This is a story about following your dreams. Nicole-Marie Handy is a spunky fifty-something woman who has enjoyed the love of her mother and father throughout her entire life. Now that her father has Alzheimer's, he is not the same anymore. Nicole has always felt an affinity for Paris, starting at the age of nine when she found a French dictionary in a steamer trunk in her parents' room.
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On her best friend's deathbed, Nicole makes a promise to finally follow her dreams and go to Paris. And although the man Nicole loves, has finally gotten a divorce from his wife and proposed to her, Nicole cannot stay in Oakland a moment longer. Against the advice of her mother who is worried to death about her daughter gallivanting across the ocean into the unknown, Nicole boards a flight to Paris.
In Paris, she finds the city as enchanting as she always thought it would be and discovers the haunts of Black Paris that was home to many jazz artists, writers and soldiers during the 1950's. In an antique shop, Nicole lays eyes on a photograph of her father accepting a military medal of honor and the back is inscribed to a woman who is not her mother. The discovery of this photo leads Nicole through a lively cultural tour through cafes, restaurants, graveyards and apartments in search of answers that will change her life forever.
Best part of story, including ending:
I loved this story because it told a contemporary and historical story at the same time.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene is discovering what Ruby's life was like in Paris during the 1950's.
Opinion about the main character:
I loved that Nicole was so confident about going to Paris even though she did not know what to expect. She was an inspirational character.
