Chasing Paris

by Jen Carter

Amy Winthrow is shocked when her grandmother dies—not because Elizabeth Hathaway’s death is unexpected but because her existence had always been hidden. Ever-inquisitive and prone to letting her imagination get the best of her, Amy embarks upon a journey with an unlikely friend to unravel the mysteries of the elusive Lizzie Hathaway. As she follows the trail of broken dreams and promises of her grandmother’s life, Amy finds herself on a path of accidental self-discovery—a path that she chases all the way to Paris where Lizzie’s story ends and Amy’s begins.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Drama, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Amazon

263 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jen is a teacher and writer who loves writing for both children and adults, including the Sarafina Series for school-aged children and the new Otto Viti Mystery Series for adults. She lives with her beautiful family in the San Diego area. In her free time, she enjoys running, practicing yoga, and reading.

Reviews

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, so it was free on Kindle and the story sounded promising so I downloaded it. Big mistake. It's not absolutely awful but I found it a poor, boring read. Not sure if it's supposed to be aimed at the teenage market or not but it felt amateur, juvenile and totally unrealistic. The characters have neither depth nor any appeal and I found myself unable to be interested in any of them. They just never came to life. The dialogue is clunky and lacks any sense of period, voice or personality. As others have said, the typos and generally poor editing are a big black mark. I could not be bothered to read to the end and abandoned it. I could not recommend it even for an airplane read. I hate to be so negative about someone's hard work but I do think the writer needs to work harder at her craft before publishing. Sorry!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really pleasant surprise. I'll admit that I'm a little biased; I read kindle freebies with lowered expectations than I would have for other books. Despite my reservations, this was great! There were typos, but the plot and characters made up for it. I also liked how it was a bit of chick-lit, mystery (finding out about Lizzie's life), and romance. Also, for such a light book, it had a deeply thoughtful message.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book entrenched in the 20th Century when women boasted that they wanted it all and could get it with the sneaky snapping of their fingers.

Elizabeth Hathaway is a dreamer who chases after a man in Paris. For some reason, he snubs her but she goes on with her life chasing an evaporating dream. Even though she marries and has a child, she leaves them all behind to become a famous actress in France. Her sister keeps her secret well, as well as raises her child as her own.

When Amy is told she has received an inheritance, she (who happens to be most like her flighty grandmother, Elizabeth) discovers the truth. Her decisions parallel Elizabeth’s, warnings and all, but because they are both who they are they must follow their hearts.

Is there a lesson learned? Not by any characters, but the reader (me) was left disgusted at the foolishness and wasted time. I hate books about selfish people.

The only reason I kept reading (skimming) was because I hoped there would be a glimmer of morality somewhere. Nope.

[Carol Sama · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story has interesting characters in the same old "woman discovers family secrets after somebody's death" formula. I liked the story well enough to read it all and see how things turn out. But it wasn't hard to predict the ending. Nearly all of this story takes place in California, not Paris. The Paris references are mostly through letters concerning the dead grandmother. Near the book's conclusion Amy goes to Montemarte and learns about the reasons for her estranged grandmother's abandonment of her family. It was far less interesting by then and even somewhat unbelievable. What mother abandons her three children because her husband is boring? Answer: A selfish, immature one.

I absolutely can't see how anyone could give this 5 stars. It's a light read and while I'm not sorry I read it, I found it entirely forgettable (even with the literary references made by Amy and Will). I certainly wouldn't recommend it to my friends.

Also, the ebook suffered from poor formatting or editing. (The bar was crowed.)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a very sweet story

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

#IllSeeYouInParis Challenge... I have mixed feelings about Chasing Paris, overall I'd give it 3.5 stars. I've read so many Paris books in the historical fiction genre that it was nice to read one that was set in modern day although it did have brief visits to "Paris back in the day". I enjoyed the mystery and the intrigue in this book. I really liked the literary references and tie ins, and I mostly liked the ending. The characters lacked any serious development, the romantic relationships were juvenile at best, and there were some loose ends that were never fully tied up. Still, a pleasant break from the heavy subject of World War II Paris historical fiction. A quick, mostly light read.

[Kara Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a promising storyline, but overall disappointing. Awkward dialogue, no character development, and very little depth to the plot.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The typos in this book were so distracting I almost stopped reading it!!! The story was okay, but the horrible editing job is unacceptable, in my opinion.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in Europe leads me to read books about places here. This is a story of sisters and family and secrets. It is written in a way that keeps you engaged and you won't want to put it down so you can find out what happens next in their lives. I'm sad that it's finished but happy how it ended. It won't take you long to read so don't judge the time required by my listing here. I got sidetracked from it for a bit by life.

[Joe Hofmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I subscribe to BookBub, which alerts me to cheap and free books on Kindle. Of course, I will go for free first. The results have been mixed, but this book was a very good freebee. It is the story of a young man who learns what it means to care about someone and something other than himself. It is the story of a young woman who learns to act on her dreams rather than taking the comfortable, easy path. It is the story of the unconditional love of a sister, expressed in unfathomable ways despite the completely selfish acts of her sibling. And it all ends up in an emotional hug and kiss in a cafe on Montmarte in Paris. Who could ask for more?

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, this book didn’t quite deliver. It’s a decent story, but it’s predictable and too simplistically told. For example, there’s a lot of family history uncovered, but the protagonist implicitly believes the stories she finds, instead of questioning the perspective and reliability of the different narrators. That alone seemed a missed opportunity.

Also, this really could have benefited from a strong copyeditor. Beyond the story weaknesses, there are incorrect words and missing words throughout the book. For example, “..they looked just as she *imaged* they would.” Emphasis mine.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a second draft. Every sentence should add something to the story-I don't feel that happened with this book. The characters were one dimensional, odd with unfathomable motivations as well as immoral (who steals private letters, and private writing!). Can't say I'll be rushing out to get more from this author.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and fun read to fill up some down time.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read story however lots of things shared that doesn’t support getting to the point.

[Bryan Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in quite a while. Certainly the only book I have read recently that left me sobbing at the end. Langston Hughes wrote "What happens to a dream deferred?" And while much of Jen Carter's novel pivots around a collection of Renaissance poetry, and Hughes' poem never enters the narrative, as much as anything, his question is the heart of this remarkable novel. In fact, the poem could well serve as a review of the book itself. What, indeed, happens to a dream deferred? At age 23, Amy Winthrow finds out that the woman she grew up knowing as her grandmother, Nana Eva, was actually her great aunt. She's never heard the name of the woman who has just died bequeathing her an extensive library and money to continue her eduction. She quickly learns that any questions will only enrage her mother and bring silence from her Nana. And yet, in the language of 2017, she persists. In many ways, this book is a meditation on the role of art and artists, on love between siblings, on finding answers to questions we may not even know how to frame, on not settling. I highly recommend this book, and not just because the narrative keeps moving between two places I dearly love, the San Francisco Bay Area and Paris.

[Marie (UK) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book flows the death of a woman who was unknown to her granddaughters, disowned by her daughter and controlled by her parents and perhaps her sister.Lizzie loved but was denied the fulfilment of that love and forcemeat eventually brought her world crashing down. Now in the after math of her demise her Grand daughter is trying to piece together the life she did live. This is a well written book, much more than just chick lit or woman's fiction. I don't know whether it is the author's intention but there is something "sinister" in the characterisation. It is obvious that the Parents in both generations are to some extent controlling but I felt that control in both Eva and April. A very easy read with lots to say about relationships in an understated but enjoyable way. For a kindle freebie this is a good read and even if it wasn't free it transported me into its storyline for a time

[Maria Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 2.5 star book for me. Admittedly, I was working on another project while listening to the book so I was sometimes momentarily distracted.

I was annoyed by family secrets and not being forthcoming about the family history. Also couldn't figure out what Amy saw in her boy friend who seemed to be about the most boring person ever. I was surprised that sisters were so willing to keep each other's secrets even if it was a deception against their parents. Also there seemed to be a lot of time spent in bars at least initially. There seemed to be an immature mentality in the college kids and even though Will was supposed to be getting serious about life he still didn't seem to be all that serious. It took a long time for the two main characters of the book to even meet. Not much of the book is actually spent in Paris which surprised me.

Some language.

[Gail DeBenedictis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story was interesting; I enjoy a good family history mystery. However, there were so many loose ends at the conclusion of the book, that it left me very disappointed. I got this book as a free download and took advantage of it because it was not part of a series. That being said, the book was written as though the intention was there, but behind the scenes, to be the first of many. The author writes well, the story line flowed well and the book was edited effectively. I gave it 3 stars for the writing/editing. I won't say don't read it; however just don't read expecting any major revelations or big aha moments. Just not there. Sorry!

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I wish I would have read the reviews before reading this book. It was hugely disappointing. I expected it to take place mainly in Paris, which it does not. The characters are so boring. I feel like we're missing chapters of their development and then trying to understand them based on their bad dialogue. My suggestion is to read almost anything else. Don't waste your time on this book.

SPOILER ALERT:
The way the story unfolds is so, so dumb. It is told not in her grandmother's words (Lizzie) but in the words of her grandmother's sister (Eva) as she apparently assumes it occurred. It's so bizarre and just bad.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story within a story.

Will, a college student, finds an English book with personal notes in the margin which make him think the prior owner of the book did not mean to sell it back to the bookstore, so he goes looking for the owner of the book to give it back.

Amy, the owner of the book, finds out that the woman that who raised her mom isn’t her biological Grandmother but instead her great aunt. Amy and Will go on an investigation to find out more about Amy‘s biological grandmother.

The story lost my interest the minute Lizzie and Billy were mentioned. I did like the ending.

[Michael Mcfarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. Although the science is flawed, the story was magnificent and surprisingly enthralling. Once I figured out a few lines in the story it flowed and became easy to read. I bonded with the characters and was routing for them at the end of the book.

It is not a romance story, but it does deal with human feelings and how loyalty and friendship entwine to cause friction. For my scientific friends, put down the facts and just enjoy the story. To my romance friends, try something a bit different.

[H.K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Meh. The story had some intriguing elements but on the grand scale it didn’t deliver. The characters we rather one dimensional and boring, motivations seemed contrived and the back and forth between present day and the letters was jarring and distracting and lacked cohesion. This book could do well with more editing as well. I stuck with it just to see the big reveal and it was rather lackluster. When the two MCs got together finally I still wondered where the chemistry was. I did enjoy April. She was the most interesting and I kind of wished she was the protagonist instead.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique and enjoyable

The name for me was the reason I bought the book, so I was disappointed that it didn’t take place in France except for a few pages. Also, the names were confusing — too many short names made it difficult to follow characters. Lastly, it felt like a book for someone younger. I still gave it 5 stars because it was unique, interesting, and well written. And I enjoyed it.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

EBK-M, Kindle, @ 2012 Read 1/11/22, Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult. Amy, s recent college grad, learns the woman she thought was her grandmother, is not, but is the sister of her true grandmother. She only learns this when the stranger dies and leaves her an inheritance. Why was this such a family secret? Amy pulls out all the stops to discover the truth. Even though the characters are somewhat flawed, and the methods used are not always kosher, I enjoyed the story. 4☆'s = Very Good.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a kindle freebie. I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes it would turn out fantastic, but it was honestly a really good read. I quite enjoyed it! It did have many typos, but the book overall was a quick and interesting read. I really related to the main character, Amy, and I felt like she could be my book character twin! Ha!

[Lana Superchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story! Family secrets to be uncovered. We all have them but some family members are more passionate about solving them. Yes, there were typos that were distracting. I still loved the book. It reinforces the "all things come together for good" idea and that we all need to learn and appreciate the mistakes in our lives can be for the best.

[Ana Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one of the best Prime reads. Although the story was engaging at ultimate premise and twist were ridiculous. A girl finds out that the person she believes is her grandmother is not. The family never talked about it. She embarks to find the truth of the story and although at times this book entertains, it’s kind of dumb.

[Karynmoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit hard to get into, took me ages! But I don't think I gave it a fair go because when I picked it back up in the New Year I whizzed through it!

Such a good story and was just nice to read. Would totally recommend for an easy read with a good story!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, I debated between a 2 and a 3 for it. I just couldn't get over how selfish Lizzie was, it was hard for me to find much sympathy for her. She certainly was no mother or grandmother as far as I am concerned. Was also a little slow in parts.

[Dorothy Beer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing Paris

Found this to be an intriguing story. Some very unusual characters. Lots of surprises along the way. Luckily Amy did not make the same mistakes that her grandmother did. I gave,it 5 stars