The Black Swan of Paris: A WWII Novel

I am always interested in ready novels or historical fiction set around the time of WWII because it is a time I remember well. My late husband was a WWII Veteran stationed in Paris. So I heard lots of stories from him. Karen Robard's "The Black Swan of Paris," can't be clearly identified by me as to whether Robard's wanted to write a fantasy, romance novel, or just incorporate horrific depictions of torture. In any event, this work, although well-intentioned in depicting the life of the French under the Vichy /Nazi government, falls short of being a worthwhile read. The characters are not believable or relatable. I wish that Robard's had a clearer vision of what she wanted to convey in a non-melodramatic manner.

I love Karen Robards' books, but another reason to choose this book: My mother, 1st Lt. Dorothy Louise Vipond, was a graduate of Grace Hospital School of Nursing, an R.N. She and many of her colleagues enlisted in the U.S. Army during the early years of WWII. She served in N. Africa and Italy. Her stories of those years were inspiring and fostered a deep interest in books set during that time period. So thank you, Ms. Robards, for this wonderful book... And thank you mom, for your wonderful example. I'm sure Heaven is even more breathtaking than you imagined.

When I heard that Karen Robards new book was to take place during WW2 I was not happy. She is one of my favorite authors and always look forward to her books. I don't like books that take place in the past and WWII is a period of time I really don't care to read about. I started reading and withing a few pages I fell in love with the Black Swan. Karen Robards has a way of bringing the reader into the lives of the characters so you become part of the story. The story is fast paced when it needs to be and slows down when it needs to so the reader can feel the emotion going on inside each character. I felt like I was watching an action movie at times and a great love story at the same time.Well done Karen Robards. I will never doubt you again.

It took awhile for me to sink into this story but when I did I couldn't put it down. I am an avid history buff including all wars. I respect a fiction writer who gets the facts correct when referring to historical events. I instantly related to the protagonist being grief stricken as I have been too. Karen Robards has either suffered such is a or researched this issue very well. This book has well written characters, intrigue, action, adventure and of course love in many forms. I recommend this read for all the book lovers out there who can appreciate all the complications of a good war story. This book is certainly that!

Hard to put down. Nice blend of facts about WWII and the fictional story. Highlights the sacrifices of the people who went through this terrible war.

This book was different than most of her books. It is set in WWII and has romance, danger and action. It will have you setting on the edge of your seats while you reading it. Could not put it down. Hope to see more like this.

As usual this author does not disappoint. The story was riveting, the characters memorable and I couldn’t put it down.

A fast summer rea d, but very predictableCharacter development s too straight fowad...in other words, predictable!. Country and city descriptions are good. Probably it will make an adventure movie and do well with the younger set..

Author claims to have devoted hours of study. She may have worked out the Americans landed on Utah beach but that is about it. Her knowledge of SOE or the resistance is poor. Laughably we are meant to believe key members of the resistance knew where the D-Day landing was actually going to be - they didn't for obvious reasons. They knew what to do when it happened.Too much clichèd romance novel rubbish and the final 15% is unbelievable.It could have been a very very good book as the premise is a good one. It was entertaining but I had to suspend disbelief, historical knowledge and skim passed the tawdry romance rubbish

Just couldn’t put this book down. Absolutely loved it. If you are a fan of WW2 resistance this book is for you.

The book was excellent from start to finish. Highly recommend to anyone. Excellent story line thoughout the book i just couldn't put it down.

Great story

I really liked this book a very good read