From the author of The School for German Brides, this captivating
historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post-World War II Paris
follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find
that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny
corner of Montmartre.
1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into
submission. Lisette Vigneau--headstrong, willful, and often ignored by
her wealthy parents--awaits the outcome of the war from her parents'
grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an
excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National
Guardsman, Théodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives
up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People.
She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the
impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into
famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her
past life is sorely tested.
1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of
her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their
absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At
the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in
a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her.
Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young
girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at
the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping
Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.
Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face
impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a
belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a
revolution of their own.
