What Did I Think Of Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb?
I am so glad I listened to Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect – except that this book is set during World War I and takes places through letters. As it turns out, it’s a good thing I went into this book as a mostly blank slate.
Last Christmas In Paris is told mostly through a series of letters and really the stars are Evie, who is a privileged young British woman and her friend, Tom, who is an officer and fighting the Germans in the war. Evie and Tom correspond as friends. However, as time and the war goes on, that friendship deepens over the letters into something more. It’s as though they bare their souls to each other. There are some dark moments in this book, as well as some moments that seem a little bit contrived. However, it just all works and I adored this book.
I could not tell the difference between the writing style of the two authors -Gaynor and Webb. Overall, the book flows really well. It’s a great read if you like books that are told via letter and if you like the friends to lovers trope – particularly a slow burn. This does not shy from the horrors of war, there is loss in this book. There’s also moments of joy and beauty. We also see the contributions of women to the war effort and get to read Evie’s perspective through her newspaper column. I really do think this slim historical fiction book is worth taking the time to read.
How’s The Narration?
The audiobook of Last Christmas In Paris is 8 hours and 8 minutes long. I listened to it at 1.25 and 1.5x speed. It’s one of those books that I am glad to have listened to a little bit slower than is my custom. It made it easier to absorb the events of what was happening as well. There are lots of narrators for this audiobook too and I think each one plays their part to perfection.
On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does This Book Have?
So, Last Christmas In Paris begins and ends during the Christmas season. The book covers a lot of space though between the two Christmases – the wartime years where it is decidedly not Christmas. So, this is pretty somber, serious book. There’s absolutely a love story happening here. However, it’s not a romantic comedy by any means. This book is absolutely not on the Buddy The Elf scale, but pick it up anyways, it’s gorgeous.
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They are a very good writing team. I enjoyed their other book “Meet Me in Monaco” as well.
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