All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris

France, 1914: As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father. When the Germans move onto their family’s ancestral estate, using it as headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German major aide de camp, Maximilian. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max fall in love, but soon betrayal will shatter them both. France 1942: Raised by her free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite “Daisy” Villon remains in Paris with her family after France falls to Hitler. Once reluctant to put herself and her family in danger, Daisy agrees to join the resistance, acting as a courtier for a forger known only as Legrand. But as Daisy is drawn deeper into the resistance, she uncovers a devastating secret, one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal. France 1964: For Barbara Langford, her husband Kit was the love of her life; yet their marriage is haunted by a mysterious woman known only as “La Fleur”. But after Kit’s death, Andrew Bowdoin, who was hired to find “La Fleur,” appears at her door. Filled with curiosity, Barbara joins Andrew on his quest, all the way to Paris and the Ritz Hotel.

All The Ways We Said Goodbye is a wonderful story about three women who, despite the years that separated them, are brought to Paris’ Ritz Hotel. But the hotel is not the only thing that connects these three women. Although two of the three storylines take place during the World Wars, I enjoyed how the story focused on the strong women in the story rather than the horrors of war like so many other historical novels set during these times.