The Paris Showroom by Juliet Blackwell

We meet Mathilde and Capucine during the occupation of Paris....mother and daughter.

Mathilde lives with her grandparents who are doing well under the Nazi regime.  She has lived with them for years because her mother had left.

Capucine and her father Bruno were taken away. 

Bruno went to a concentration camp, and Capucine was sent to a camp that was in a Parisian furniture store...Levitan. 

In this store the Jewish prisoners were made to sort and then sell the items the Germans had taken from the homes of Jewish families who were evacuated from their homes.  The German officers would "shop" in the store.

Some of the workers found the things from their families and made their time in the furniture store even worse.

The prisoners also confiscated personal papers they found for anyone who may survive and have something of their loved ones. That was one way they could defy the enemy.

We follow Mathilde and Capucine both present and past through alternating chapters.

Loved learning about the gorgeous fans Capucine's father made before the war and that spoke to others simply by where the fan was placed on one's face or heart.
 
You will LOVE the characters as we also meet men and women in the French Resistance.

You will be amazed at how the prisoners in this furniture store camp worked together to keep spirits up. 

I had never heard of this camp and what was going on inside. 

Such interesting facts and research but that obviously included the heartbreaking situations of WWII.

THE PARIS SHOWDOWN will keep your interest even though it is a bit confusing at first with all the characters.

Another book Juliet Blackwell fans won’t want to miss. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

The Kew Gardens Girls At War by Posy Lovell

It is WWII - men are enlisting, the women are left alone, and Kew Gardens is again looking for women to help.

Daisy’s mother, Ivy, had worked at Kew Gardens during the last war, and Daisy was excited to help. She knew it would help her to not miss her husband so much.

We learn about what the Londoners went through and learn about Anderson Bomb Shelters.

We get to visit with Ivy and Louisa again and see new friendships and old ones continuing and blossoming along with all the flowers and vegetables being grown.

We also get to meet new characters that will warm your heart. 

You will love the strength of the women and how they all work together to help each other get through each of their darkest times.

And you can’t have a wartime book without love. Love that is lost because of war as well as love that is difficult to achieve because of prejudices. 

A lovely, lovely read despite heartbreaking war situations. 

This book is very enjoyable and uplifting just as the first KEW GARDENS book was.

You do not need to read the first book to enjoy this book, but my review of THE KEW GARDENS GIRLS is HERE if you want to check it out and see how Ivy's mother and Louisa warmed the  hearts of readers when they were young.  5/5

This book was given to ​me by​ the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Spotlight of I've Worn Many Hats by Anne Hamilton Fowler

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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I'VE WORN MANY HATS

ANNE HAMILTON FOWLER

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.

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Check out the trailer here.

"I’ve Worn Many Hats” is an inspirational read that demonstrates our human frailties, one’s ability to survive personal adversity, and how we can learn to forgive both ourselves and others. It is a story of redemption." - TAKEN FROM AMAZON

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PRAISE FOR I'VE WORN MANY HATS:

 

"I couldn’t put your book down and read it over the course of a weekend.

 

It flowed so well and I found it a very honest, courageous and humble account of an extremely interesting life and because of that it is a great book.

 

If you failed to tell the low points, the book would have failed.  I wondered about your children, grandchildren, etc. discovering something that would change their opinion about Grandma, but then I thought, if it were me I would think she was a hero.

 

Your stories were so wonderful about growing up in the 50’s encountering life as it was back then. As a woman a bit younger, I could relate to so many of them.

 

Your account of redemption was very moving as it always is a joy to hear others’ testimony of their journey to God and their search for meaning and purpose.

 

The heart always knows when it is in the right place and when it is not.  The work you have accomplished in Honduras as one person is nothing short of miraculous.  

 

God has blessed your life for sure.  

 

You have transformed the lives of so many which must be so rewarding.  

 

You could have just shared your accomplishments but they wouldn’t have had the impact without the story of what brought you to this place of evolvement.

 

Your story will inspire others to reach out, to grow, to reflect and to evolve.  

 

It gives us hope.

 

What a story Anne.  I loved it from beginning to end."

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ABOUT I'VE WORN MANY HATS:

Get ready to experience a roller coaster ride of emotions!  Laughter, sadness, empathy, outrage.

Canadian Anne Hamilton Fowler appeared to have it all. However, life is not always as idyllic as it seems and at age twenty a series of events almost destroyed her.

 

Emerging from the wreckage she reinvented herself, started over and proceeded to live on the edge with a risk-taking life style.

 

Then, in 1993 an event experienced during a trip to Central America changed everything.     

                     
“I’ve Worn Many Hats” is an inspirational read that demonstrates our human frailties, one’s ability to survive personal adversity and how we can learn to forgive both ourselves and others. It is a story of redemption.

Anne Fowler is a retired Canadian who divides the year between her Haliburton summer cottage and a home in Central America. This memoir is her first book and all proceeds will be used to support Anne’s ongoing humanitarian projects in Honduras.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Fowler, only child of Audrey and Stewart Hamilton, was raised in Toronto where she attended Leaside High School and Toronto Western Hospital School of Nursing. 

In 1962 American Airlines beckoned her to Dallas, Texas and life in the sky as a flight attendant. 

Twice divorced, Anne first married a young minister from Louisiana and then long-time best friend Dr. Bob Fowler of Toronto. 

They raised a daughter and son who later produced one grandchild each… a grandson and granddaughter. 

In 2001, Anne retired, closed her company Hamilton Enterprises and left behind a thirty-year career in Human Resources. 

She relocated to El Progreso, Honduras to volunteer at a clinic where ophthalmic and dental care are provided for patients who lack the funds to be treated elsewhere. 

During this time, Anne developed the Visiting Doctor program for international ophthalmologists, started the Healthy Living Education project in local elementary schools, and helped with a variety of clinic and community activities. 

In 2005, after purchasing property in the small north coast village of El Porvenir, she built Hamilton Benest House, a home that provides accommodation for visiting dentists, doctors, teachers and other volunteers. 

Her major program in 2021 is Phase Two of the Healthy Living Program. This annual dental program, conducted by two Canadian dental teams, provides dental care for over 1,000 elementary school students. 

Anne's programs continue to thrive and she is still developing community initiatives designed to improve the lives of Hondurans. 

Anne divides her year between El Porvenir and her Haliburton cottage north of Toronto.

FIND ANNE ON HER WEB PAGE HERE

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