Interesting angle for the book, stolen artworks, lost love, new love and closure. A well written and interesting book. I liked the dual story running through the book in the past and the present.

In many ways this was a difficult book to read, as there is much about the cruelty, greed and evil treatment of the Jews during WWII. Then too, the lives of the citizens coping with war conditions and those who tried to 'hide' in France. There is much about high value art paintings and how they were confiscated and divided up, taken from the walls of many Jewish homes. The Picassos, Monets, and more - gone to Hitler, Goring and others. Art dealers and collectors - some legit but many not - also get mentioned.

We see this story through several pairs of eyes. Of main note are the eyes of Nicole as a hands-on eyewitness and who instigates Robert, years later, to trace lost pieces of her family's paintings. The reader will also find story twists through Kenneth, Alexi, and Sam.

A caution I would remark on is that since this is also a story seasoned with romance, some potential readers many not appreciate some of the more intimate bedroom descriptions. So saying, most of the story's focus is on the stolen art work and the difficult process of recapturing them and getting them back to the rightful owners. I found this interesting and learned a thing or two in this regard.

Tears may be shed and at times, breaks from reading may be needed; at least this happened to me. However, over all, The Lost Woman was well defined, giving what I feel this work of historical fiction deserves, that is, a satisfactory "well done!"

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

March 2026

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent to me by NetGalley and the publisher.

I love a WWII story that is well researched and makes me feel as if I am there. I want the author to write characters that make me feel like I am one of them. This story did all that. Sometimes I feel guilty in loving a war story. But there is so much more to the story than that. They are emotional, struggles, friendship and pulling together. A well researched story can also teach us history. Loved this story!

The Lost Woman by Karen Mulvahill is a book that ticks all the boxes of what I look for when I'm choosing something to read. It's written by a woman with excellent storytelling skills, it has a strong female character living and enduring hardhips during WWII under Nazi occupation in a European setting, and sometimes include a dual timeline. What's unique about this novel is that while it has the characteristics I just listed it expands them. Nicole/Nicky is not just the main character we're reading about in the WWII timeline, she's also one of the characters particpating in the decades later timeline. Robert Ames, art historian, is the main character in the more recent timeline who's hired by Nicky to find her family's valuable art pieces taken by the Nazis. Expanding on the dual timeline, we discover other significant characters in the WWII time period and how they fit in with the present period timeline. To say more about them would spoil the intriguing way that Mulvahill has woven them into the lives of the main characters. Nicole's struggles to survive as a Jewish woman living openly in Paris in the 1940's, and the hunt for the lost art and the start of a new romance for Robert, create drama and mystery to keep the book exciting to the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, dual-timelines, and romance. I received an ARC from Book Whisperer through NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

The Lost Woman by Karen Mulvahill moves back and forth between 1941 Paris and present day. The Cassin family owned an art gallery in Paris when the city was taken over by the Nazis. The Nicole's family is Jewish and her parents, both Freda and Andre, are taken by the Nazis. Nicole, their daughter, escapes and is hidden by their neighbor. All of the family’s art is confiscated at the time of their capture.

Nicole, now in her 90’s and living in NY, receives a letter of thank you from a US parachutist she helped during the war. This triggers her memories and she hires Robert to try and recover their family’s precious paintings. Her most sought after painting is one done by Picasso. The story goes back and forth from 1941 to present day. Nicole relives those days in Paris after her parents had been taken. Robert does what he can to try and locate the artwork. The story has many twists, bringing in people from the past, and including a short love affair that Nicole shared with a soldier during the war.

Ms. Mulvahill’s writing is well paced and kept me interested. Her descriptions make the story come to life and her characters are real people that we understand and for which we have feelings, both positive and negative. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.

art has such a pivotal role in the war. one that ive learnt more of over the years and have happily read many books surrounded it. and then needed to know more by going to learn further. it seems there is nothing the evil didn't target or try to steal. with this book we are taken right into the centre of that. we go back to WWII Paris to tell the story of one girl and her family as she tries her best to keep herself safe whilst keeping their gallery safe too. the worst thing imaginable happens when her family is taken from her and she manages to escape. i cannot imagine how the heart would feel ripped out if this was the case. and we know it occurred for so many. either with some being taken or simply being taken and split up. or the very real knowledge of where these poor souls were then taken to. i cant fathom it.
Nicola is who we meet that brings this story to life. shes just a young woman when war finds itself shattering her world when the Nazi's take over her family art gallery and take her parents prisoners. this only fuels her fire though as she bravely joins the fight against the evil. her fight for and with the resistance feels so vivid its almost like the danger is right her now! you can feel the danger and risks and all the things people had to do that they'd never thought possible or able to.
our present story line is still with Nicole but now decades later. and how Nicola is taken right back to that past when she receives a letter. and in doing so this brings it all up again and re-ignites her quest to find those things stolen from her not just in the painting but also in her heart. one particular painting of her mother in this part of the book made my own heart ache for her. how precious it must seem and what that portrait of her mother would represent after what they all went through.
the two timelines seamlessly weave around each other so they answer and then give more, tell their story and then give me. each part fills in more of the gaps and just makes you want to delve in for long until i was very quickly realising i was not going to be leaving this seat until i knew how it ended for Nicole and reading her story.
there was so much more to come from this book and i just loved it. Karen bought it to life. i read it like i could truly picture it and this only made the hits hit harder and the story feel like it could be someones own. the fact we know this must have actually been close to many people truth only makes me more emotional about such stories.
Nicola was so unwavering in her strength. her grit bowled me over not only in how she survived her past but also the passed she was determined to fulfil in her present. the world she lived in was harrowing. her need still to keep fighting was so powerful to read.
the ripple of that time for so many should never be forgotten. this was a stunning reminder of that.