Ruby Henderson Benoit fell in love. It was a simple glance at a man in a coffee shop in Manhattan that would forever change the trajectory of her life. She forgets all about the path that she was on and follows her husband back to his home in Paris. It's July 1939. Her parents warned her about going, with rumors swirling of Paris being on the brink of war, but nothing would stop her. Ruby wanted a life with the man she loved.
At first everything was like a dream. Her husband's career as an art dealer for his dads company put them in the most elite social circles and they were "soaking up life." Even if there was to be a war there is no way it would ever reach Paris. Less than two months later France, and their British allies, are at war with Germany. Immediately the climate of the entire city changes as well as Ruby's relationship with her husband. He is cold and distant, disappearing for days at a time without an explanation. As the country begins to crumble so does her marriage.
Being alone in a city where she knows no one Ruby is lonely and heartbroken. She begins an unlikely friendship with one of her neighbors, a ten-year-old Jewish girl named Charlotte Henderson. As the war intensifies so does the incredible bond between Ruby and Charlotte.
It is revealed to Ruby that her husband has been apart of an escape line in France, which helps aid allied RAF pilots that have been shot down. The escape line helps bring the pilots back to allied territory so that they can continue the fight against the Nazis. Ruby feels its her duty to also aid in the escape line and to do everything she can to fight the war herself. Thomas Clarke, as well as many of the RAF pilots that Ruby helps, feel the exact same way. Through the escape line many find more than just a means to fight against this cruel war. They find friendship, love, and even forgiveness in the most unlikely place: the middle of a war.
The Room on Rue Amélie is incredibly well written with characters that you root for from the beginning and a plot that keeps you guessing. You can feel the anxiety and pressure that these characters were under, being so close to the enemy, and fighting the resistance, knowing that they themselves were putting their own lives on the line for the cause.
There were moments where I had to stop reading, close my eyes, and will the tears away. No matter how many times I read about World War II and the Holocaust I am always rendered speechless, my heart aching. To imagine the horrors that were endured by so many is unfathomable. It's evil personified and the author does an incredible job of being sensitive to the subject.
This book is loosely based on the true story of Virginia d'Albert-Lake, an American woman who followed her love to Paris and found herself working for the anti-Nazi French Resistance during World War II by means of the Comet escape line. There are many parallels between Virginia and Ruby but the author took great care to give Ruby her own story, one that is painful yet beautiful.
This is a love story yes but not in all the ways you would imagine. It's a gripping read that is hard to put down and one that I highly recommend.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gallery Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
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