Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Light of Paris
    Unavailable
    The Light of Paris
    Unavailable
    The Light of Paris
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Light of Paris

    Written by Eleanor Brown

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Madeleine is trapped--by her family's expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears--in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters.

    In Madeleine's memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been--elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie's bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafés, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist.

    Despite her unhappiness, when Madeleine's marriage is threatened, she panics, escaping to her hometown and staying with her critical, disapproving mother. In that unlikely place, shaken by the revelation of a long-hidden family secret and inspired by her grandmother's bravery, Madeleine creates her own Parisian summer--reconnecting to her love of painting, cultivating a vibrant circle of creative friends, and finding a kindred spirit in a down-to-earth chef who reminds her to feed both her body and her heart.

    Margie and Madeleine's stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 12, 2016
    ISBN9780451484826
    Unavailable
    The Light of Paris
    Author

    Eleanor Brown

    Eleanor Brown is the author of The Weird Sisters. Her writing has been published in anthologies, magazines and journals. She holds an MA in Literature and has worked in education in South Florida. She lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.www.eleanor-brown.com.

    Related to The Light of Paris

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Dream a Little Dream

      Aug 13, 2019

      Dream a Little Dream
      1 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Than Fiction

      Apr 12, 2024

      Stranger Than Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      Thrillers

      Jun 17, 2022

      Sean and Ali are professional grifters who spot their next rich victim to scam while pretending to be wealthy holiday-makers in France. They befriend her, pretending to be siblings, but the plan goes wrong and Ali is forced to go on the run to escape

      2 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jul 2, 2021

      This is the seventh book in the series about seven girls adopted and named for the stars of The Seven Sisters constellation in Greek Mythology. Their adoptive father has died and the girls of the previous six books, now armed with the knowledge of th

      2 min read

    • Article

      Roses and Reverie

      Mar 21, 2023

      Roses and Reverie
      1 min read

    • Article

      March Into Darkness

      Aug 1, 2021

      Meet Mrs March, a tightly buttoned-up woman living in New York’s Upper East Side. In her thirties and happily married to novelist George March, she wears her fur coat and peppermint kidskin gloves on her daily visit to a chic bakery for her olive bre

      2 min read

    • Article

      Film

      Aug 14, 2022

      Film
      2 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading

      Dec 27, 2020

      Summer Reading
      6 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Nov 2, 2023

      Great Read
      3 min read

    • Article

      Mary Newcomb

      Dec 24, 2020

      Mary Newcomb
      4 min read

    • Article

      Book CLUB

      Apr 12, 2022

      Book CLUB
      1 min read

    • Article

      Les Fleurs

      Sep 24, 2019

      Les Fleurs
      2 min read

    • Article

      FAMILY & FRIENDSHIP

      Oct 6, 2019

      Kelly’s debut novel, Lilac Girls, was a tender tale of sisterhood during WWII. The book took a fresh look at war from the perspective of women all connected to notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp. Jewish Kasia was sent to Ravensbrück, where Nazi

      1 min read

    • Article

      Rose

      Mar 1, 2022

      Because her thin white coat let the pinkof her skin peek through, and the tips of her ears were plushas climbing petals, and because her eyes were red and roundas hips, Rose was the only name for the albino rat my mother keptin a small cage in her be

      1 min read

    • Article

      THE room Reading

      Feb 24, 2021

      THE room Reading
      3 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Horrocks, Russo, Lenz, Zink, and More

      Jul 30, 2019

      New Richard Russo and Nell Zink, a darkly humorous coming-of-age novel, and a powerful debut on the faith and politics of Middle America. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Horrocks, Russo, Lenz, Zink, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      9 min read

    • Article

      Behind One of the Most Famous Faces in Art

      Feb 24, 2017

      I write historical fiction based on the lives of real people and put women at the center of those stories. These are women who have been marginalized by history or whose triumphs and tragedies have been forgotten by today’s readers. In my work, I’m i

      5 min read

    • Article

      For December, Forget Wrapping Presents And Treat Yourself To These 3 Romances

      Dec 12, 2017

      Escape from the holiday whirl with three tasty romances, featuring a duke with an epic library, a young girl finding herself in the big city and a proper lady finding love where she least expects it.

      2 min read

    Reviews for The Light of Paris

    3.5/5

    63 ratings16 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Großmutter, Mutter, Tochter – drei Frauen, die, jede auf ihre Art, versuchen, das Leben nach den eigenen Vorstellungen und Träumen zu gestalten

      Madeleine hatte schon als Kind gemalt und träumte von einer künstlerischen Laufbahn, was jedoch nicht ins traditionelle Gesellschaftsbild ihrer Familie in der amerikanischen Kleinstadt Magnolia passte. Als sie mit Ende Zwanzig den erfolgreichen Immobilien-Unternehmer Phillip Spencer heiratet und zu ihm nach Chicago zieht, erhofft sie sich mehr Freiheit, ein reges Kulturleben und weniger Zwänge. Doch hier irrte sie – ihr Ehemann erwartet von ihr, dass sie Repräsentationspflichen an seiner Seite wahrnimmt, dazu Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltungen weitere soziale Verpflichtungen ihrer privilegierten, vermögenden Gesellschaftsklasse; sie darf weder arbeiten noch malen, doch macht ehrenamtlich Führungen im Stabler Museum.

      Diesmal ist sie beinahe froh über den schon länger geplanten Besuch bei ihrer Mutter in Magnolia. Dort erfährt sie, das ihre Mutter dabei ist, das große Haus der Familie zu verkaufen und bei den Räumungsarbeiten findet sie auf dem Dachboden einen Koffer mit Briefen, Aufzeichnungen und Tagebüchern ihrer Großmutter Margaret (Margie). Völlig überrascht liest sie, dass ihre Großmutter, die sie als strenge, immer beherrschte Dame in Erinnerung hat, den Sommer 1924 in der pulsierenden Künstlerstadt Paris verbracht und dort ein völlig anderes, freies Leben geführt hat. Gebannt beginnt Madeleine nachzudenken, ob für sie selbst ein unabhängiger Neuanfang möglich sein könnte…

      Eleanor Brown erzählt die Geschichte der beiden Frauen abwechselnd, wobei die aktelle Zeitebene der Enkelin Madeleine das Jahr 1999 ist, jene der Großmutter Margie beginnt 1919, spielt jedoch vorrangig im Sommer 1924. Madeleine erzählt ihre Geschichte in der Ich-Form, während die Ereignisse des Sommers 1924 in der erzählenden dritten Person, mit Madeleine sozusagen als Beobachterin im Hintergrund, geschrieben sind.

      „Ich hatte mir nicht vorgenommen, mir fremd zu werden“. (Zitat Madeleine). So beginnt dieser Generationenroman, dessen Kernthema der Wunsch von Frauen ist, ihr Leben selbst in die Hand zu nehmen, ihre eigenen Wünsche zu verwirklichen und sich aus gesellschaftlichen Zwängen zu befreien. In den zwanziger Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts ist schon von den Gesellschaftsformen, insbesonders im Hinblick auf die Stellung der Frau, absolut verständlich, wie schwierig dies für die junge Margie, behütete Tochter aus gutem Hause, gewesen ist.
      Nicht ganz so verständlich sind die gesellschaftlichen Zwänge, die im modernen Jahr 1999 von Madeleine noch akzeptiert werden. „Ich hätte frei sein können, war stattdessen aber geradewegs einem Leben in die Arme gelaufen, von dem ich wusste, dass es nicht zu mir passte“ (Zitat). Dennoch gelingt es der Autorin, die Thematik und die Entwicklungen stimmig und nachvollziehbar zu gestalten.
      Die Figur der Margie überzeugt durch ihre Willenskraft und ihre Entwicklung im schon damals freien Paris der Künstler macht sie liebenswert und sympathisch. Man kann ihr anfängliches Staunen, genau so wie ihre anerzogene Unsicherheit, gut nachvollziehen und verfolgt mit Spannung wie sie beginnt, sich zu verändern.
      Madeleine macht es der Leserin nicht immer einfach, sie und ihre Handlungen in diesem letzten Jahr des 20. Jahrhunderts zu verstehen. Manchmal zeigt sie eine große Unsicherheit und es gibt Phasen in ihrer Entwicklung, wo man sie aus diesen unsicheren Zweifeln befreien möchte. Der Gedanke der Gleichberechtigung scheint weder bei ihrem Ehemann, noch bei ihr selbst angekommen zu sein.

      Die Figur und das Verhalten der Mutter und die insgesamt schwierige Beziehung zu ihrer Tochter Madeleine ist gleichsam ein Bindeglied der Handlung und erklärt sich der Leserin im Laufe der Geschichte.

      Die Sprache liest man mit Vergnügen und die Schilderungen von Paris in den 20er Jahren sind großartig, man merkt die gute Recherche und das Einfühlungsvermögen der Autorin.
      Ein insgesamt gelungener Roman über ein noch immer aktuelles Thema, die Spannung ergibt sich aus der Entwicklung der Hauptprotagonistinnen. Für Leserinnen, die gerne Generationsromane auf mehreren Zeitebenen lesen und auch die sprachliche Qualität und Unterhaltung zu schätzen wissen.

    • 4/5
      Some good parts. Liked the different people in different time. At least it had a good ending.
    • 4/5
      The Light in Paris was the first book that I've read by Eleanor Brown. I enjoyed it so much that I just ordered her first book (The weird Sisters) from Amazon.This novel is told from two viewpoints in alternating chapters - Madeleine in 1999 and her grandmother Margie in 1919. Both women had so much in common because they were both being forced by their parents and society to conform to the norms of their times and to become someone different than wanted to be. Madeleine is trapped in a loveless marriage and has had to give up her dreams of being an artist because her husband and mother thought that it was a ridiculous waste of time. Margie had given up her dreams to be a writer and was being forced into marriage because her parents didn't want her to be a spinster. When Madeleine goes to visit her mother, she finds Margie's journals about the three months that she spent in Paris pursuing her dreams. Will reading Margie's journals give Madeleine the courage to make changes in her life?The author did a fantastic job with the two main characters. They are both very complex but sympathetic and have a lot in common despite the years that separate them.One of my favorite parts of the novel were the descriptions of Paris during Margie's time there. I love Paris and I love reading books about that wonderful city. The author didn't disappoint me at all with the Paris that she wrote about.Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book, which I picked up on the recommendation of a work colleague. Many reviews have argued that in 1999 when the main events take place, women could do anything, and yet Madeleine just follows a path which she thinks her parents want her to follow. I'm not so sure that's true. I reckon many people fall into a pattern of life without really thinking about it, and it's only later that they realise they have sacrificed many options and are living a sad and unfulfilling life, Sure, this story is a little too romantic at times, but I found that it was told in such an interesting and engaging was that I was prepared to dismiss the romanticism. I will certainly read Brown's other novel, The Weird Sisters, which seems to be regarded as superior work.
    • 3/5
      When you strip away all the inner dialogue and rhetoric this is basically a story about emotional abuse. How to survive and ultimately thrive when you are constantly being told that you are too fat,too plain, not a good conversationalist and probably never going to find a husband. Such is the ugly situation that Margie and Madeline must confront over and over and over and over ad nauseum. This story could have been effectively told in half the pages and save the reader endless repetition as grandmother and granddaughter attempt to escape the emotional morass of what is expected vis-a-vis what they desire of life. The third star was simply to acknowledge the quality of writing.
    • 4/5
      I loved the Weird Sisters so I was really looking forward to reading this book. While this book is fine, it didn't live up to the Weird Sisters. I loved the grandmother and her story but the granddaughter got on my nerves. Since she was living in the 1990's, it was hard to believe that she thought she couldn't do anything against her mother and husband. I'm not sorry that I read this book, just not my favorite. Maybe, it wasn't fair to read this after the wonderful Miss Jane...
    • 2/5
      It made me long to go back to Paris, but I guessed all the twists. There was a lot of "How Terrible It Is to Be In Society" that I could not relate to at all.
    • 4/5
      The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown is one of the most delicious novels I've read in a long time. The two main characters, one a married women from the present day and her grandmother who spent time in Paris in the early 1920's, gave a wonderful contrast between living safely and living fully, between choosing security versus choosing happiness. The stories were expertly interwoven and each served as the perfect counterpoint to the other. The writing was lovely, the characters well-drawn. I wanted to live in both worlds and shout my support at times for each of the characters. Wonderful book. I recommend it highly. (And The Weird Sisters was wonderful, too.)
    • 4/5
      Madeleine Bowers Spencer isn't happy with her life or marriage. She's unsure of what she wants in life, but she knows it isn't this. The only thing she can think of is to return to her familial home and reassess life in The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown.Madeleine has always felt that she was a disappointment to her mother. She didn't want to be a society lady. She wanted to be an artist. Painting was an acceptable hobby but not a career goal according to her parents. So she put away her paints and tried her best to fit in. She even married an acceptable man just to make her mother happy. It is only after returning home while taking a "break" from her marriage that Madeleine discovers that she may not be anything like her mother, but she has a lot in common with her maternal grandmother, Margie. Reading through her grandmother's journals, Madeleine finds that her grandmother often felt as if she didn't fit in with polite society either, but all that changes when she gets to spend a wonderful summer in Paris. Margie gradually breaks out of her shell and lives the life she always wanted, even if it was only for summer. Can Madeleine truly follow in her grandmother's footsteps and do the same?The Light of Paris was a delightfully endearing and fast-paced read. The story is told in alternating voices of Madeleine in 1999 and Margie in 1924. I enjoyed the parallel stories of two women that tried their best to be something they weren't just to please their families. Both Margie and Madeleine had dreams of who they wanted to be and both seemed to let those dreams die, Margie due to societal restrictions and Madeleine due to perceived restrictions. The Light of Paris is a story about self-discovery and awakening as much as it is about family, life, and love. If you enjoy reading stories about life, hope, and second chances, then you'll definitely want to read The Light of Paris.
    • 3/5
      I so wanted to like this book. The premise was interesting, there were moments where the story really shone and I was so excited to keep reading, but it was so bogged down by Madeleine's point-of-view chapters. Even suspending disbelief that in 1999 women were expected to sit at home and twiddle their thumbs while their husbands were the sole breadwinners, Madeleine's bad attitude isn't doing anything for her. Feeling as though her choices were forced by her family is so incredibly childish. She speaks to her mother like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, not a grown woman who has found herself in an unhappy marriage. She spends the entire book blaming her situation on everyone but herself, only to decide in the end that she should forgive her mother, because things were complicated.Margie's chapters were more fun, and more believable, but even those took quite some time to pick up the pace. It was a quick read, with sweet spots that I really enjoyed, but overall it just did not work for me.
    • 3/5
      Two intertwining stories, one set in 1999 and the other in 1920s Paris, make up this novel about balancing finding oneself with responsibilities to family. In 1999 Chicago, Madeline struggles with her loveless marriage and her repressed passion for painting. Decades previous, her grandmother Margie found herself alone in Paris, feeding her passion for writing, and in love with a handsome man. Madeline and Margie aren't the same, but they do grapple with different versions of the same problem: how to find happiness while also fulfilling familial duties. The answer turns out to be simpler for the more modern Madeline, but each woman finds a certain kind of peace in the end.
    • 3/5
      Imagine how our lives would have turned out if we hadn’t been afraid. I loved Sebastian, and Henry these men both sexy, and alive with dreams and happiness. The women, three generations, all suffering from making choices based on fear and peoples judgement. Finally one of them has broken the pattern and becoming who she could be.This a multiple generational story about love, adventure, obligations, control, sacrifice, broken dreams, conformity and finally happiness. Freedom, has it’s price, and a good life is worth it.I struggled in the beginning, almost dropping it early on. It was depressing, with a sad character, but then it started changing. The message is good, the stories are lovely and full of lessons on living.
    • 5/5
      Art, life, love, Paris

      A beautifully written story about a woman coming to terms with her choices as she learns her grandmother's story. Very enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Loved EVERYTHING about this!! The characters, the message, the END!
    • 3/5
      I liked Margie’s story, which was told through her journal that her granddaughter Madeleine found. However, it was hard for me to muster up much sympathy for a Madeleine, a woman who had grown up rich and married a rich husband and was living the life of a rich socialite. No one forced her to get married and stay in that lifestyle. Her parents wouldn’t have disowned her if she didn’t get married. It was 1999 – she could have done anything really. Her lack of backbone made me angry with her. The reader was supposed to empathize with her but I just couldn’t.I could empathize with Margie because she was growing up in the early 1900s, a time when women really didn’t have any other choice but to get married in order to have a decent life. And yet Margie is able to rebel for a summer and have a romantic, adventurous summer in Paris. I enjoyed reading about her life and adventures there.I may have had my expectations too high for this book and that’s why I was so disappointed with it. I loved Eleanor Brown’s first book, The Weird Sisters, and I was hoping to love The Light of Paris just as much. It seems that Brown has fallen victim to the curse of the sophomore slump.
    • 3/5
      It had Paris in the title and an Eiffel Tower on the cover...I'm helpless in the face of these things to stop myself from nabbing this book.It didn't take long for me to realize that this book was going to be a disappointment. Both of the main characters, 1999-era Madeleine and her grandmother Margie, disparage themselves and undermine themselves and allow themselves to be manipulated and make bad decisions in order to go along with others. These ladies don't even like themselves; how could the reader possibly like them. The plot is pat, too; Margie needs a place to stay and a place to stay appears, and Margie needs a job and a job appears. Sadly, Paris in the title and an Eiffel Tower on the cover isn't enough.