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Book Summary and Reviews of Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

Last Twilight in Paris

A Novel

by Pam Jenoff

  • Critics' Consensus (9):
  • Readers' Rating (3):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2025, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman's quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny's death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

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What are you reading this week? (3/12/2025)
I'm currently reading Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff. Next up is The River Knows Your Name . In audiobook I'm listening to Agatha Christie's Towards Zero . I'm not an audiobook reader so I'll probably e...
-Laurie_M


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...sworth - FABULOUS READ THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE by Adriana Allegri CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb THE MEMORY DRESS by Jade Beer LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS by Pam Jenoff THE PRESIDENT'S LAWYER by Lawrence S. Robbins THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUST STERN by Lynda Cohen Loigman THE BOOKLOVER'S LIBRARY by Madeline Martin WHEN...
-Elizabeth


What are you reading this week? (11/14/2024)
Finished two great books - LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS by Pam Jenoff and THE GIRLS OF THE GLIMMER FACTORY by Jennifer Coburn. Haven't started anything new yet, but getting ready to read NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE by Ser...
-Elizabeth

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Jenoff offers a piercing depiction of Jewish life in Paris under German occupation and keeps the pages turning with an intriguing mystery. Fans of WWII fiction will be riveted." —Publishers Weekly

"A breathtaking novel of love, loss, and inner fortitude." —Booklist

"Last Twilight in Paris is a compelling novel that illuminates a shocking and little-known piece of WWII history—a Parisian store where Jews were imprisoned and forced to sell plunder from Jewish homes. It's a mesmerizing tale of love, female friendship, and heroism, and Pam Jenoff is one of the most important and authentic voices in historical fiction today." —Lisa Scottoline, #1 bestselling author of The Truth about the Devlins

"A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth, set against the backdrop of the startling and tragic history of a real-life, Nazi-occupied department store right in the center of the City of Light." —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

"[A] gripping tale of love, war, and the fight to survive… Pam Jenoff weaves her assiduous research with lyrical and poignant prose, bringing to life the struggles to endure the evils of Nazism and the heartening efforts to serve the better angels of humanity… Last Twilight in Paris has solidified Jenoff's stature as the beloved voice of World War II fiction." —Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Margaret Fuller

This information about Last Twilight in Paris was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews - Pam Jenoff fans will love it
We meet Louise who delivered packages to prisoners of war during World War II and Helaine who was a prisoner in the Levitan department store taken over by the Nazis that housed goods stolen from Jewish homes.

The prisoners had to sort through all of the goods, and the German officers would stop by to buy it.

Louise now has a husband and twin children and works in a secondhand store. One day she found a necklace that she recognized as one similar to the one her friend Franny had.

How did the necklace happen to be in a box with other items that came to the second hand shop with the name Levitan Department Store on the outside?

Could it be the same one?

Louise travels to France and meets her old heartthrob but he disappears and she continues to try to solve the mystery of the necklace and to find out what really happened to her friend Franny.

Will she find out about the necklace or simply find what prisoners housed in the department store endured and were forced to do?

We learn of Heleine’s fate, her eventual arrest because she was Jewish, and her time in the department store.

If you have read Pam Jenoff’s books, you know you will be reading a marvelous, well-researched historical gem with a pull-you-in storyline and with characters you will love and be able to feel their every emotion. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

BookwormBecky

Stepping up to the challenge
5.0

New beginnings, “mosquito,” trust…

When Paulette’s mother is arrested in 1942 Paris, Paulette is sent to her mother’s friend Sabine Ballard. To all appearances, Sabine is a fashion designer, but in reality she is also head of a broad network of Resistance fighters.

Paulette will join Nicolle, a seamstress / passeur; Philippe , Sabine’s partner with his mysterious background; and Andre, a veterinary surgeon who opens his home near the border as a safe house. They and many others will rely on Sabine to be “mother, friend, confidant, and warrior.” They will join together in their courageous endeavors.

A tale of a couture house facing the Occupation and stepping up to the challenge.


THOUGHTS:

A phenomenal read!

Strong female characters. Paulette developed from a young self-centered socialite to a strong, capable participant in the Resistance.

A glimpse at the challenges faced by those in Occupied Paris. Sacrifice and trust play important roles in this story.

Well researched!

I could not put this down! The author is an auto-read for me! I also read /enjoyed The Secret Society of Salzburg and The Paris Housekeeper.

I was lucky to borrow this one from a friend! I would like to have my own copy!

I said this about The Paris Housekeeper and will repeat it here. BRAVO!

Betty Taylor

A Captivating WWII Story with Heart and Mystery
“Last Twilight in Paris” by Pam Jenoff pulls you in with its dual timelines and emotional depth. Living in postwar London in 1953, Louise finds a mysterious necklace that brings back haunting memories of her time with the Red Cross during the war. As she searches for the truth, we’re transported to 1940s Paris to meet Helaine, a Jewish woman caught up in the horrors of Nazi occupation and imprisoned in Lévitan, a department store turned prison.

The story is fast-paced and shines a light on a part of history I had no idea about—how Nazis used a Parisian store as a prison and storage space for stolen goods. Both Louise and Helaine’s stories are filled with love, loss, and determination, and the way their lives connect kept me reading.

If you’re into WWII fiction, especially stories about little-known parts of history, this one’s for you. It’s a mix of romance, mystery, and resilience that will stick with you after you’re done reading. 4 stars!

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Author Information

Pam Jenoff Author Biography

Photo: Dominic Episcopo

Pam Jenoff is the author of The Kommandant's Girl (a Quill Award finalist, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the ALA Sophie Brody Award), The Diplomat's Wife, Almost Home, and Hidden Things. She attended George Washington Univer­sity, Cambridge University in England, where she received a master's in history, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and State Department Officer, she lives in Philadelphia where she works as an attorney.

Author Interview
Link to Pam Jenoff's Website

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