Shelf Control #163: The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

A little note for 2019: For the next short while, I think I’ll focus specifically on books I’ve picked up at our library’s fabulous annual sales. With all books $3 or less, it’s so hard to resist! And yet, they pile up, year after year, so it’s a good idea to remind myself that these books are living on my shelves.

Title: The Light of Paris
Author: Eleanor Brown
Published: 2016
Length: 336 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

The miraculous novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of The Weird Sisters–a sensation beloved by critics and readers alike.

Madeleine is trapped–by her family’s expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears–in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters.

In Madeleine’s memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been–elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie’s bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafes, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist.

Despite her unhappiness, when Madeleine’s marriage is threatened, she panics, escaping to her hometown and staying with her critical, disapproving mother. In that unlikely place, shaken by the revelation of a long-hidden family secret and inspired by her grandmother’s bravery, Madeleine creates her own Parisian summer–reconnecting to her love of painting, cultivating a vibrant circle of creative friends, and finding a kindred spirit in a down-to-earth chef who reminds her to feed both her body and her heart.

Margie and Madeleine’s stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be.

How and when I got it:

LIBRARY SALE!

Why I want to read it:

Eleanor Brown’s first novel, The Weird Sisters, was an absolute favorite of mine (and now that I think of it, I really should reread it). I’ve always wanted to read more by this author. I love the description of The Light of Paris — especially the discoveries about the grandmother’s life and Madeleine’s attempt to create a Paris of her own. I’m actually really excited to discover this on my shelf this week. I can’t wait to read it!

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

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Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
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4 thoughts on “Shelf Control #163: The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown”

I just looked up The Weird Sisters and it sounds so good, I need to check it out! This one sounds so interesting, too – I love stories about characters discovering/realising that their family members, especially parents/grandparents, are also people with secrets of their own, who might have done something once we can’t imagine them doing. 🙂 I look forward to your thoughts on it!

https://jessticulates.com/2019/04/24/shelf-control-24-this-week-in-books-24-04-19/