Why a Booktrail?
ww2: A whirlwind tour of the musical halls of cities including Paris and Berlin and the changes that war brings with it.
Wild Lavender
What you need to know before your trail
Simone Fleurier leaves her home in Provence to move to Marseille on the orders of her uncle who sends her into a life of hardship and poverty with her great Aunt. It is a horrible time for her but it’s also the time that she discovers the music hall of the city and a dream that will eventually take her to Paris and across the world
From Paris, to Berlin to New York, Simone becomes a star as she has always wanted to be, but the journey to the top is a perilous one and war is just around the corner. Hitler is on the move and there is group of people, the resistance in France trying to stop their advancement. But war has a way of destroying everything in its path.
Simon is eager to see her family again but now she has a role in the world stage. She is famous and with fame comes a spotlight that it hard to escape from.
Travel Guide
With real historical figures and fictional characters woven onto such a rich background of tapestries, from the stages of the best musical halls in the world to staring war in the face, this trail is also a tour of the musical halls in and around Europe and the rise of a musical star as the rise of Hitler casts a dark cloud over Europe.
Provence
From the farm in Sault,Provence, a simple life on the lavender farm beckons. The aroma here is one of fragrant fields of flowers where the people are as dark as aubergines and breakfast is a mix of sausages, goat’s cheese and olive oil. This life however does not last long.
Marseille
Simone is wrenched from her quiet life to the trials of working in a large house in Marseille. From the very first moment she visits the Le Chat Espiègle, she is charmed by the women there and the feelings the stage instills in her. The Canabiere is the area she gets to know well and she runs back and forth to her job in the house and her performances on stage.
Paris and Berlin
The two big cities of their time and the most iconic in the story. These are the cities Simone knows the best for she blossoms here and becomes the musical star she yearns to be. From such iconic places such as The World Fair, the Casino of Paris and the Folies Bergère she gets a name for herself but as war beckons and she falls into the group of the Resistance, her life takes a dangerous turn, Occupied Paris takes up most of the latter part of the story and its here where famous singers mingle with soldiers on the streets, where the occupation makes strangers out of friends.
Travelling to Germany during this time is fraught with danger. The music halls are alive and well but famous historical figures merge with the characters to give a sense of the order and the fear. Meeting at the Romanisches Cafe, the literary and art world opens up to Simone.
New York and South America
Musical career may take her here – Broadway no doubt – romantic and musical interlude in the story.
Booktrailer Review
Clare: @/thebooktrailer
The blurb is slightly misleading in my opinion though as lavender or the significance of it has nothing really to do with the plot. It’s a story of one woman’s search for her place in the world, her love of music and her strength to break away from her poor background and to make something of herself. It’s also a bit long if I’m honest and I think a shorter novel would have packed a stronger punch but having said that I loved being immersed in the backstage gossip and danger of the musical halls. This book should really come with a soundtrack!
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