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.

A book of two parts culminating in a coming of age for Sophie. Firstly she is in Sussex living with Knox and his wife Alice in their sparse vicarage and acting as their drudge having finished her schooling . She had a French mother who fled France in wartime and unfortunately passed away . Sophie wants to find out about her heritage before Knox uses all her inheritance to his own ends. She flees the village and goes to Paris to discover her past and her true self.
Beautifully written and well portrayed characters leading to an exquisite finale.
It is a slow moving book but it for hold one’s attention

Sophie has always wanted to go to Paris because of the stories her mother told of her childhood.
When finally her dreams come true and she arrives in Paris she finds that settling there is a challenge and not what she was expecting.
A slow moving coming of age story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Buchan’s most literary novel yet and as ever the writing is absolutely beautiful. It’s a true coming of age story, set in 1959, starting when orphaned Sophie leaves boarding school at the age of eighteen to become a domestic drudge to the vicar and his wife who have brought her up since her mother’s death years before.

The first half of the book is set in a stultifying Sussex village and Sophie longs to escape, instead finding not one, but two loves, which almost tie her down. Not to mention the thorny issue of getting hold of her inheritance before she’s twenty-one. Little by little we get to know her – as she gets to know her adult self – and feel for her sense of outsideness. The villagers around her are superbly drawn and as a reader you can actually feel how hemmed in she is.

Then, finally, to Paris, where a whole new world awaits. A different world, but an equally challenging one, although in different ways. Characters and settings here are wonderfully drawn too and the weight of the German occupation still hangs heavy over the city in so many small ways.

Although I found the story a little slow to start it completely absorbed me. More absolute brilliance from one of my favourite authors.

In June 1959, Sophie Morrel leaves the stultifying atmosphere of Digbys Boarding School with a rebellious sigh of relief, and no qualifications of note. She has to return to the village of Poynsdean in Sussex to the rectory of the austere Reverend Osbert Knox and his wife Alice, who are her foster parents and to a dull, dismal future.
Sophie dreams of more, she dreams of Paris, inspired by the stories her late mother Camille tells her. Camille flees France, pregnant, during the Second World War and is taken in by the Knoxs. How can Sophie get there? She has no funds she can access, zero encouragement, but what she has got is ingenuity. Can she escape her gloomy present, and become her true self?

I’ve enjoyed Elizabeth Buchan’s books for years now as she writes with wit and energy, and with devastatingly astute sentences that sum up situations to perfection. In a few broad strokes, we view the awfulness of Digbys and the Sussex rectory, poor Sophie. She is an orphaned square peg in a round hole in that environment. There are some vivid descriptions of creepy Osbert, who, for a vicar has very little kindness of heart. As for Alice, although I grow to feel for her just a little, lazy dissatisfaction sums her up, but she has the unerring ability to wound. Sophie herself is a fascinating character, I admire her from the very start, especially her independence of spirit as she bucks against the 1959 strictures for girls. At times it feels more like 1859, and Sophie is out of step.

The author captures the times, the expectations or lack of, and the small village attitudes and the disapproval, especially of her French background. However, she does find something good mixed in with the pursed lips, which, although it brings sadness. Ultimately, it also incentivises and awakens something in her. The novel is very insightful on the still reverberating impact of the Second World War, particularly the broken lives, and this is especially evident when the storytelling switches to Paris, where its effects are also visible. These parts of the novel are so atmospheric, its recent history proves highly relevant to Sophie as she investigates her background. Here she begins to gain her true identity, to learn exactly who Sophie Morrel is. She meets some very colourful characters along the way who help her to connect to the past.

This wonderful novel of an independent girls search for her sense of self encompasses a lot along the bumpy journey. She encounters love and loss, sadness and disappointment, occasional horror at the actions of others, as she learns the strange ways of the world. The author has me totally wrapped up in Sophie‘s life, egging her on and wishing her only the best, and with a sinking heart at the downturns. I love the ending, it finishes on such a good note and sums up one very key incident in her life and makes me smile. This is an immersive read from start to finish. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Atlantic Books, Corvus, for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

So in the mood to acquire a Parisian themed book and with Bonjour Sophie it looks like I will be in for quite the adventure. I have always had a love for Paris studying the language for many years and with recent booms in Parisian interest since shows like “Emily In Paris” I feel this will be a very highly requested read. Will be sharing more thoughts soon.