Until Leaves Fall in Paris

By: Sarah Sundin

Dakota County Library paperback 371 pages

Published: 2022

Genre: Christian historical fiction

The start of WWII in Paris. Lucie has been dancing with the Paris ballet, but takes over Green Leaf Books for her Jewish friends the Rosenblatts when they need to return to America. Paul Aubrey is running his dad's Paris factory for Aubrey Motors but has to work with the Germans. Paul's daughter Josie is four. His wife is dead.

Page 22: But words niggled in his brain, his father's words. "Nothing of any worth lies on the easy path."

Paul Aubrey wanted to leave Paris but was asked to stay and pass on info. As he struggles with wanting to bring Josie home or to serve as an intermediary, thoughts of his dad help guide him. I liked how Paul's dad had a presence in the story even though he was not really "in" the story until the very end!

Page 108: She matched his posture, leaning against the wall on the far side of the doorway. "Not everything God created is useful, but it's all good. He didn't have to create beauty, but he did. He didn't have to create color, but he did. He didn't have to create music, but he did. None of it useful. Then he created us in his creative image with the ability to make beauty and color and music. It might not be useful, but it's good."

Lucie is responding to Paul's earlier comment, "Isn't that typical of you artists? No gift that actually makes money is good." There were a lot of contrasts between the two of them. I like how the author made connections and tied it to God.

Page 135: Mr. Pendleton lifted a bit of a smile. "I'll explain this simple truth. If I were to ban sinners from this church, the pews would be empty. So would the pulpit."

 

Mr. Pendleton rocked! I love when he preached from the pulpit to his congregation who had been shunning Paul and his daughter, thinking Paul was a Nazi collaborator. Scripture says ALL have sinned and fall short of God's glory. Preach it!

Page 229: With the store empty, Lucie arranged the yellow linden leaves among the orange plane leaves and the chestnut leaves, her favorite. Each of the seven rounded lobules changed from green in the center to yellow to orange to brown on the serrated edges. 

Soon all the leaves would be brown, but that would be attractive too.

 

The leaf imagery saturated this book, but I liked it. The symbolism of a leaf having a darker side and a lighter side, the beauty of the leaves, the name of the bookstore, . . . this was well written.

Page 237: Her face took on a dreamy look. 'Art and engineering working together."

Form and function. Designing the Aurabesque. I would have loved to have seen drawings of this imaginary vehicle.

Page 294: But fretting had never once solved a problem. 

When Lucie and Josie separated from Paul after leaving Paris, she is so worried about him. I love that she reminds herself that worrying won't solve the problem.

Page 324 - giving thanks for each thing.

I thought about putting an image of this page here, but let me just say that I loved praising and thanking God even in dire circumstances. That's what Scripture tells us to do. I liked this story a lot and enjoyed the discussion at book club. I would gladly read more of this author's books.