The Last Restaurant in Paris: Completely heartbreaking and gripping World War 2 fiction

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The restaurant sits in the former halle aux grains (grain hall), where the grain would be examined and priced when the enormous circular building was the city's chamber of commerce, so, in homage to the building's history, the chefs have weaved references throughout, from the staff's floaty uniforms to the restaurant logo, as well as in their bespoke 30-cuvées wines and, of course, in every dish on the menu focused on a type of grain. The story opens in 1987, in the Batignolles village of Paris. Antiquarian bookshop owner Gilbert Geroux, is one of the few remaining residents who can remember the terrors and horrors of WWII. The Nazi occupation of his beloved hometown and Country and the part which the still derelict restaurant Luberon, on the corner of the street, played in events during that fateful period. The restaurant where, as a teenaged boy, he had helped its then new owner, Marianne Blanchet, prepare the rundown building for business and make it the success it had gone on to be. A tragic and heroic story set in one of the hardest times in world history. I’m always amazed at the bravery and resilience shown by people under the Nazi regime and all the lives that were saved. Once I started to read this, it was impossible to leave aside.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The great thing about Liza is that there's always something for everyone on the menu, regardless of dietary requirements and state of mind.

I marvel at authors who can still be inspired to write diverse, unique and interesting storylines in the world of WWII fiction, however, Lily takes things to a whole new level with this compelling saga. No! It wasn’t perfect, there were a couple of typos and other anomalies… Basque-born chef Iñaki Aizpitarte has been called a revolutionary and is something of a celebrity these days, making it almost miraculous that he is still cooking at this time-worn local bistro whose spartan decor has remained unchanged for decades. Lunch (€65), on Fridays only, is a simpler, more conventional affair than dinner (€95), which is when Aizpitarte lets his imagination run riot, with smeared avocado sauces, beetroot foams, and everything deconstructed to within an inch of its life. This is the kind of avant-garde stuff that provokes involuntary gasps when it is placed before diners. Ingredients may come from Japan, Morocco or Spain, but the dishes are grounded in classic French techniques. The wine list is particularly good, with many bottles available at sister spot Le Dauphin, a mirror-lined tapas bar a few doors down. Teddy Wolstenholme The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham was an excellent read. Heartfelt, poignant, sad and gutwrenching - I needed the tissues in this one. It's a different take on the war years than I've read, recently at least, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's one I won't forget in awhile. Highly recommended. Years later, Marianne’s granddaughter Sabine stands under the faded green awning, a heavy brass key in her hand, staring at the restaurant left to her by the grandmother she never met. Sabine has so many questions about herself. Perhaps here she can find answers, but she knows she isn’t welcome. Marianne was hated by the locals, and when Sabine discovers they blamed her for the terrible tragedy that haunts the pretty restaurant, she is ready to abandon her dark legacy. Told over three timelines, including the early 1940s and 1987, The Last Restaurant in Paris is a tragic and engrossing story with love, revenge and retribution being at its heart. Frenchwoman Marianne Blanchet, the owner of the said restaurant known as ‘Luberon’, was regarded as being a collaborator with the Nazis and also a murderer by her fellow citizens. However had they been in knowledge of all the facts, I wonder whether she would have been judged so harshly.Chefs Michel and Sébastien Bras at their Halle aux Grains restaurant inside the Bourse de Commerce ... [+] in Châtelet. Maxime Tetard

Absolutely brilliant… heartbreaking and incredible… an emotional eye opener of a read – one that will stay with me for a long time.’ The Writing Garnet, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From classic French cooking to Japanese noodles, fresher-than-fresh seafood to best-in-class döner kebabs, these are the very best restaurants in Paris right now. Your table awaits… Both sophisticated and yet relaxed, Chef Julien Dumas’ Bellefeuille restaurant is a destination in its own right. Set inside the newly revamped country club style Saint James, Paris' only chateau hotel, it's got all the belle epoque pull you could want. Cheery handmade wallpaper of delicate plant life swirling up to the high ceilings complements views of the landscaped gardens.The writing is evocative, poignant and totally captivating. A wartime City devastated, families divided and friendships torn apart, often in the name of faith and religion, by those who would appease and serve their captors in the hope of survival and eventual freedom, being pitted against their fellow countrymen willing to suffer and endure abject poverty in an effort to thwart the invaders at every opportunity and fight the battle for victory from within. It’s contemporary counterpart, is a Paris full of life and a population for whom the scars of war are a mere memory, fading with the passage of time. However, for the few remaining brave souls who have never forgotten, there are still some long-held secrets of heritage and heroism to be uncovered and wrongs to be righted. I would like to thank @netgalley and @Bookoutune and author @LilyGraham, for a copy of this book. This is my second book from Lily Graham. When Romain Meder left his prestigious kitchens at the Plaza Athénée last year, he took his sous chef Marvic Medina Matos and his inspiration with him and opened Sapid. A lot more low key than the three-star Alain Ducasse-stamped fine dining restaurant, Sapid is a massive turning point for this earnest chef whose passion has always been to tease out the natural flavors of the best produce he could get his hands on.