The Room on Rue Amélie

By: Kristin Harmel

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby, Jacques Roy

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

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

The Room on Rue Ame’lie

I loved the book listened to it on Audible which makes book come to life. The book had many sad events, i know there had to be many good hearted Germany’s living during War World Il And this book tells that story. But i was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I hate when characters in books die. I will probably listen to the novel again. I always read my books many times. Very good read (listen)

Great WWII historical fiction

Great story, easy read, interesting characters, set mostly in Paris. Strong women characters (men, too). To those who know WWII history there won't be any surprises, but still very enjoyable.
I love WWII fiction, but wish they had gotten a man to do the male voices, or that the reader had a bit more variety to her voice.

Good story yet anti-climatic.

The basis of this story is an excellent one. I loved the idea, concept and characters.
The challenge I had with it was that the most important moments of the book felt a bit flat. When events that should leave you close to tears and heart-wrenched occurred, I found myself just moving on somewhat emotionless.
The narrator was ok. By the end I was used to her but her overall tone was odd. I didn’t feel like the cadence matched the characters well.

Don’t Skip It!

Worthy of your time, your money, and your attention. The story has some twists and turns that offer inspired reading and will bring a smile to your face as you become involved in the plot, the characters lives, and the belief that indeed good wins. Their hope for a better future is encouraging.

awesome

fast paced great read one of my favorite ww11 books. second time I've read it and just as good