The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner

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Today I have a WWII historical fiction book to share with you along with Rachel’s Random Resources.

About the Book:

A heart-wrenching and unforgettable story of courage, friendship and resistance, inspired by the incredible true story of a Jewish ballroom dancer in Paris during WWII, perfect for fans of The Paris Library.

Paris, 1938. Annie Mayer arrives in France with dreams of becoming a ballerina. But when the war reaches Paris, she's forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. Then a fellow dancer offers her a lifeline: a ballroom partnership that gives her a new identity. Together, Annie and her partner captivate audiences across occupied Europe, using her newfound fame and alias to aid the Resistance.

New York, 2012. Miriam, haunted by her past, travels from London to New York to settle her great-aunt Esther’s estate. Among Esther’s belongings, she discovers notebooks detailing a secret family history and the story of a brave dancer who risked everything to help Jewish families during the war.

As Miriam uncovers Esther’s life in Europe, she realises the story has been left for her to finish. Grappling with loss and the possibility of new love, Miriam must find the strength to reconcile her past and embrace her future.

 

Review:

Told in dual timeline and dual POV, we follow Miriam in 2012 and Sadie leading up to and during WWII. Miriam has traveled to New York as her great aunt has passed away leaving Miriam to sort through her house and things. Miriam is haunted by something in her past and feels guilty for having any fun. She meets Lucky on the plane whose persistence in bringing Miriam out of her shell is fun to watch. Sadie’s story is one not to be forgotten as she lived through WWII. If you are looking for a book highlighting women with more strength than they know, this is a great book.

Purchase links:

https://amzn.eu/d/3MAASpc

 

About the Author:

Born in South Wales, Nicola Rayner is a novelist and dance writer based in London. She is the author of The Girl Before You, which was picked by the Observer as a debut to look out for in 2019, optioned for television and translated into multiple languages. Her second novel, You and Me, was published by Avon, HarperCollins, in 2020. In her day job as a journalist, Nicola has written about dance for almost two decades, cutting her teeth on the tango section of Time Out Buenos Aires. She edited the magazine Dance Today from 2010 to 2015 and worked as assistant editor of Dancing Times, the UK’s leading dance publication, from 2019 until 2022. She continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of finesse.


Keep in touch on social media:

https://twitter.com/AriaFiction

https://x.com/nico1arayner

https://www.instagram.com/nicolaraynerwrites/

https://www.instagram.com/headofzeus

https://www.facebook.com/NicolaRaynerAuthor


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