Paris in Ruins by M.K. Tod ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Paris 1870. Raised for a life of parties and servants, Camille and Mariele have much in common, but it takes the horrors of war to bring them together to fight for the city and the people they love.

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February 2021; Heath Street Publishing
978-0991967049; ebook, print (370 pages)
historical fiction

Paris in Ruins was not only a fantastic book but I also learned about a time in history that I knew little about.  I found myself goggling frequently to get more information.

The year is 1870 and Napolean has just abdicated when Prussia begins the siege of Paris.  The people are suffering both from bombs but also from lack of food and sickness.  Immediately after the end of the Prussian war, there is another war in the streets of Paris between the government and a group of radicals who want to overthrow the government   Paris spent over 2 years in shambles as a result of both of these wars.  The author immerses her readers in the tumultuous struggles of the two main characters.  

Camille and Mariele are both a part of the elite in Paris.  They live the good life and could have just stayed in their roles as pampered females.  Camille had always been outspoken and starts to nurse the wounded at a hospital in the Odeon theater run by Sarah Bernhardt.  She also spies on the group of people who want to overthrow the government,  Her brother is engaged to Mariele who seems to be a very quiet obedient daughter until she is asked to help take care of the children who are destitute.  As she becomes involved in their lives, she begins to question the gap between the rich and the poor.  Both of these women change from being pampered debutants to being strong viable women who want to help the people of Paris as much as they can.  The stronger they both become, the more their friendship grows.

This was a fantastic historical fiction book about a time in history that is rarely written about.  The author has done extensive research and it shows on every page.  The two main female characters are distressed about the wars and how they are affecting the people in the city that they love but they both grow to become strong resilient women willing to do whatever they can to save their city and its people.  I highly recommend Paris in Ruins.

War has a way of teaching lessons—if only Camille and Mariele can survive long enough to learn them.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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