The French Photographer by Natasha Lester. (2019).
**5 out of 5 stars**
Paris, 1942. Jess’s modelling career ends abruptly and she manages to get assigned to the war in Europe as a photojournalist. The army men make her life as difficult as possible but three friendships keep Jess going: journalist Martha, paratrooper Dan and a little girl called Victorine. But Jess’s success comes at a price…
France, 2005. Australian art curator D’Arcy arrives at a beautiful chateau to manage a famous collection of photographs. Then D’Arcy uncovers the true identity of the mysterious photographer and discovers that the photographer is corrected to D’Arcy’s own mother, Victorine.
Wow. Another 5 star read from this author! Historical war fiction is not one of my favourite genres but lately there has been some pretty great books that I’ve enjoyed in this category and The French Photographer is definitely one of them. I love that this author has such strong, intelligent female leads that are ahead of their time – I find myself so drawn to these characters and admiring them. I didn’t want to put this book down. The best way I can describe how I felt while reading this novel would be: you know your heart is going to hurt at some point but you keep reading because you just can’t stop, and you still hold out hope that it will be a perfect ending for the characters you’ve fallen in love with. The dual narratives work perfectly together and both are intriguing and absorbing. Don’t miss out on this enchanting narrative!
