Paris, 1939. While working at the Louvre, Eliane Dufort falls for talented painter Xavier. But when the Nazis occupy the city, Xavier leaves for England and Eliane must send her sisters to the country. Broken-hearted, she finds herself working with the mysterious Rose Valland on a dangerous secret mission for the French Resistance: to record all the priceless national treasures the Germans are stealing.
Present Day. Desperate to escape her grief, Remy Lang arrives at a stunning private estate on the French Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalogue of artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall in Sydney. Who is her family, really? And does the Riviera house hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?
Natasha Lester is a New York Times bestselling author who is best known for writing grand, sweeping historical fiction that features lavish settings and gutsy female protagonists. Her previous two novels The French Photographer and The Paris Secret were hugely popular with BR readers, making our 2020 and 2021 Top 100 lists respectively. Now she’s back with her latest novel, The Riviera House, a lush, engrossing and deeply moving story about the brave women who worked against the Nazis during WWII. While I’ve read and adored each of Lester’s novels, I believe this might just be her best work yet.
The novel follows two captivating and intelligent young women across dual timelines. There’s Eliane Dufort, an aspiring artist and member of the French Resistance who goes to great lengths to catalogue the artworks stolen by the Nazis. Then there’s Remy Lang in the present day, a grief-stricken widow who is struggling with the recent loss of her husband and child. Through both women’s stories, Lester brings to life the true story of the Nazis theft of French artworks, while paying homage to the brave French Resistance Fighters who risked their lives to protect them. While both women’s stories might initially seem unrelated, Lester expertly weaves together both timelines as the novel draws towards its heartbreaking and moving close.
Filled with dazzling artwork and set against a sumptuous French backdrop, The Riviera House is a rich and compelling tale of love, loss and sacrifice. If you’re stuck in lockdown and longing for an escape, this is the perfect read.
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