All the Ways We Said Goodbye

<b>I would describe this as primarily a mystery of family lineage with the thrill of untangling the relationships of the characters in the past set over three different time periods.</b> Secondly, I describe this as a romance. Each of the main characters has their own romantic relationship that is flourishing. <br /><br /><b> <u>Summary:</u> </b> In 1914, heiress Aurelie seeks to restructure her future while war breaks out. In 1942, Daisy joins the resistance though her husband works for the Nazi's. In 1964, shortly after her the death of her husband, Babs decides to find someone code-named “Le Fluer” who was part of the resistance during WW2 but had an alleged relationship with her husband. <br /><br /><b> <u>Historically:</u> </b> The focus is not on the resistance, their fight, or the war. The reader does see a bit of resistance occur, but it is short-lived because the focus always turns back to the budding romance. The story revolves around their relationships. It very briefly mentions a few things that other novels have included such as Coco Chanel and the Velodrome. The Jews and their suffering are not detailed. The setting is historical, but historically nothing new is learned.<br /><br /><b> <u>Chapter Organization</u> </b>: Each chapter alternates between three main characters: Aurelie, Daisy, and Babs. This takes adjusting on part of the reader. Each chapter is not short, so when a new chapter started, I often found myself having to internally remind myself which character that was and their background before beginning. <br /><br /><b> <u>Rating Explained</u> </b>: There were a lot of scenes in Babs chapters that I found hard to believe. The story moved at a moderate pace until around 83% when the missing pieces of the lineage and relationship puzzle start to come together. (However, it was easy to predict most of these pieces.) <b>This is a romantic mystery that takes place in the past. Overall, I kept reading to confirm my suspicions about the mystery concerning the relationships set in the past.</b><br />Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and HarperCollins for a copy. Opinions are my own.

Three formidable women. Three different time periods. One hotel that connects their stories together. This is the premise of <i> <b>All the Ways We Said Goodbye</b> </i>, which is the latest work of historical fiction from the famous ‘Team W’ – authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. I’m familiar with each of these 3 author’s works individually, however this is my first time reading one of their collaborative efforts (though I have their previous two collaborations on my bookshelf waiting for me), and seeing how much I enjoyed this one, I am definitely grateful for the opportunity. <br /><br />The story opens first in the year 1964, with recently widowed Barbara “Babs” Langford at a crossroads trying to figure out her life after the death of her beloved husband Kit. When Babs receives a letter from an American lawyer named Drew Boudoin seeking her help with locating a Resistance fighter whom her husband possibly knew while working in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, she agrees to join him in a search that finds them traveling to Paris and the famous Ritz hotel. We are then taken back to the year 1914, at the onset of the Great War, where Aurelie, the daughter of the Comte de Courcelles, decides to leave her mother, who has been residing at the Ritz hotel in Paris, to accompany her father at their ancestral estate in Picardy, France. Not long after she arrives, the estate is taken over by German troops who requisition the home as well as its surrounding area for their headquarters. During this time, Aurelie discovers that she actually knows one of the German officers – Max von Sternburg – from her debutante days in Paris and despite being on opposite sides, they strike up a friendship that later develops into something more. The timeline then switches to 1942, where Marguerite “Daisy” Villon lives with her Nazi collaborator husband Pierre and their 2 children in Paris, a few blocks from the Hotel Ritz where she grew up and where the grandmother who raised her still lives. After some persuasion, Daisy agrees to assist in her grandmother’s Resistance efforts by helping to deliver identity papers created by a skilled forger named Legrand, to Jewish refugees. Eventually, Daisy gets pulled deeper into the Resistance network, where working closer and closer with Legrand with change her life in ways she never expected.<br /><br />The first thing that struck me about this novel was the seamlessness of the writing in that, to me at least, there was really no way to tell that 3 different authors were involved with writing this -- this is significant given that, in their individual works, each author has her own distinct style of writing, yet here, those different styles were pretty much indistinguishable. Given the way the story was structured – with three alternating timelines anchored by three women with distinctly different personalities – I was impressed by how cohesively the narratives flowed together. In addition to some clever transitions thrown in that linked the end of each chapter to the beginning of the next one (which I actually didn’t catch on to until about a third of the way through the novel), the various plot points were also well-crafted in terms of joining the timelines together in a way that still left room for each character’s individual stories to be told. Speaking of the characters – one of the things I liked most about this book was the character development aspect, especially with regard to the 3 female protagonists, all of whom I found myself rooting for. Even the male characters were written well, which isn’t always easy to do when the female characters in the story are strong and at the forefront of driving each of the narratives forward – I felt that the authors were able to strike a good balance in this aspect in terms of giving us strong, well-developed characters on both sides.<br /><br />With all that said however, I did struggle a little bit with the rating on this one, as there were a few things about this book that I had a problem with, which is why, in the end, I chose to rate this 4 stars instead of 5. One of the biggest issues was the emotional depth of the story, which I found surprisingly lacking given the setting against the backdrop of 2 World Wars -- I was expecting to be more moved by the story and even shed a tear or two, but that didn’t happen. Perhaps the reason for this is, while there were plenty of historical elements, all of which were incorporated well into each of the narratives, the focus of the story overall seemed to lean more heavily toward the romance aspect and the relationships between the characters. Of course, nothing wrong with this per se, but since I’m more of a historical fiction fan and less keen on romance, it makes sense that this would impact my reading experience a bit. Another thing was that the plot elements were largely predictable in that, from the first chapter, I kind of already knew the direction that the story would be headed (and it turns out I was spot-on in terms of how all 3 narratives tied together), so there ended being no surprises or “gut-punch” moments for me.<br /><br />Overall, I did enjoy reading this one, as it had many of the things I expect in a good book: a compelling, well-written story that kept me turning the pages; well-developed, complex characters that I felt invested in (to different extents); a relatively fast-paced plot that flowed well; and of course, a well-incorporated historical setting. I think fans of the 3 authors will love this one and while it wasn’t necessarily a “favorite” in my book, I liked it well enough to want to go back through all 3 authors’ backlists as well as read the previous two ‘Team W’ works that they did – hopefully some time in the near future, I will have time to do so!<br /><br /><i>Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.</i><br />

EXCERPT: I stopped, noticing an unusual postage stamp on one of the envelopes. It was a red US airmail eight-cent stamp showing a picture of aviatrix Amelia Earhart. My name and address had been scribbled in barely comprehensible letters on the front in bold, black ink. Definitely not a graduate of a British boarding school then, so perhaps not a school friend of Kit's offering condolences. <br /><br />I looked at the top left corner to read the return address. <i> A. Bowdoin, Esq., Willig, Williams &amp; White, 5 Wall Street, New York, NY.</i> I assumed Bowdoin was either a funeral director or a lawyer, having never clearly understood the difference between the two when it came to death and taxes. <br /><br />Climbing the stairs, I slid my finger under the flap and began tearing the envelope, not wanting to go through the bother of retrieving a letter opener. Tucking the rest of the post under one arm, I pulled out a piece of letterhead paper and began to read. <br /><br />Dear Mrs. Langford, <br /><br />My condolences on the death of your late husband, Christopher Langford. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but my father, Walter, was a huge admirer and shared with me many stories of your husband's bravery and courage during the war. <br /><br />We only recently became aware of your husband's passing when an old war friend of my father's mailed him the obituary from the Times. It took a while to find us, which is why it has taken me so long to contact you. I realise my letter might be a surprise and might even be an imposition at best. But I hope that you might bear with me so that I might explain myself and perhaps even enlist your assistance. <br /><br />In the obituary, it mentioned your husband's brave exploits in France as well as his involvement with the French Resistance fighter known only as La Fleur. As you may or may not be aware, she has reached nearly mythical proportions in French lore - to the point where some say she never even really existed. <br /><br />My slow progress up the stairs halted, and I grabbed the banister, the other envelopes slipping from their hold under my arm before gently cascading down the steps. <i>La Fleur. </i><br /><br />ABOUT THIS BOOK: The heiress . . .<br />The Resistance fighter . . .<br />The widow . . .<br />Three women whose fates are joined by one splendid hotel<br /><br />France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their family’s ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German Major’s aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met during Aurelie’s debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max’s friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both, driving Aurelie back to Paris and the Ritz— the home of her estranged American heiress mother, with unexpected consequences.<br /><br />France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite “Daisy” Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to assist her grandmother’s Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand’s underground network, committing increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country—and the man—she holds dear, she uncovers a devastating secret . . . one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal, and to confront at last the shocking circumstances of her own family history.<br /><br />France, 1964. For Barbara “Babs” Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit’s death, American lawyer Andrew “Drew” Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned traitor known as “La Fleur,” the investigation has led to Kit Langford. Curious to know more about the enigmatic La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that takes them to Paris and the Ritz—and to unexpected places of the heart. . . .<br /><br />MY THOUGHTS: What a splendid journey through three time periods, piecing together the mystery of the identity of La Fleur and her 'talisman'.<br /><br />All the Ways We Said Goodbye celebrates the strength of women who survived the war against impossible odds while fighting covertly against the Germans. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this saga spans two world wars, and a period of discovery. Yes, it is greatly sanitised, and relies quite heavily on the romantic aspect, but the bones of the story are good and solid. While there are no great surprises, it is an interesting read, and I will continue to follow this wonderful collaboration of authors. (Is there a term for a group of authors, I wonder?) <br /><br />I would love to know the story of how these three came to write together. Personally, I find it quite amazing that three different writers can write together to produce a piece of fiction that moves seamlessly from one narrator and timeline, to another, and another. I have seen less cohesion in books written by a single author! The plot is intricate but not confusing, the characters well depicted. There are multiple narrators on this audiobook, and all are superb.<br /><br />If you like multi-generational family sagas, this is a good one for you.<br /><br />****.4<br /><br />THE AUTHORS: Beatriz Williams is the bestselling author of eleven novels, including The Golden Hour, The Summer Wives, A Hundred Summers, and The Wicked Redhead. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry.<br /><br />Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty novels, including The Summer Country, The Ashford Affair, and The English Wife, as well as the RITA Award–winning Pink Carnation series. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a JD from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City with her husband, kindergartner, toddler, and vast quantities of coffee.<br /><br />Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Dreams of Falling and The Night the Lights Went Out. She currently writes what she refers to as “grit lit”—Southern women’s fiction—and has also expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. She is a graduate of the American School in London and has a BS in management from Tulane University. When not writing, she spends her time reading, singing, and avoiding cooking. She has two grown children and currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two spoiled Havanese dogs.<br /><br />DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of All The Ways to Say Goodbye written by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White, narrated by Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber, Saskia Maarleveld, and published by Harper Audio. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.<br /><br />For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on Sandysbookaday.wordpress.com<br /><br />This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/2020/07/16/all-the-ways-we-said-goodbye-by-beatriz-williams-lauren-willig-and-karen-white/">https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...</a>

I listened to the audiobook of All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White and enjoyed it immensely. Individually, each of these three authors can be described as extremely talented writers but by combining their talent they were able to write this masterful historical fiction novel, All the Ways We Said Goodbye. The audiobook was brilliantly narrated by Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber and Saskia Maarleveld. The novel alternated between three time periods and focused on three, brave, strong and resilient women, all with a connection to one another and the lush Ritz Hotel in Paris, France. <br /><br />There was Aurelie Coucelles, the heiress and part of a noble family, that lived during World War I (1914) and tried to protect her castle, the French people and her country from the ruthless German army. Aurelie had grown up living with her mother at the Ritz Hotel. Then there was Marguerite (Daisy) Villon, the French Resistance fighter, who worked beside Legrand, the renowned English forger, and acted as a courier during World War II (1942) to deliver important papers. Daisy was brought up by her American grandmother and had lived her entire childhood at the Ritz Hotel. She was married to a Nazi collaborator. Daisy found herself falling totally in love with Legrand. Lastly, there was Barbara (Babs) Langford, who was recently widowed. Babs traveled to Paris, France in 1964 to help Andrew (Drew) Bowdoin solve a mystery centered around the notorious French Resistance fighter known as “La Fleur” and Andrew’s dying father. <br /><br />All three of the women characters were engaging, complex and believable. The connection between these three women was made known by the end of this beautiful saga. The themes of romance, danger, mystery and family were evident throughout the novel. The plot effortlessly flowed between the different time periods. There was a surprising twist in the plot as well. The dialogue was genuine and felt authentic to each character. I highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars<br /><br />I've been wanting to check out a book by this trio of authors for awhile now because I have enjoyed some of the solo efforts of writers Beatriz Williams and Karen White. I'm not sure how they broke down the writing duties for this one but I was really impressed how it felt like a cohesive story and not three different styles of writing. This might not make my list of top historical fiction reads but it certainly was a good story and I definitely recommend giving this one a look if you are a fan of any or all of the authors.<br /><br />This story alternates between different characters and timelines which I always enjoy although I did have trouble keeping track of all the characters near the beginning. Aurelie is an heiress living in France back in 1914 just as the war is breaking out. The German military has taken over her family's estate and despite being on different sides, she forms a friendship with one of the soldiers. Switching over to 1942, Daisy was raised by her grandmother at the Ritz in Paris. Her husband is a Nazi collaborator and Daisy secretly starts helping her grandmother's Resistance efforts. And finally there is Barbara, "Babs" Langford who is a widow after the recent death of her husband Kit. The year is 1964 and Babs has traveled to Paris to meet with an American lawyer who wants her help tracking down the identity of a Resistance fighter and perhaps traitor with the mysterious nickname "La Fleur". How do these 3 storylines connect? <br /><br />This isn't a book in which the main goal is have the reader super shocked at how everything ties together. You do have a fairly good idea of the general direction of the story way before it is all revealed. However, because the female characters are written as strong women, whether they necessarily realized it or not, you feel invested in them and want to see how everything plays out. And there actually did manage to be one or two small surprises along the way which was nice.<br /><br />As for my criticism of the novel, I thought Aurelie got lost in the shuffle a bit in the first half of the book. I had the most trouble remembering the things going on with her storyline compared to the other two characters. She became distinct in my mind eventually and was an important part of the story, but I really wish it hadn't taken quite so long to get there. I also wouldn't say this is the most memorable historical fiction book when compared to some of the other books about the war in that genre. A few touching moments here and there but I wasn't moved to tears like I have been with other World War 1 and 2 historical fiction novels. I enjoyed reading this book and liked how the story highlighted some of the Resistnace efforts by women but I wouldn't place this in the must read category. <br /><br />Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

<b>All the Ways We Said Goodbye</b> was so good! It was written by not one, but <i>three</i> fantastic authors. This story takes three POVs, by three women in three different timelines, with the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the center of each of their stories.<br /><br />This was such a beautiful story, and it captivated me right away. A beautiful story woven through the timelines of WWI 1914, WWII 1942, and post-war 1960s. I just loved this book so much, and recommend it to historical fiction lovers, and those looking to give HF a try!<br /><br />*Thank you William Morrow for this gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own.

In this historical fiction novel co-written by three different authors, three different women in three different timelines are connected by war and an amulet in France. In 1914, Aurelie is trapped on her family estate when the Germans claim it as their headquarters. They are searching for a valuable heirloom that plays a part in all three timelines. In 1942, Daisy works as a Resistance courier. And in 1962, Barbara searches for answers for what her husband really did during the war and what his relationship was with “La Fleur” the famed French resistance heroine who sent him letters after the war that Barbara secretly hid out of jealousy. I enjoyed the storytelling style and enjoyed each story separately. I kind of wished that the stories had felt more connected. They did connect at the very end. This is probably just sort of expected when written by three different people. Still, they were very enjoyable on their own.

All The Ways We Said Goodbye is a story about three strong women and all had a unique connection to the famous French hotel. The three women had lived or stayed at the Ritz, Aurelie Courcelles is a French heriess, Marguerite (Daisy ) Villon is a French resistance fighter and Babs Langford is a English widow.<br /><br />France 1914, Aurelie is staying at the Ritz with her mother, she makes a rash decision to leave Paris and to drive her fiance to the front. The Germans are advancing towards capital, all men are being deployed to the front to stop the Germans taking Paris and she's soon finds herself stuck behind German lines. <br />Aurelie has to make it to safety, she starts the long walk to her fathers ancestral estate and she eventually makes it home. The next morning the Germans arrive, they take over the estate, she's shocked to discover a familiar face and she knows one of the officers. They met before the war, while she was making her debut in Paris, he's the handsome Maximilian Von Sternburg and she has always been very attracted to him.<br /><br />In 1942, France has again been invaded by the Germans, Paris has fallen and the Nazis have total control. <br />Marguerite or Daisy is stuck in a very unhappy marriage, her husband is a collaborator, she was a silly naive girl when she married him and she now has two young children to look after.<br />Daisy is Aurelie’s daughter, she grew up living in the Ritz and she's soon drawn into helping the French resistance by her American grandmother. <br />She agrees to become a courier, she meets a man, his code name is Legrand he forges documents to help Jewish people escape France, soon they begin having a dangerous and very risky affair.<br /><br />In, 1964, Babs is a English widow, a American lawyer called Drew Bowdoin, contacted her, he's trying to find a resistance fighter and he asks her to meet him in Paris. She's of course staying at the Ritz, she's hopeful he might be able to help her solve the mystery of what happened to her husband during WW II and help her to find some closure. Babs loved her husband Kit, she kept a secret letter from him and she feels very guilty. During her husbands final days he kept muttering the name La Fleur, she must be her husbands first love and she's a French spy?<br /><br />The book has multiple timelines, it starts in 1914, it continues in 1942 and it ends in 1964.<br />It spans two world wars and the rather modern times of mini skirts in the 1960's.<br />All three women are of course connected, it's a long and very complicated story. <br />It's a saga really about war, love, tragedy and secrets. <br />I did enjoy reading the book and did it need to be so long?<br />I gave the book four stars, I have shared my review on Goodreads, Edelweiss, Twitter, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Australian Amazon and my blog.<br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/">https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/</a>

Three women, three different time periods, three different situations, but they all find the Ritz of Paris to be their comfort zone.<br /><br />We meet Aurelie in 1914 who lived at the Ritz with her mother. She needed to get away and had the perfect excuse. She drove her fiancée to the front, and on her way back, her car was shot up. She thankfully was near her father’s estate and walked there to only find she would be stuck there because the Nazis had arrived and had taken over the estate.<br /><br />We meet Daisy in 1942 who was raised by her grandmother at the Ritz and who eventually helped her grandmother with the resistance.<br /> <br />Then we meet Babs in 1964 whose husband had been in the war and had befriended La Fleur who was a resistance fighter. Babs wants to find out who La Fleur was since her husband called out her name a number of times before his death. She also meets at the Ritz with an American lawyer who is also looking for La Fleur.<br /> <br />There are quite a few characters to keep straight, but the main characters are strong, brave, and very likeable.<br /> <br />Babs was my favorite...her story had me laughing at some of the things she did and said.<br /> <br />Aurelie’s story was the most interesting because of her situation but was the most upsetting.<br /> <br />I admired Daisy for what she was doing for the French Resistance, and enjoyed reading about another way things were secretly done.<br /> <br />The 3W's did it again!! ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBYE is another marvelous, well-researched, difficult-to-put-down tale.<br /> <br />We readers are again treated to their detailed writing, terrific story line, and smooth transition from one author to the next, but have a notebook handy to keep all the characters straight.<br /> <br />Do not miss reading this gem. 5/5<br /> <br />This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.<br />

A magnificent hotel, an intricately woven plot, three strong women characters written by three eloquent authors. <br /><br />SUMMARY <br />France, 1914. Aurelie is at her family’s ancestral home, when the Germans move in and begin using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows one of the German officers, Maximilian Von Sternburg. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max’s friendship soon deepens into a love, that will shatter them both. <br /><br />France, 1942. Daisy was raised by her indomitable grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz. She continues to live in Paris with her two children and her husband Pierre, who becomes a Nazi collaborator after France falls to Hitler. Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger, who creates identity papers for the resistance and for Jewish refugees. As Daisy is drawn deeper into the underground network, she uncovers secret information, and commit the ultimate betrayal. <br /> <br />France, 1964. Babs was haunted by a mysterious woman known by her husband, Kit, as La Fleur. After Kit’s death, American lawyer Andrew “Drew” Bowdoin appears at Bab’s door. He was hired to find the Resistance fighter turned traitor known as “La Fleur,” Curious to know more about La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that takes them to Paris and the Ritz—and to unexpected places of the heart….<br /><br /><br />REVIEW<br />Three strong women characters, three eloquent women authors, an intricately woven story and a magnificent hotel. What could be better? The writing was superb and the story was mesmerizing. I enjoyed following the alternating chapters of Aurelie, Daisy and Babs and discerning their role in the story and their connections to one another. <br /><br /><br />One of my favorite parts of this beguiling story was the transitions between chapters which take place decades apart. While perhaps just a little thing, I very much looked forward to these skillfully-crafted transitions which referenced to an item, for example, a scarf, at the conclusion of one chapter and then picks up on a scarf reference in the opening scene of the next chapter. This simple connection between the chapters captivated me. The attention to details such as this, makes this a treasure of a book,. If you like historical fiction, strong women characters, and a little romance thrown in this is the book for you. <br /><br />I also appreciated the reference to the Scarlet Pimpernel and to the French Revolution. <br /><br />Thanks to authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig for a delightful experience. I listened to the audible version of the book and felt the narrators also helped bring the story to life. <br /><br />Publisher William Morrow<br />Published January 14, 2020<br />Narrated Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber, Saskatchewan Maarleveld<br />Review <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.bluestockingreviews.com">www.bluestockingreviews.com</a>