Jacqueline in Paris: Before She Was Jackie – A Historical Biographical Novel of Love, Spies, and Betrayal

by Ann Mah

ІНТИМНА ТА ЗВОРУШЛИВА ІСТОРІЯ ПРО ДОРОСЛІШАННЯ, КОХАННЯ І СТАНОВЛЕННЯ ДЖЕКІ КЕННЕДІ

У вересні 1949 року юна Жаклін Був’є перетинає Атлантику і прибуває до післявоєнного Парижа — міста свободи, мистецтва і водночас небезпеки. Втеча від очікувань матері й розлучення батьків стає для неї шансом знайти себе. Франція зустрічає дівчину яскравими джаз-клубами, авангардним театром і бризками шампанського. А також — молодим талановитим письменником, чия пристрасть до літератури переплітається з її власною.

Але Париж не лише блищить. Йому ще болить: обдерті стіни будинків пам’ятають окупацію, вулиці кишать шпигунами, а минуле кожного знайомого приховує невимовні історії. Мимовільно Жаклін стикається з комуністичними рухами — прокляттям в Америці та частиною буденної реальності Європи. Вона ще не знає, що саме цей рік у Парижі змінить її назавжди, ставши основою для майбутньої легенди — Джекі Кеннеді.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, France, Historical, Book Club, Audiobook, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2022

About the author

Ann Mah is the author of the novel Jacqueline in Paris (due out Sept 2022) as well as four other books, including the USA Today bestseller and Indie Next pick, The Lost Vintage. Her food memoir, Mastering the Art of French Eating, was an Amazon best book of 2013, and a winner of the Elle readers prize.

Ann is a regular contributor to the New York Times Travel section, and her articles have also appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, the Washington Post, The Best American Travel Writing 2017, Washingtonian magazine, Vogue.com, BonAppetit.com, TheKitchn.com, and other publications.

As the recipient of a James Beard Foundation culinary scholarship, Ann studied in Bologna, Italy. She also holds the Level 2 Award in Wine and Spirits with distinction from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).

Reviews

[Ann Mah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my newest novel and I'm giving it five shiny stars of love because writing this book allowed me to escape to Paris when I couldn't physically go there myself; it kept me dreaming when the world often felt very bleak. I hope you love it, too. Thank you for reading!

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacqueline in Paris reimagines Jacqueline’s junior year abroad, which later turns out to be her favorite year in her life and one of her greatest influences.

In August 1949, Jacqueline breaks away from the Vassar College in New York, which felt isolated and constrained. She is making her way to Paris as she craves to experience freedom and what Paris has to offer: experimental theater, modern dance, and love.

She boards with de Renty family. Soon after her arrival, she finds out that Madame de Renty with her husband were part of a spy ring during the war. Her husband died in prison and she managed to survive. In north Germany, in the women’s concentration camp of Ravensbruck, where very few survived. Jacqueline has a hard time imagining it as she knows Madame with a gentle voice and dressed in bright colors, but now, she recalls some cries in the morning hours.

After the war, the communists become the new enemy. Some start working as spies for the government again. Madame volunteers in assisting former deportees, who were deported from France to concentration camps. Her daughter is involved as well.

Jacqueline’s experience in Paris is probably much more that she has expected. From observing the post-war Europe, visiting Dachau in Germany, to experiencing different culture and mind-set especially when it came to communism, and falling in love.

Jacqueline meets John, who is an impoverished writer with poor prospects. He isn’t someone her parents would approve off. She feels pressure to make a brilliant match, which in her mother’s eyes is marrying a politician from D.C.

John’s good friend is an active communist, which is shocking to Jacqueline that people openly know about it until a friend of hers explains that communism is like another political party in France. It’s not a taboo like in America.

There is someone Jacqueline suspects might have used her to extract information about her friends, classmates, and professors, who might be a spy for the Communist party. Then, another’s erratic behavior makes her second guess. Was she being deceived by someone she trusted the most?

Drawing from the real lives, the story explores the emotional and private side of Jacqueline Bouvier. Before she became an American icon, she was very private and guarded.

It involves a time, when Europe is healing from the atrocities of WWII, raising itself from the rubble and bullet holes scarring the continent. A time, when people are grasping a new ideology, which feels threatening to some.

With luminous prose, wit, and respect the story offers suspense and romance, which are woven into a fast-paced story.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could any of us have known back then, as we shivered in the parlor at avenue Mozart, that we were witnessing the battle lines being drawn for a conflict that would define the politics of our adult lives?

This might be one of my favorite fiction books featuring Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis so far. Although it cover just one year of her life, the effects on her life after are lifelong. We know all about her triumphant visit to Paris with her president husband years later. Her expertise in refurbishing our White House is also clearly enhance by her time in France. What we may never know is how did this time in France and exposure to communism impact the Cuban Missile Crisis and diplomacy with Russia. What is clear to me is that God used Jacqueline's postwar visit to France to bless and enrich Jackie and, through her, our president and people. While in Paris, Jackie stays with a family who was a part of the French Resistance and a woman who survived internment. For a nonfiction book about surviving Ravensbrück, I recommend The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany.

Thank you to Mariner Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Traci Navarrette · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just so…..boring! I slogged through it until the end, hoping things would improve. They did not. How many times can she “look through her lashes” at a man? Yawn. I felt like the peppering of French throughout the book was relied upon to class things up, but it was so heavy handed it was downright clumsy to read through. A disappointing read, unfortunately.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, entertaining historical fiction novel, based on true events, about a beloved first lady's time spent in France when she was a college student. It is realistic, and vividly describes the settings and Jacqueline's experiences, which are both delightful and intriguing. The author's notes are interesting and informative, and are truly appreciated. I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator, Ms. Caroline Hewitt, does an outstanding job.

[Sherree · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed. From other sources, I thought this would be a captivating portrayal of the enigmatic Jacqueline Kennedy. Instead it seemed rather ... tawdry. It never really brought Jackie to life. The thing I shall most remember from this novel is that Jackie smoked. A lot.

[Gill Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1949, Jacqueline Bouvier managed to persuade her very strict mother and stepfather to let her spend a year studying in Paris. She was being groomed to make a great match, not a great career, and she was an obedient daughter, but the lure of the French capital, and the lure of freedom from her mother’s rules, made her determined to get her way. This is a fictional account that sticks close to the known facts of Jacqueline’s year abroad – a year that would be pivotal for her, which she later described as the time in her life when she was happiest.
Right from the moment she arrives, the novel is a love letter to Paris: the grand Haussmann architecture, the cuisine, the smells of coffee and freshly baked croissants, the poetry of the language. Jacqueline throws herself into her studies, but can’t help but be aware of the shadows of war that still hover overhead. Her landlady, Madame de Renty, survived Ravensbrück concentration camp, and dresses in bright, cheerful colours by day but Jacqueline can hear her crying at night. At parties, she overhears whispers about those who were collaborators in the war, and realises there are some topics that must never be raised.
Jacqueline is surprised to find that some of her circle are Communists, because in the US, Communism is considered almost as heinous as Nazism. Gradually, she learns that the motives of the Communists are not Soviet-style revolution, but a society governed by fairness. As readers, this has added resonance for us, because we know she will later marry the man who brought the world close to nuclear war with the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis. It’s just one way in which her mind is expanded by her year in Paris.
Ann Mah writes in first person, so we hear Jacqueline’s thoughts and feelings throughout. Her portrait feels very true and full of empathy for a young woman torn between duty to her parents, and her artistic instincts and desire for freedom. It has long been rumoured she took a lover while in Paris, and Ann Mah portrays this relationship with great sensitivity. I also like the instinctive reserve of her Jacqueline who, even before her famous marriage, treasured her privacy and kept her innermost thoughts to herself. She was a person who was difficult to know, but this novel provides insights which feel very true.
Needless to say, I absolutely loved it! If you are interested in Jackie Kennedy, or a lover of Paris, or you just like beautifully written historical novels that provide fresh perspectives on a particular era, I strongly urge you to read this.

[AsToldByKenya · Rating 4 out of 5]

a surprising win. I usually don't like historical fiction when it centers a famous historical figure and a reimagine or fictitious exploration of their life. but this worked.

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Who did I want to be? I didn't know, but I suspected that if I didn't figure it out soon, the world would decide for me."

°•*⁀➷

This was a slow start, as most historical fiction tends to be, but boy was it worth it. I don't think I've ever actively searched out any information about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, but I can absolutely promise that after this read I will be.

When it comes to history, it is entirely too easy to hear a specific version of the world and believe it. Not because we don't want to know more, but because time must be taken and interest must be peaked. Ann Mah wrote, "History helps us understand the present" and I knew I was going to have to take that and run with it.

Jacqueline struggles constantly with the ideals she was brought up on, wondering what her life could be if she formed her own opinions, her own life, her own dreams. Being in Europe after WWII really showed her how much she didn't know, how much she had to learn. Watching her recognize the pain of a nation and respect and love what it's doing to rebuild was magnificent. The quote about the world deciding who she was, it broke my heart. Media truly does shape so much of our opinions on public figures, and while in this book Jacqueline had no idea what her life would be, it was very present in the pages as the reader that we do.

It added so much melancholy. It added so much weight.

Ann Mah captures Jacqueline's light so perfectly. We got to see the center of who she was as she traveled through Paris. We explored her life at her best, her dreamiest, her happiest. We got to see a Jacqueline most of the world has probably never tried to see, or love. I learned so much about her ideals, and her passions.

I know her memory will live on for lifetimes, especially if books like this keep coming out.

Reading historical fiction always puts a bit of a weight on my heart, but it's the weight of memory. And just as it's written in these pages, memory is a "museum of comfort." I hope this book can be a comfort to anyone who's trying to figure out who they are. I hope that now that women have the options they didn't in Jacqueline's time, all of ours dreams can come true.

Even if Jacqueline's dream life in Paris didn't happen, she got a year, and that's something.

- Paige

[Allison Larkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vibrant and sensitive. This is the Jackie Kennedy origin story we’ve been waiting for.

If you come to Jacqueline in Paris as an expert of French history, the Kennedys, or post-World War II Europe, I believe you will marvel at how deftly Ann employs her extensive archival and experiential research to capture surprising nuances of time, place, and feeling. But if you come to this book with fresh eyes, Ann generously gives you everything you need to appreciate Jacqueline's journey. Jacqueline in Paris is a marvel of research and imagination and is also an entertaining and dear coming-of-age tale.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before she was Jackie O, before she was the First Lady, she was Jacqueline Bouvier, a 19 year old college student, studying abroad in Paris, in 1949.

I am a big fan of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and I really expected to love this book. But it left me with mixed feelings. First the things I liked: We see a vulnerable Jaqueline, away from her mother's clawing control, and on her own for the first time in romantic Paris. She is expecting to discover the glamorous City of Lights, but the reality is a fragile city, still suffering the ravages of WWII. Jaqueline stays with the de Renty family, and later discovers her hostess was once part of the French Resistance -- and suffered the consequences. I loved this realistic portrayal of post war Europe. Despite the unheated rooms and rationed food, Jacqueline comes to love France, and it is a country that influences her for the rest of her life.

On the downside for me, some plot threads were not followed through. For example, Jaqueline goes to research her ancestry, and finds that her grandfather has told her lies, claiming that the Bouvier family came for French aristocracy, when in reality they were nothing but peasants. She reconnects with a cousin, but then the plot line is abandoned. Later in the story, Jaqueline takes a road trip across France with Claude de Renty, in which some really interesting things apparently happened, but they are related in a one page summary.

Although the novel was well researched, the author embellished a bit. Jacqueline begins a romance with real life character John Marquand. (There is no real historical evidence that this romance ever took place.) And then .. the book goes into a confusing, and fictitious plot line about John Marquand being a CIA operative (he was not) who somehow betrays one of the de Renty sisters. The book seems to hint at his alcoholism, but then that plot line is also abandoned. The problem I have with this kind of storytelling, when regarding larger than life historical figures, is that the TRUE story itself was packed with interesting details! And yet the author felt the need to create this fictitious Communist spy plot, that I did not even fully understand.

The other thing that annoyed me was that Jacqueline was constantly smoking. CONSTANTLY. Cigarettes are mentioned about every other page. Fans of Jackie O know that she was indeed a secret heavy smoker, and it was a habit she meticulously hid from the public. I don't think the real Jackie would have much liked this portrayal. Also I felt smoking was used as a "fill in" when there would have been much more interesting things to relay.

But still this was an pretty good read, and it had its moments. 2.5 stars.

[Helen Kappel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was like 2 different books. The first half was so boring. Hard to keep characters straight. No development of characters. Too much talk about smoking. Seemed like a travel log of Paris. The first half of book - I rated a 1.
The 2nd half of book was more interesting. I rated 2nd half of book a 3. It had more of a storyline rather than a travel log. A little bit of mystery. Finally a development of characters. Although none too deep except Jackie.
It took me 2 weeks to read this book / just not that interesting.
I love love historical fiction - but this one was too painful!!

[Catherine McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about a year in Paris? Mah dives right into Jackie's world before she was the woman everyone thought they knew! Highly recommend.

[Wendy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://wendyreadit.wordpress.com/202...

This is the story of what life could have been like for Jacqueline Bouvier the summer of 1949, when she spent a summer abroad in Paris with a few other college students. There's a lot of history here, a few years after WW2 ended and the worry and concern of communism affecting not only France, but Europe and the United States. Fans of Jackie Kennedy will definitely enjoy this story of what life must have been like for Jacqueline during this time. The war is over but hardly forgotten. Sep 2022 Pub Date #harpercollins @harpercollins

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can see why Ann Mah was drawn to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. They share the same elegance, intelligence, love of France, work as editors in New York, and an appreciation of the written word.
It is daunting to write about an icon. Readers can see the research and love poured into Jacqueline in Paris. It takes place during Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’s junior year abroad, a time that she later described as “the high point in my life, my happiest and most carefree year.”
Ann writes in first person, so we share Jacqueline’s thoughts and feelings throughout. The portrait is full of empathy for a young student torn between duty to her parents and her artistic instincts. Jacqueline learns about Europe through her experiences, instead of from what she reads in newspapers. The novel is a love letter to Paris. Ann Mah brilliantly depicts France’s long road of recovery after the war. There are many gorgeous lines in the book.

From page 158, “…there was an idea that wouldn’t let go, a word Ghislaine had used during our conversation: s’engager. In my mind, I had translated it as to engage, but now I remembered that it meant something else: to commit.
“On veut s’engager, Ghislaine had said about French women – we want to commit. She meant women like her own mother – who hadn’t been able to join the army or vote, but who had seen their country so damaged, they’d found their own way to resist. The war had altered Madame’s life in terrible ways, but it had left her with a commitment to her fellow female resistants that I deeply admired. I couldn’t think of a weekday that Madame hadn’t volunteered at the ADIR, the advocacy group for women who had been deported and imprisoned during the war. It was the type of devotion not often seen in the drawing rooms of Mummy and her friends.
“I wasn’t certain about any of the isms I’d seen floating around Paris – communism, socialism, conservatism, feminism – all of them blinking with their own particular signal… I felt something stirring within me, an indefinable hunger to do more. Paris was awakening me, giving me an energy I hadn’t felt before, challenging me to commit to something larger than myself.”

On page 220, Ann highlights a feeling that many of us have had when we are far from home, when we can forget our obligations and begin to dream. “I lay in Jack’s arms, listening to the snap and crackle of the fire and thinking about all the things that mattered so much back home and how they felt so inconsequential here in Paris. I imagined the life Jack and I could have together, and it sparkled with fun, and sophistication, and adventure. We would sunbathe on Mediterranean beaches, and visit ancient Silk Road outposts, and invite friends over to eat raclette on cold winter nights.”

Of course, there are difficult moments, too. On page 234, at a gathering of French friends, Jacqueline says, “I felt a dart of discomfort… {he} is telling a joke I don’t quite understand. The others guffaw, their big goofy grins captured forever with a click of the camera. Their laughter is a declaration of their familiarity, their particular humor, their relationships intertwined for generations. It reminds that I am different, that I’ll never truly be a part of their world, despite my fluency and Francophilia. I am right here with them, but I am not one of them.”

I’ll end a few lines from the Author’s Note: Most books about Jacqueline Kennedy Bouvier Onassis “gloss over her time in Paris, dismissing it as a brief, insignificant period in a life filled with great historic moments. But I believe that this year – the academic year of 1949 to 1950 – was when she was able to be her most genuine self. Far from the security and expectations of her family, before her tumultuous marriage, or motherhood, or the relentless glare of international fame, she was able to determine what she truly loved in life, and set out to achieve it. France would forever be her guiding compass… (the) French language and culture would remain her intellectual refuge.” If you haven’t yet read Jacqueline in Paris, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

[Chapters of Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Mariner Books, for the gifted copy of Jacqueline in Paris. {partner}

Genre: Historical Fiction
When: 1949 - 1950
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 9.27.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

This coming-of-age story allowed me to see a glimpse of Jacqueline, which not many of us have seen. While I know who Jaqueline Kennedy is, and I've always admired her style, I can't say that I know much about her or the person she was before she became First Lady and wife to John F. Kennedy.

I listened to this book through Harper Audio and was transported back to post-war France. I am so glad I chose to listen to this book instead of reading it because I would have mispronounced numerous names and places - the audio truly helped bring the story to life.

My only criticism about the book is that I felt the first half was sluggish. I didn't feel like anything happened until around the 60% mark. But, after that point, many events ensued, and that's when I saw Jacqueline's character growth.

The entirety of Jacqueline in Paris is full of stunning descriptions of Paris and the places that Jacqueline visits. It felt like I was walking along with Jacqueline as she experienced life free from her parent's control.

💯 Audiobook
😍 Captivating descriptions that bring the book to life
👩🏽Coming-of-age story
😔 Vivid details of their trip to Dachau
🐌 Slow start but takes off after the 60% mark

I recommend reading Jacqueline in Paris if you enjoy reading historical fiction books set in post-war Europe!

______

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[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

20-year-old Jacqueline Bouvier spent her junior year abroad in postwar 1949-1950 Paris, and in Jacqueline in Paris, Mah brings to life Bouvier’s time there, and its impact on the rest of her life. Thrilled to be away from the societal pressure of New York and her mother’s prying eyes, Jacqueline falls in love with Paris’s social scene – the cafes, theatre and art - while also slowly realizing that the city is struggling with the aftermath of World War 2. Spies abound while communism is taking a foothold in French politics, and no one is who they seem. Mah charts the beginning of Bouvier’s long love affair with Paris as well as bringing the City of Lights to life post-World War 2. This beautifully written story transported me to a Paris with which I was unfamiliar and focused on a lesser-known time in Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s life that is often glossed over; this book will appeal to those who love historical fiction.

For more reading recommendations and author interviews check out my podcast and blog: https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com and follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book. Enjoy!!!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacqueline in Paris is a fictional account of Jacqueline Bouvier’s (née Kennedy Onassis) junior year abroad in Paris, told from her perspective. The year is 1949 and while America has moved on from WWII, Jacqueline is greeted by a city and a people that are still reeling from the effects of Hitler and his war. She is housed, along with two other girls from her program, with a family from the aristocracy that tries to keep its secrets from the past hidden from these American girls. Along the way she finds romance, and learns what Europe actually suffered during the war.

I wanted to love this book, but it was just ok for me. It is well researched, and the characters are based on real people, and some of the story lines are based on fact. But I felt that the characters were shallow. Even Jacqueline. Not knowing the details until reading the epilogue, this story could have starred anyone. Also, there were storylines that started then nothing. Like when she goes to her families ancestral village to find out about her family. That would have been an interesting plot to follow. One short conversation with a shop keeper and nil heard. It felt like parts were either edited out or not fully flushed out. Having been an exchange student, I was very interested in this plot, but alas, it couldn’t hold my attention and I kept reaching for another book. The writing was very good though, and I will read the author again.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Lauren Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
I guess I just don’t really understand the point. Would have been better I think if it wasn’t connected to a real person. I don’t know it was okay.

[Amy Hagberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ann Mah’s novel is a portrayal of Jacqueline Bouvier’s transformative year abroad in postwar Paris. As a junior at Vassar College, Bouvier spent the year 1949/1950 studying at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris.

The journey begins with Bouvier boarding an ocean liner, embarking on an experience that will change her life. As the only Vassar student, she finds herself with a group of lively Smith students with whom she will later study. This voyage marks the start of Jackie’s immersion into an exhilarating world brimming with champagne, châteaux, theater, art, jazz clubs, and quaint cafés.

She lives with a host family, headed by Comtesse de Renty, a survivor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp because of her involvement with the French Resistance. Her eldest daughter may be a spy.

Despite the expectations of her own mother, who wants her to marry soon and well, Bouvier embarks on a passionate affair with the aspiring novelist, John Marquand. As her relationship with Marquand deepens, his claims of affiliating with Communists for research unsettle her, especially when she learns his “research” is for the CIA. Jacqueline views his behavior as a betrayal of their friends, yet it sharpens her political acumen, preparing her for her life as first lady.

The narrative presents itself as a memoir, a stylistic choice I found somewhat perturbing. I questioned the legitimacy of conjuring feelings and private thoughts of real-life figures. Did Jackie genuinely appreciate the appeal of communism, or was the author taking creative license? The exchange students were required to speak French at all times, and I was skeptical of Jackie’s fluency.

I didn’t care for the forward flashes of her future life and I found bits to be boring, but the diligent research and rich historical detail, coupled with the powerful sense of place, almost transported me to Bouvier’s Paris. 3 stars.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how author Mah interprets what Jaqueline Bouvier’s life was like in her junior year. She attends Vassar, but takes a year abroad in Paris. The year is 1949 and the scenery, cafes, clubs and the magic of Paris comes alive. With the Communist movement alive in Paris on the rise, it must have been discerning but exciting to be in the City of Lights.

A delightful novel and exciting to have a glimpse on what her life might have been like before she married Jack Kennedy and then Onassis.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The Lost Vintage and anxiously awaited the arrival of this novel. It did not disappoint! Jacqueline In Paris by Ann Mah is so much more than Jacqueline Bouvier’s study abroad year. While reading, I got a good feel for 1949-50 Paris. The author’s research of economic recovery and the political environment in postwar Paris increased my interest in that time period. I enjoyed this fascinating glimpse into Jacqueline Bouvier’s life before she became famous.

Fans of biographical historical fiction should grab a copy of this new release!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Meghan Cannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a historical fiction and this just didn’t grab me like I had hoped. It was hard picturing Jackie O throughout this book. I felt like it could’ve been any female, just used Jackie as the main character. Still kind of recovering from the reading slump of March.

[Lisa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely book expanding the image of Jacqueline Bouvier from an empty headed Debutante to a young woman who wanted to be something more than eye candy and a hostess for a wealthy husband. Miss Bouvier's Paris life was anything but glamorous as the group of Smithies shared little space, few opportunities to bathe, scanty food and almost no heat. Post-war Paris was anything but the City of Light but Miss Bouvier fell in love with the city, the people and the language.

There was a passionate romance, a mystery, foreign intrigues, the "Red Scare" and insight into the structured lives of the upper class young women. The strict conventions extended to the young men who were also bound by class and parental expectations.

I chose the Audible format and the narrator was fabulous, speaking perfect English and what to my unpracticed ear sounded like perfect French. With an Audible book the narrator can make or break the experience.

As someone old enough to remember Miss Bouvier as Mrs Kennedy and later Mrs Onassis, it was really lovely to learn more about her earlier life and how she was in her own right an extraordinary woman.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the idea behind Jacqueline in Paris. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is such a legendary figure, it’s fascinating to think about the fact that she was once a bright-eyed young woman who fell in love without pretensions or expectations for more. And I get what it was trying to do in exploring her foundation, and how postwar Paris and her youthful love affair influenced the woman she became.

But, the book still falls a bit short, and I feel in some ways, the issue is entirely due to my own subjective perception. I’m by no means a Kennedy or Jackie enthusiast, and while I know the basics (and some of the tawdry details of her subsequent relationships), I feel this is a book that required a more extensive connection to her full story for me to really understand. If I don’t know much beyond the superficial, can I really grasp the roots of her story? As such, I don’t feel this is a book that many can go into unless they have a strong grasp for Jackie’s full life story, as otherwise, it mainly feels like a story of a young woman in postwar Paris engaged in an ill-fated romance.

That’s not to say the research wasn’t well-done, as I did find myself captured by the landscape of Paris as Mah depicts it. But I saw no reason why this had to be Jackie’s story, specifically…there wasn’t enough for me as someone with only a passing connection to her life story to contextualize this narrative within what I knew about her already.

As such, while this isn’t a bad book, it just didn’t work for me. I would hesitate to recommend it, unless you’re well acquainted with Jackie Kennedy’s story.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on real events and Jackie Kennedy's year abroad in Paris, this was a really interesting historical fiction look at her life studying and (presumably) falling in love before she became First Lady. Great on audio and highly entertaining. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but the author did an excellent job writing a compelling narrative steeped in historical facts and details. There's also a wonderful author's note included at the end of the book. Definitely recommended for historical fiction lovers and Jackie O fans!

[Angel Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly boring throughout. The most interesting parts were almost certainly the most embellished. I suppose the embellishment is fine since this is a fictional account of Jackie Kennedys year abroad in Paris; however, it makes me think that maybe her year abroad was so boring that we didn’t need a fictional retelling about it. Still, the book is well written and I might try some of Ann Mah’s future novels.

[Bruce Holsinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book--lush, rigorously researched, wonderfully written, and with twists that will leave readers thirsting for more. Like the city that serves as its setting, the novel immerses the reader in an environment both intimately familiar and utterly new. A brilliant novel more than worthy of its intriguing subject.

[ARC provided by the publisher]

[Heaven Protsman · Rating 3 out of 5]

My disorganized thoughts:

This book was far longer than it needed to be.

If I had a dollar for every time the author mentioned "looking through my lashes"...

There was nothing that tied everything together at the end. It felt unfinished and ended so abruptly.