The Room on Rue Amélie

By: Kristin Harmel

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby, Jacques Roy

For fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family - by the international best-selling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again - tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II.

When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband, Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too.

Charlotte Dacher is 11 when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can't imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart.

Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he's really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting - and an unexpected road home.

When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis - and to open their own broken hearts - as they fight to survive. Rich with historical drama and emotional depth, this is an unforgettable story that will stay with you long after the final minute.

©2018 Kristin Harmel (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Beautiful story, lousy narration

Since most of the story takes place in France, I guess they took a narrator whose French accent can seem pretty real. But so S-L-O-W, with so many gaps between words, she loses the flow of the story line itself. Frustrating to listen to. The written version would probably be much better. This is the first time I've ever felt that about an audible book.

Loved this book so much!

This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction! The naration is spot on and the story made me keep coming back for more. I felt as though these characters were friends and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Very sad

Struggled to finish the book
Too many memories of the terrible times
Well read
Too stark reality

expected me

I think I was expecting more, since it was so often compared to The Nightingale. Most of the story was kind of boring, no true character development. good stories, but they just fell flat with me. The ending was good, but that was literally the last 5 minutes.

Excellent!

Loved everything! Kudos to the author. And very well recited also . I enjoyed the book

powerful.

emotional and so real. ruby'$ story is gripping with love and strength and determination. beautiful.

nice story. bad narrator

nice story.
decently written.
didn't like narrator.
will have to read the book to see if it's really good.

Rue Amelie

A wonderful story. It held my interest from beginning to end. The characters were richly developed to make one feel as if they knew them
It is a World War II story unlike any other that I have read. I would recommend it anyone looking for a very good read.
Ger from California

surprise ending

no spoilers here. the story is solid 4 star. some parts of the story are very predictable but it twists at the end! the narrator was simply incredible and can imitate any accent! very entertaining! I loved that narrator and will be looking for more of her work. all in all, a great experience and a perfect beach book.

Loved this book!

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite Authors! This was a beautiful story! Another fabulous by Kristin Harmel !