Madeleine goes home to Magnolia to visit her mother simply out of familial obligation. She and her mother have never really gotten along. Now Madeleine's marriage is struggling and she knows she's disappointed her mother once again. During her visit, she discovers her grandmother's journals. Her grandmother was a stoic woman, always perfectly behaved in every situation, so Madeleine is shocked to learn that her grandmother had quite the time in Paris when she was young.
Margie feels completely out of place in the debutante world that she has been raised to embrace. When her only option for marriage is simply one of convenience and a good business deal, she rebels and flees to Europe for a grand tour with her cousin.
In The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown, both Madeleine and Margie need the strength to pursue their goals and dreams and break free from the mold their mothers and society has fashioned for them. Paris may just be the answer.
Both main characters really need a push to take back their own destinies. They have spent their lives as passive women, making decisions that they felt would please others instead of what would make themselves happy. It's the age-old story of mother vs. daughter but Brown gives it a fresh voice and a new life in her lovely new novel.
With a lyrical writing and a sassy tone from women who keep their true voices hidden from the world, I fell for The Light of Paris. Madeleine and Margie are real women--struggling with weight and appearance issues, lack of love and the confines that society has used to define the proper role of women. Essentially, they both have huge self-esteem problems. Yet, they are funny and interesting and saucy and women that I would absolutely want to be friends with.
The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown is an enchanting novel with characters so honest and true the reader can't help but root for them.
The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown is published by Putnam and released on July 12, 2016.
**I received a complimentary copy of The Light of Paris. All opinions are my own. No compensation was received.**
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