Review: "The Lost Girls of Paris" by Pam Jenoff

What an amazing story! I couldn’t put it down! This is the story of the women of the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.), a clandestine group of British operatives that were dropped behind enemy lines in France towards the end of WW II. It consisted of mainly men, but women were used towards the end of the war since they were less conspicuous. The women’s purpose was to drop behind enemy lines and disrupt Germany’s plans. This included sabotage and manning radios. When they were caught, they were handled harshly and just disappeared.

This story is told from three differing viewpoints, Eleanor Trigg, the woman in charge of the girls, Marie, one of the young women who was recruited and Grace, a woman who lives in New York City that becomes involved in an unexpected manner. Using this technique, you become thoroughly invested in the story. All three story lines are unique and you want to keep reading to find out how they all come together and who makes it out alive.

This story is full of intrigue and story twists. I did some research and found that Eleanor and Marie’s characters and story lines are based on real people and events, although the names have been changed. This story brings little known events in World War II history to life and I highly recommend it to both teen and adult readers. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.