Why a Booktrail?
1952: A powerful promise. A terrible sacrifice. A second chance…
A Paris Secret
What you need to know before your trail
In the fragile atmosphere of post-war Paris, Sophie Bernot is training as a heart surgeon. A young woman in a man’s world, Sophie is determined to bury her past and forge her medical career, whatever the costs.
Across the channel, Sebastian Ogilvie is burning with ambition for his first architectural project. As his schemes lead him to France, and to a chance encounter with Sophie, his future seems full of promise.
But when Sophie and Sebastian find themselves entangled in a brief, passionate affair, they each face a choice that will change their lives irrevocably, and a secret that will take years to be uncovered…
Locations
Reset- France - French Alps
- F: Chamonix Centre-ville
- G: Chamonix - Aiguille du Midi
- France - Burgundy
- H: Vézelay - Vézelay Abbey
- England - London
- I: Bruton Street
- J: Bethnal Green
Travel Guide
Travel from Paris to Chamonix to London
The story of wartime and a wartime romance. Sebastien lives and works in London and Sophie in Paris and the two areas are explored by them separately and then together. Very romantic even just after the war.
Paris
The life of the hospital, the streets of the capital come live here. The way in which the city becomes a place of romance even in war time is nicely evoked.
Chamonix
Sebastien visits this famous village. The church and hill at Vézelay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
Alleged relics of Mary Magdalene can be seen inside the Basilica.
Booktrailer Review
There was more than one secret in this book! Sebastian and Sophie’s story might have been the real one but there were other characters and lives their story impacted on. Lots of storyline criss-crossing each other but each one easy to follow and enhancing the next.
Finding out about how a woman during the war would have had to fight to become a heart surgeon was interesting. She had to fight so much harder and work so much harder than the men. There were limitations to her career advancement but she worked hard and I admired her tenacity. Then she met Sebastian and their relationship grows quickly. What happens next I’ve read about in many books and in real life too and it’s always the man who .decides or who controls things. Sophie here takes charge and whilst I didn’t agree with what she does, it was a refreshing change.
If I didn’t admire Sophie, I did, Sebastian. His story and family were really interesting and I would have married him myself by the end. Working in war torn London, his story was nicely written and compelling. Alfie and Ginnie were characters that rounded off the novel for me.
A good novel and there’s hope we can all meet our own Sebastian one day I hope.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: A Paris Secret
Destination/location: Paris Author/guide: Caroline Montague Departure Time: 1952
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
