Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb 5

 

"You hoped we would cease our fighting for Christmas Day. Well, much to my shock and that of all the other men, my commanding officer called a truce for the day. We crawled out of our holes, the Germans too, and shared a biscuit or two sent from home, or a smoke. Evie, to lay down our arms and shake hands with the Germans like comrades---I can't describe how incredible it was."   

            -Thomas Harding, 1914, from the novel

I found this book just after experiencing an opera called "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914." The truce was a very small part of the novel, but I selected the quote that referred to the same event as the opera.

This book is epistolary which means the story is told through a series of letters, telegrams and the like. Another such novel is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows which I read several years ago and loved. I adored this one, as well. It gets a 5 rating. 

In 1914 Thomas Harding goes to war along with good friend, Will Elliott, brother of Evelyn Elliott, an almost lifelong friend of Thomas. The three Brits continue correspondence for much of the book, particularly Evelyn called Evie and Thomas called Tom. Evie also writes to her friend Alice on nursing duty in France. Other correspondents are family members and work associates. It is amazing how vivid a story can be when told in this way. I actually found it a page turner.

I forgot to mention the Prologue set in 1968 when Tom is an ailing octogenarian heading to Paris for Christmas with his caregiver to fulfill a promise. The story flashes back to this setting a few times and the Epilogue, 1969, fills in some blanks in the story.

Last Christmas in Paris is thoroughly researched, extremely well-written and a captivating story. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction.