Believing

The Little Paris Toyshop by Lauren Westwood is the most beautiful contemporary novel that sank deep into my heart and soul. I never wanted it to end. I feel bereft, as if I have just said goodbye to dear friends – the characters were so much more than just characters in a book.

The tale deals with grief, loss and pain. This is not a unique condition but can affect anyone, whatever their age. We witness this in an eleven-year-old boy, two characters in their thirties and two characters in their twilight years. Different life experiences have brought them all to the same place – a life at a standstill, paralysed in different ways, by fear and loss. They each recognize the condition in others, and are determined to help them to mend and heal.

We see the heavy weight of guilt. “How long are you going to punish yourself for what you did?” We cannot change the past but we can learn from it as we step into the future. “He was a man with a past… Guilt, shame… But he was also a man with a present and a future.” When the past threatens to overwhelm, we must listen for the future calling us.

We need to be wise as to the voices we listen to. “When you told yourself a story for long enough, you began to believe it was fact.” We are our own worst enemies. We believe ourselves to be unworthy – and if we say it often enough, we believe it. But we need to realise that this is not the truth. We can be a better person today than yesterday. Our past does not define us.

All the characters have experienced different losses. “The gaping sense of loss that nothing could fill.” Each character has pressed pause on a moment in time – life has moved on, but they have not. They each need to believe that they deserve happiness.

The little Paris toyshop and the toys within it become characters in their own right. The Little Paris Toyshop speaks of a bygone age. The toys link to past memories, each crying out to be loved. The toymaker’s desire is to link each toy to the correct owner.

All the characters are beautifully drawn. They came alive in my heart as I not only pictured them in my mind but I connected with them in my heart and soul.

The Little Paris Toyshop was a work of great beauty. I savored it as I ‘lived’ through the pages. It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It has left me with a feeling of love and beauty.

I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON

The Little Paris Toyshop

In the tangled streets of Paris, there is a toyshop… 

A place where memories are lost and found, where pain and love, regret and joy are waiting to be discovered.

The old man sets the animals in the cars of the miniature train. A tiger with a jewelled collar, a monkey in a pillbox hat, a poodle, a dancing bear, an elephant, an ostrich with plumed tail feathers. The music plays; the animals trundle around the track. Their gentle faces have seen everything and reveal nothing. The joy, the sorrow, all the spaces in between. On the outside, they are smiling. Inside, they mourn the one that was lost.

When Sarah, a successful hotel designer, encounters a run-down toyshop in Paris, little does she know that her life is about to change. Against her better judgment, she agrees to help the elderly owner, Franz, save his shop and transform it into a magical destination for children and adults. She meets Tomas, a small-time crime novelist, who gives her a glimpse of a different life – one that can only exist on the other side of her own grief and guilt. But Tomas is hiding painful secrets of his own that threaten to destroy their blossoming relationship.

Can two lonely people move beyond the shame and heartbreak of the past to find their own happily ever after?

A spellbinding tale of love and memories lost and found. Perfect for fans of Joanne Harris’sChocolat, Karen Swan, and Jojo Moyes,The Little Paris Toyshopwill hit every emotion for readers who love literary romance.

Purchase link – https://geni.us/TheLittleParisToyshop

Author Bio –

I write emotional women’s fiction and intelligent romance. My books explore the darkness and the light of the human spirit, and take you on an emotional journey. My latest book, The Little Paris Toyshop, is a spellbinding tale of love, loss, memory, and Paris. Discover the magic and romance today.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @lwestwoodwriter

Facebook: @Lwestwoodbooks

Website: www.laurenwestwoodwriter.com

Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/Lwestwoodwriter/

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