Skylark

by Paula McLain

From the bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes an irresistible story of love, courage and resistance on the streets of Paris – and in the secret network of tunnels that lies beneath

* A Good Morning America Book Club pick for January 2026! *

'A real treat' The Times

1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at Paris' famed Gobelins Tapestry Works. With a gift for her craft and a drive to prove she is as good as the male dyers controlling the industry, Alouette dreams of creating her own masterpiece. But her boldness will put everyone she loves at risk.

1939: Kristof Larson is starting his medical residency in the same Parisian neighbourhood once dominated by the tapestry works. The shadows of his past have left him determined to improve conditions for the patients of the infamous Salpetrière asylum. But as war breaks out across Europe and Nazi forces descend on Paris, he could lose his career – and his life.

Alouette and Kristof are both ambitious, idealistic and brave. But faced with authorities who will do anything to silence them, the secret web of tunnels lying beneath the shimmering streets of Paris might be their only hope of survival.

Skylark is a spellbinding story about defiance and love that beautifully uncovers the hidden history of the City of Light.

508 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2026

About the author

Paula McLain is the author of the New York Times and internationally bestselling novels, The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun and Love and Ruin. Her latest instant bestseller is, When the Stars Go Dark. Her forthcoming novel is Skylark, on shelves 1/6/26. She received an MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996, and is also the author of two collections of poetry, the memoir Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses, and the debut novel, A Ticket to Ride. Her work has has appeared in The New York Times, Real Simple, Town & Country, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, and elsewhere. She lives with her family in Cleveland, Ohio.

Reviews

[Raisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The year is 1664. Aloutte Voland is the daughter of a master dyer in Paris, France. Her father is unjustly impressed Aloutte tries to save him, but she ends up in Salpêtrière asylum. In the asylum women are held captive and treated cruelly.

It is now 1939. Kristof Larson is a med student starting his psychiatric residency in Paris when Nazi forces descend upon the city. He becomes the only hope of Jewish families.
Two different periods, two different people fighting the injustice of their time .

I enjoyed both stories, but I was drawn more to Kristof’s story . For this book, I used audiobook format and I had a difficulty staying focused with the female narrator. I will recommend this to anybody that likes historical fiction specially World War II, and women’s history.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story with a dual timeline- one set during the 1600’s and the other WWII. The main setting is Paris, particularly the city that runs underneath and it’s many uses.