The French Photographer is one my favourite reads of this year to date, I was utterly mesmerised from start to finish and it is one of those stories I could happily read again and again. Natasha Lester has delivered a touching historical fiction novel that is beautifully written, well-researched and with a host of intriguing and inspiring major and minor characters that are so easy to fall in love with, including the dashing Dan Hallworth. Before reading The French Photographer, I was unfamiliar with the plight of female correspondents during WWII and the misogyny that they had to endure and it was enlightening to read a story inspired by their experiences and the strength they demonstrated to rise above the many obstacles thrown in their way in order to have a voice. The French Photographer was also a captivating love story that had me swept up and completely invested in Jessica May and Dan Hallworth’s relationship and long after finishing this book I am still thinking about these wonderful characters.

In Jessica May, we have a strong, courageous and inspiring heroine based on Lee Miller, a model and aspiring photographer, and her real life experiences covering the war across Europe as a photojournalist in 1942. After reading this story I felt compelled to read more about Lee Miller, which goes to show how full engaged I was in this novel. I loved the use of the dual timelines to transport readers effortlessly back and forth from 1942 war-torn Europe and to the enchanting French countryside in 2005 which added more drama to the story.

I absolutely adored The French Photographer, it is a celebration of strong female characters and a story of courage, hope and love and I highly recommend it! ( )

The ending of The French Photographer had me at a standstill. It is that powerful. My emotions were in a tangle. I didn’t know whether the cry my heart out with sadness, smile at the happiness for some characters or just collapse in a heap. It is simply a marvellous novel that combines the horrors of war with the dramas of life wrapped up in a beautiful setting (and with quite a few examples of delicious food).

Like Natasha’s past historical novels, The French Photographer has a dual timeline. This time it’s between the early 2000s and 1940s, with D’Arcy and Jess the main characters. Jess is a model who suddenly finds herself out of work when her image is used in a scandalous sanitary product advertisement. Rather than be heartbroken, Jess decides now is the time to do what she’s wanted to do – become a war photojournalist. After numerous hurdles, Jess finds herself ready to go in Europe but the bureaucracy and sexism is just as rampant. Nobody believes that a woman can be a journalist in war conditions and the PR men are out to ensure the female journalists fail. Jess is determined not to, and a meeting with Dan Hallworth and his ward Victorine turns into the best of friendships. As the war continues, Jess learns that nobody is as truthful as they might seem…

Victorine’s daughter, D’Arcy, is an Australian curator who has come to France to package a number of images by an anonymous photographer for exhibition. She’s drifted through life until now, but the beautiful chateau and the mysterious artist’s agent Josh has D’Arcy thinking ahead into the future for the first time. Will the discovery of a family secret ruin everything and cause her to run away?

I’ve deliberately kept my description of the plot very general as not to ruin any of the surprises in store for the reader. As the story progresses, the twists and turns of the plot become as convoluted as the small trees at the chateau that conjure up ghostly shapes. It’s brilliantly plotted, with all the seemingly unrelated threads coming together for a grand finale that will move even the stoniest temperament. The plot and setting also give the modern reader insight into lesser known aspects of the war. I can’t say I knew a lot about female war journalists before reading The French Photographer (nor much about the handling and packing of art)! Since finishing the book, I’ve been reading online about the inspiration for Jess, Lee Miller.

Jess is an impressive character. She’s not perfect by any means as she says what she thinks, often very bluntly. She’s fiercely loyal, yet has a vulnerability that she doesn’t like to show. Jess is the kind of character you want to lead a novel as there will be never a dull moment. D’Arcy was a bit flightier to me, at times I felt she hides herself from the reader to avoid scrutiny. Her growth during the novel was pleasing to see though. As for Dan – well, he’s A Good Man. Solid, dependable and with a sense of humour. What more could you want?

I loved very aspect of The French Photographer. It combines history with a blockbuster of a story. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Thank you to Hachette for the ARC. My review is honest.

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