Accidentally picked up another WWII book – my fault.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below—where a woman’s quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor’s dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time. (Goodreads Blurb)
I loved Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, so much so that I didn’t think twice about also loving Skylark. I was wrong.
I will say I have some bias on WWII books. I feel “over” reading about World War II. I’m not saying it’s not significant and there are so many more stories out there that haven’t been told, but the ones that I have read, I feel as if I’ve already read them. I’m looking for a new angle, a new story, a new city, for goodness sake, to highlight and share the horrible things that happened during this war. For me, Skylark was just another World War II set in Paris novel with a dueling timeline. Which to that point, I don’t understand the weaving timelines. I felt like they never really connected. And if they did, it was irrelevant.
Honestly, I don’t have anything else to say because the whole time I was reading it, I was exhausted that I picked up another book set in Paris between 1935 and 1945.
The writing itself was fine if not a little flowery for my taste.
If you haven’t been beaten down with the historical style of genre, please pick it up because McLain is a wonderful author. For me, I should’ve passed.
Stats: 464 pages – First published January 6, 2026
**Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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