Book Review and Giveaway: 13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro

** this giveaway is closed **

Synopsis:

American academic Trevor Stratton discovers a box full of artifacts from World War I as he settles into his new office in Paris. The pictures, letters, and objects in the box relate to the life of Louise Brunet, a feisty, charming Frenchwoman who lived through both World Wars.

As Trevor examines and documents the relics the box offers up, he begins to imagine the story of Louise Brunet's life: her love for a cousin who died in the war, her marriage to a man who works for her father, and her attraction to a neighbor in her building at 13 rue Thérèse. The more time he spends with the objects though, the truer his imaginings of Louise's life become, and the more he notices another alluring Frenchwoman: Josianne, his clerk, who planted the box in his office in the first place, and with whom he finds he is falling in love.

Note: The book is fiction, but the mysterious box on which it is based is real. Every item inside it, described in the book in intimate detail and photographs, exists.  We may never know the real story behind each of them, but the items themselves offer a peek, and it inspired a woman to catch that mystery, wonder, and inspiration in this lovely, movingly descriptive novel.

About the Author: Elena Mauli Shapiro was born and raised in Paris, France, in an apartment below the real-life Louise Brunet’s. Shapiro found herself in possession of a box of Louise’s keepsakes after her neighbor died and no relatives arrived to claim them. These postcards, gloves, photographs, coins, letters, and other mementoes utterly captured her imagination. Shapiro has a BA in English and French from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis, and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Mills College. Visit her website at elenamaulishapiro.com

Review: This is an odd book. That's the best way I have to describe it! Equal parts mystery, time travel and love story, it twists you around to where, like Trevor, you're not sure which way you're going. In the end it all makes sense, but it leave you with more mysteries. I liked that it was based on a real box- how many times have you come across something in an antique store and wondered about it? In much the same way, this book is like that tale unfolded.

The pictures of the real items are so interesting! And you can't help to wonder who the real people were! Many reviewers have likened the book to a puzzle that you solve while reading. I think it is much more like a reality based tv show that transports you back in time! The characters and dialogue are what makes the book so intriguing! But you should not speed thru this book- the story is in the details and they need to be savored!

Giveaway:

Winner will receive this review copy of 13, rue Thérèse!

Entries:

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Contest will end on April 20th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on April 21st, and emailed. As soon as winners' info is received, I will mail their book to them on the next mail run.

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from Hachette Publishing! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it!