The Paris Daughter

Juliette has always been the type of person to help those in need; she first met her beloved husband, Paul Foulon, when she approached him to request help in saving an injured bird. Juliette is also particularly inclined to help Elise because she sees aiding another pregnant woman as a potential avenue of redemption to assuage some of the guilt she feels over the death of her infant daughter, Antoinette. The women realize they are both originally from America, and Juliette welcomes Elise into the bookshop she and her husband own, La Librairie des Rêves, while her husband leaves to fetch a doctor.

The doctor arrives, examines Elise, and concludes the pain is just false contractions likely exacerbated by dehydration. Although still overcome with pain, Elise is reassured, and she soon recovers. She loves La Librairie des Rêves and enjoys Juliette’s friendly companionship before leaving to return home. She spends several hours carving a sculpture of birds taking flight, and only when she finishes does she notice with a sense of unease and foreboding that her husband Olivier is still not home. When Olivier does eventually appear, he is uncharacteristically bedraggled and informs her Hitler invaded Poland and that France is at war.

Juliette reacts with apprehension to the news of war. Both her father and Paul served in the First World War; her father died, and Paul suffered so acutely that he has never been able to tell her about it. Elise returns frequently to visit Juliette to discuss current events and enjoy the atmosphere of the bookshop. The friendship between her and Juliette grows, and she is introduced to Juliette’s friend and frequent customer, Ruth Levy. Ruth is a Jewish widow and an immigrant from Germany with two young children named George and Suzanne. She is very afraid of the hardships war might bring. Juliette’s children are afraid after overhearing the adults’ conversations, but Juliette reassures them everything is fine.

With the advent of war, Olivier becomes more involved in political activities, which makes Elise worry. He is a staunch communist, and his latest series of paintings feature overtly communist imagery, which Elise fears might see him targeted should they come to light. Elise feels excluded from Olivier’s social and artistic circles because she is a woman and feels Olivier resents her artistic skill. They first met when Olivier, already a famous and successful artist, visited New York. Elise admired him and was flattered by his attention, and Olivier encouraged her to forego sculpting with clay in favor of sculpting wood. They began a relationship, and when Olivier returned to Paris at the end of his trip, Elise went with him.

Elise continues to visit Juliette at La Librairie des Rêves with increasing frequency. Juliette informs Elise she plans to name her own baby Lucie, as she is certain it will be a girl. On the anniversary of Antoinette’s death, Ruth offers to mind the bookstore and Juliette’s sons so Juliette is free to spend the day mourning. At the cemetery, Juliette finds Paul already at Antoinette’s grave, weeping. He buried his own grief to stay strong for Juliette, but Juliette finds it cathartic to mourn together and feels as though sharing their grief reinforces her love for her husband.