This historical novel really sings of the importance of family, love, and hope. Author Nicola Rayner has created a fascinating tale, and while it is inspired by a true story, it very beautifully walks its own individual path. When Miriam travels to New York to settle her great-aunts estate, she discovers a different story exists to the one the family has been told. Set in two time frames, Paris in 1938 and New York in 2012, I found each moment in history equally as interesting. The two time frames are cleverly woven together and appear as one. There are a number of central characters, each feels authentic, offering a depth of intensity and vitality. The sense of place, particularly of the music hall, is colourful and allowed my mind access to dwell within. The Second World War lurks in the background as the music hall and dancing initially takes centre stage, the reality of fear and desperation for the Jewish community as the Nazis close in sits in vivid contrast. Light and shade, warmth and joy, grief and death, all make themselves known. After I had finished reading, I visited the author’s website and found out a little more about the true story which sits as the incentive for this novel. While it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of the Second World War, The Paris Dancer offers hope as it thoughtfully shines a spotlight on courage and kindness.
A heart-wrenching and unforgettable story of courage, friendship and resistance, inspired by the incredible true story of a Jewish ballroom dancer in Paris during WWII, perfect for fans of The Paris Library.
Paris, 1938. Annie Mayer arrives in France with dreams of becoming a ballerina. But when the war reaches Paris, she's forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. Then a fellow dancer offers her a lifeline: a ballroom partnership that gives her a new identity. Together, Annie and her partner captivate audiences across occupied Europe, using her newfound fame and alias to aid the Resistance.
New York, 2012. Miriam, haunted by her past, travels from London to New York to settle her great-aunt Esther's estate. Among Esther's belongings, she discovers notebooks detailing a secret family history and the story of a brave dancer who risked everything to help Jewish families during the war.
As Miriam uncovers Esther's life in Europe, she realises the story has been left for her to finish. Grappling with loss and the possibility of new love, Miriam must find the strength to reconcile her past and embrace her future.
'A sumptuous and gripping read... [Nicola] writes with humour, heart and humanity' - Kate Thompson
Praise for The Paris Dancer:
'Immaculately researched and exquisitely written... historical fiction at its best' - Louise Fein
'Beautifully written, these characters just turn the pages themselves. It's so easy to fall into the worlds that Nicola Rayner has cleverly created. A real treat.' - Mandy Robotham
Author
About Nicola Rayner
Born in South Wales, Nicola Rayner is a novelist and dance writer based in London. She is the author of The Girl Before You, which was picked by the Observer as a debut to look out for in 2019, optioned for television and translated into multiple languages. Her second novel, You and Me, was published by Avon, HarperCollins, in 2020. In her day job as a journalist, Nicola has written about dance for almost two decades, cutting her teeth on the tango section of Time Out Buenos Aires. She edited the magazine Dance Today from 2010 to 2015 and worked as assistant editor of Dancing Times, the UK’s leading dance publication, from 2019 until 2022. She continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of finesse.
