Skylark by Paula McLain ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

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.

 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2026; Atria Books; 978-1668028155
audio, ebook, print (464 pages); historical fiction

This beautifully written novel intertwines two time lines - one in 1664 and the other in 1939 - in France.  Both highlight the need to change to find freedom, even if changing causes danger to you and your family.

1664 - Alouette is the daughter of a master dyer at the famed Gobelin Tapestry Works.  She dreams of creating her own masterpiece with a color that she invents, but women are definitely looked down on during this time, and she has no opportunities to create.  When her father is unjustly imprisoned, she tries to help but ends up sent to an asylum where women are held captive and treated cruelly.  Despite the harsh conditions, she makes friends, and they begin to try to imagine a way to escape and gain back their lives.

1939 - Kristof is a medical student beginning his psychiatric residency in Paris.  He soon makes friends with a Jewish family who live in his apartment building.  His goal in life has always been to help people, and he is appalled to see the way that the Germans treat people - especially Jewish people.  He works with the resistance, and once his career as a doctor is threatened, he realizes that he can still do good by helping other people escape Nazi rule despite the danger to him.

The tie in between the two timelines is the tunnels under Paris.  Tunnels that were started in the 1600s and still exist today.  The dark and often dangerous tunnels are the direct opposite of the beauty of Paris above them. This new novel chronicles two parallel journeys over 300 years apart of defiance and rescue that connect in ways both surprising and deeply moving.

 

The main characters in both timelines were well written and developed to the point that the reader gets totally caught up in their lives and their problems.  I won't soon forget either of these main characters or the challenges that they faced in their lives.

This beautifully written novel, set in two timelines over 300 years apart, shows the pain often involved in making changes and the strength of people who don't want to remain where their lives have put them.  This is a novel about friendship and family, but most importantly, it's about finding freedom in life, no matter the consequences.  

“Great tragedies don’t ask for great heroes—they ask for ordinary people willing to do the next right thing.”

Buy Skylark at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.