Bonjour Sophie is a coming-of-age story set in post-war England and Paris. Sophie leaves school at eighteen and becomes an unpaid servant to her foster parents at a vicarage in a Sussex village. Her mother had fled France in the war at her husband's behest to safeguard her pregnancy. She had died in Sussex, having provided for her daughter's education, but Sophie's foster father had control of her money. He didn't have Sophie's best interests at heart. She lives life despite her foster parents but yearns to escape and discover her heritage. Sophie experiences life in vivid colour and gradually appreciates where she came from, who she is, and what she can be. The pacing mirrors the pace of Sophie's life, accelerating as she goes to Paris. I like the evocative setting of time and place, the characterisation, and the contrast between life in Sussex and life in Paris.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A wonderful book - I enjoyed every moment. I loved the main character (who would be the same age as my mother) and willed her along all the steps of her journey to discover her deceased parents and, most importantly, to discover herself in a new world where women can be independent. A must read!

Sophie's parents were both resistance fighters in Paris but when her mother becomes pregnant her father arranges for his wife to leave France. Arriving in England Camille is taken in by the Reverend Knox and his wife, who continue to care for Sophie after her mother's death. In 1959 when Sophie is 18 and leaving school she determines to find out about her father who was killed during the war.

An enthralling story of growing up and finding one's roots, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this book very much,although it took me a while to get into it as it’s quite slow paced.Set in 1960,it tells the story of Sophie Morel,whose mother brought her from France to a small village in England during the war.After her mother died,she was brought up in the vicarage by severe and unloving foster parents but she dreams of finding her father in France once she is old enough to travel there.However,her foster parents have other ideas for her and try to make sure she doesn’t leave until she is 21 as they use her as an unpaid housekeeper.She has an ill fated love affair with a local farmer, and several run-ins with her vile foster father, but eventually manages to get to Paris.
The second half of the book really captures how Paris must have been in the early 60s ,when Sophie’s life changes completely from the stultifying boredom of life in the vicarage to the excitement of working and living in the French capital.She tries to find out what happened to her father while making a new life for herself in France.I was very satisfied with the way the story turned out.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Fifteen years might seem a long time after the end of the Second World War but in fact its impact lingers on, as the author deftly explores in Bonjour, Sophie. For some, like Sophie’s foster mother Alice, war had been so much a battle for survival that even the slim pickings of life offered afterwards are, if not enough, then better than nothing. For others, there are physical scars but also mental scars from the things they saw and the things they were forced to do in order to survive.

Along with her dream of a more fulfilling and independent life, Sophie harbours a deep need to know about her father, a man she never met, including how he died. Was he the hero of the French Resistance she has always believed him to be?

Having made it to Paris, her first job involves contact with people who also looking for someone but for quite different reasons. She describes them to her friend Hettie as ‘drenched in yearning’. Her own search for answers involves some subterfuge, as well as ignoring the warnings that she may not like what she finds out. ‘War triggers vendettas. Paris was, and is, not exempt. Asking questions exposes secrets, and some are best left hidden.’ A brief glimpse of a more luxurious lifestyle proves tempting but, she realises, would bring the sort of obligations and constraints she has set her face against.

Paris offers Sophie myriad new experiences which help to banish, albeit not completely, memories of the disappointments, losses and unpleasant experiences of her life in Sussex. Yet even here, the buildings carry the marks of conflict. ‘The war was over. The war was not over. Peeling paint. Damaged stonework.’

Sophie makes a spirited and engaging heroine. She’s intelligent, witty and once she has decided on a course of action she is resolute – and resourceful – in following it through. I also liked the storyline involving Sophie’s friend and confidante, Hettie, who belatedly embarks on her own journey from the constraints of parental and societal expectations.

Bonjour, Sophie is an engaging, nuanced coming-of-age story that captures a world on the cusp of social change and I very much enjoyed spending time with Sophie on her journey.

Sophie, a headstrong product of the emerging youth culture of the early 1960s refuses to be typecast into a woman’s role of housewife and mother. Seeking excitement, adventure and fulfilment she escapes the confines of her society and heads for Paris. Europe is still emerging from the battle scars of WW2 and a world she could only dream of from stories told by her mother now becomes an alternative reality for this village girl. A series of incidents and events catalogues the adventures of a lifetime incorporating the memories and experiences of her family’s past. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Bonjour, Sophie by Elizabeth Buchan

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Historical fiction

Tags: World War Two, 1950s, Paris, attempted rape, family exploration/discovery, romance, orphan, forbidden romance, self discovery, coming of age

It's 1959, and Sophie is an orphan who, once she completes school, returns to the parsonage where she and her mother were taken on when they fled France. Her mother died when Sophie was 7, and the vicar and his wife made themselves responsible for her.

Sophie hates is there, and wants to find out about her father, whom her mother told her was a hero who died at the end of World War Two.

Sophie's friendship with Hettie is one of the bright spots in her life.

The social pressure is very felt in this book, and Elizabeth Buchan has done a good job of evoking it. The claustrophobia of village life, where everyone knows what you’ve been up to is well portrayed.

I found sections of the book predictable, which took away some of the enjoyment.

Whilst I found this book evocative for the situations, I wasn't as drawn into as I have been by other books by Elizabeth Buchan.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley, Atlantic books and Corvus, and to Elizabeth Buchan.

The novel starts in 1959 in Sussex as Sophie struggles living with her foster parents. She longs to break away and perhaps go and see Paris (as her parents - both deceased) were French. But there are many obstacles in the way. She nearly doesn't go as she falls for a boy. The quest to go to Paris is really to learn about who her father was as she never met him.

The first part of Bonjour Sophie is like something out of Dickens, although it is set in the 1950s. The second part is more uplifting as she attempts to find her own way in life and also to discover more about her father.

The settings are atmospheric and there are some wonderful characters, both good and bad. This book is quite different to anything I have read for a long time and is highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

4 stars ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Corvus for an e-arc for an honest review. This is a story about a girl called Sophie who wants to relive the stories that her mother told her when she was a child but she dreams of living in Paris. This is a lovely story and I really enjoyed it so much.

having very much enjoyed The Museum of Broken Promises I was really looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint. Gentle and slow moving story , nevertheless it hooks you in and you want to know more. A great holiday read

A coming of age novel that is full of warmth and determination, set in the 1960’s England.
Sophie lives with her foster parents, the Reverend Osbert Knox and Alice, his depressed, put upon, resentful wife. Sophie’s late mother, Camille escaped from Paris during World War Two, and gave birth to Sophie in England , her husband stayed behind to fight with the Resistance.
Sophie heard many stories about her parents and their war efforts in Paris and relatives in Poitiers, and that sounds more exciting than the life of duty and service that is expected of her as payment for being fostered.
Her best friend, Hattie, is also trapped , this was the era where girls are not expected to be too brainy, as that might scare of any potential suitors, and Hattie is being launched into the ‘ season’ in order to attract a suitable husband, marry and produce children, no career path here. Sex education was not discussed at school or at home, women were not allowed their own bank accounts, and from personal experience, women had to get the husband to give his consent for a hysterectomy, as it affected his marital rights!!
Sophie gets to Paris, and tries to sort out the mystery surrounding the death of her father. Hattie also has many trials and tribulations to face, in a time when women had very little recourse to the law.
This is a truly inspiring read about female friendships, strength and fortitude. Sophie is a wonderfully rounded character, headstrong and determined, she makes her own way in life, she is resourceful and curious. The stories about life in war time Paris are so full of emotion, and help her to understand about her parents and their bravery and sacrifice. Sophie’s exploits in Paris are joyful and full of the happiness she wants from life. I really loved this book, a five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers,Corvus and Atlantic books, for my advanced digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave a copy to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

I am a great fan of Elizabeth Buchan and have enjoyed her acerbic take on life and her ability to cut through sentiment and reach the heart of a character or issue.

I do not know if it is my age but I am beginning to feel a sense of 'novel bloat'. Rather in the way films now seem so much longer. The same seems to be happening to novels.

This is a wonderful take on the gap betwen dreams and reality, imagination and the day to day.

I loved Sophie and Hetty and their travails. At times it was almost 'The Pursuit of Love'..But sometimes I felt things were saggin a little.

But, still an excellent read and very enjoyable.

Sophie grew up in England with uncaring foster parents. Her mother died when she was young, her resistance -fighter father died in Paris in WW2. she goes to Paris to try to trace her parents families. A well written book ,involving the art world following, and during WW2.

1959 and Sophie has just finished school and is back home in a sleepy Sussex village with her foster parents, the local vicar and is wife.
She hates it and starts working on the local farm and embarks on a relationship with the farmers son.
Sadly that doesn't work out and she escapes to France to search for information on her father and mother.
Can she find answers and maybe love?

The era in which Sophie grows up is a familiar one to me, The nuances of society, the expectations of behaviour, caught so well in this book, and so unfamiliar to today. Sophie lives with the unspeakably awful Rev Osbert and his sad wife, desperate to escape them both. Her romance with Johnno is beautifully described and we feel the poignancy of what might have been. Arriving in Paris is a shock to the system rather than the hopes and dreams she had foreseen. Sophie is a resilient and brave character and carves out a new life.
This is a beautifully written book with so many layers of cleverly constructed writing. Elizabeth Buchan is an author whose books I enjoy reading. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this one.

A nice coming of age story about a girl who lives in sussex, goes to a boarding school but who has always dreamed of france. This is the 1950s so things are different then of course. It was good to know Sophie and get to know her as she got to know herself.

The year is 1960 and a young woman is growing up and becoming aware of herself and what she wants from life - and that isn’t an ordinary life in a dull English town, with people she doesn’t even like. After a short but intense relationship she decides to set sail for the Continent to find out about her family and particularly, how her father died.
The story then gathers momentum with Sophie experiencing all sorts of events in her life and has to learn both how and who she should or shouldn’t trust. She is given a taste of the high life and the chance to have a wardrobe of beautiful clothes and be wined and dined by rich and sophisticated men. For a time she forgets her plan to track down what happened to her father but towards the end of the story, her need to know returns and we are suddenly presented with the City of Paris and the story around her father and the truth of what happened to him.
This is both a pacy story and an adventure into life and the Rites of Passage for Sophie. The end is well crafted to also fill us in on what happened with Sophie’s lifelong friend. It is a really good book and thoroughly enjoyable.

Sophie Morrell lives in a small village in Sussex, but dreams of France, where stories retold by her mother were filled of her childhood. In Paris, Sophie learns of her beginnings, the reason why her mother ended up in Sussex. Written with love and warmth, ths novel is a must. Elizabeth Buchan has captured the life and times of the era and laid bare for us to enjoy. We learn of sophie's identity an all-encompassing story, of life, love, and coming of age. This is the second bhook I have read of Elizabeth Buchan. The first I did not enjoy, but this is a compelling read wrapped in history and the reality of war. A book I have thoroughly enjoyed and fully recommend.
My appreciation and thanks go to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus, for my advance copy in return for my honest review.

An enjoyable book half set in Sussex and half in Paris in the late 1950s/early 1960s. A coming of age story about orphaned Sophie after leaving school at 18 and being stuck in a toxic austere environment in a Sussex rectory with her foster parents, I must admit I did find this part of the book rather slow. Escaping to Paris to try and discover her family was slightly faster paced and interesting to discover Paris in the years following WW2. Well written and although a little slow in parts managed to engage and draw the reader in.