Book Review: One Summer In Paris by Sarah Morgan
Book Review: One Summer In Paris by Sarah Morgan * ♥♥♥♥ * Retails for $8 on Amazon
There are some authors that you can turn to when you’re in a certain mood or looking to escape into one. Best-selling author Sarah Morgan is one of those gems. When I’m looking for a feel-good story that has some depth – not quite a Hallmark movie (though I do love a good Hallmark movie) but something about halfway there, her books never disappoint. Plus, many of them take place in some of my favorite cities (NYC, Paris and London), which make them all the more pleasurable to read and write a book review for.
One Summer In Paris, Morgan’s latest release, tells the story of a surprising yet serendipitous breakup and how that encourages the heroine to take the trip of a lifetime on her own, and she describes some of the ups and downs of solo travel (on an ideal budget) perfectly. In addition to the light-hearted writing, what implored me to write this book review was the way it intertwined the stories and friendships and relationships between multiple generations. Genuine friendships between middle-aged women and women young enough to be their daughters’ friends aren’t frequently depicted in today’s culture anymore, though in the past it was common to have a dinner party or get together with people of all ages with the understanding that everyone was equal.
This rings true to me on a personal level, as I used to work for a nonprofit organization that encouraged young women to initiate friendships with the older women in their communities. Reading journal entries from these young volunteers and see how their friendships with these older women helped fill voids in their own lives and give them the confidence and encouragement they needed to succeed in their own lives, made it clear to me that intergenerational friendships are incredibly important. It gave me a push to strengthen my relationship with my own grandmother. You can read more about the organization and my interview with the founder and CEO here.
In the end, we’re all just going through the human experience and sometimes we forget how much we can have in common with one another. In this story, Grace and her new friend Audrey share a similar upbringing and help each other get past it in different ways. Their friendship results in Audrey finding a much needed job and the perfect boyfriend, while Grace’s solo trip creates a happy ending not only for her but for her mother as well.
Intertwining a love story with intergenerational friendships and a little bit of wanderlust, this novel is the feel-good beach read you need to pack in your bag to round out the summer. I hope you like it as much as I did. x