Sophie's Little Library

The Paris Secret  By Natasha Lester 1928: Skye Penrose is a free-spirited 10 year old, growing up in an isolated Cornish cottage with her irascible younger sister Liberty and her outcast mother, when she meets 11 year old Nicholas Crawford. They quickly form the kind of close friendship that can only be described as soulmates. 1939: Skye, now a talented pilot, joins the war effort in the limited way she is allowed to by the men who don’t believe women should be able to fly planes. In her dangerous role, she comes across her estranged sister and Nicholas, who she hasn’t seen since she was 14, and who is now engaged to Frenchwoman Margaux Jourdan. 1947: Christian Dior releases his first collection of clothing to a country and world desperate for beauty and extravagance after years of war and utter despair. He names a perfume after his flower-loving, Resistance-fighting sister Catherine. 2012: Kat Jourdan is a fashion conservator, who comes across a wardrobe full of 65 haute c...

It never fails to amaze me how a book can be simultaneously horrifying and beautiful. ⁣ ⁣ This is a story about Róża and Shira, a Jewish mother and daughter, who have fled their home after the Nazis moved through their village, killing the rest of their family. The book opens with Róża and Shira hiding in the loft of a barn desperately trying to hold completely still and not make any noise. Jennifer Rosner details their life hiding in the barn so well, even I was fearful of making any noise while reading. ⁣ ⁣ Shira is 5 years old and a musical prodigy. To help her keep quiet, her mother whispers a story to her about a young girl living in an enchanted garden who must be quiet - but her small yellow bird who is free to sing loudly. Shira expresses her music through this imaginary bird, who she keeps cupped safely in her hands. ⁣ ⁣ For a long time, the story is about life in the barn and keeping as quiet and still as possible. In time, as German soldiers are circling closer to their ...