadays, were kinda old-fashioned, formal and slow-moving. I confess to skimming some parts that were moving too slowly for my tastes. I also found some inconsistencies, which as a rule, drive me nuts. (or at least, nuttier than usual)

BUT the historical aspects of this book, I found utterly fascinating. The tantalizing glimpses of Paris during the Belle Epoque, and an insider's look at the early struggles for women's rights and equality were both very interesting. The best thing about the book, in my opinion. The author does an outstanding job depicting the era and making it come alive, and anyone with an interest in this period in history would, no doubt, thoroughly enjoy this book.