The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

I think I might be a homebody.  When I look back at my parents' scrapbooks, they traveled all the time.  In fact, we frequently went on vacations when I was a kid.  My maternal grandparents were the traveling champions!  First, they went to Hawaii every year, usually around my birthday.  It was the only available time originally, then it got to be a running joke, they'd call from the pool to wish me Happy Birthday in freezing cold upstate New York. They went to what seemed like every country: in England they met Lord Mountbatten, in Spain (which they adored) they learned to flamenco dance and nearly drove my parents crazy bringing home castanets for all four of us kids, in Alaska they lead a group jumping out of a helicopter onto an iceberg, in Paris they bought watercolors of the Eifel tower, they soaked up all the sun in Acapulco leaving none for anyone else.  They went to many other countries and loved all the wonderful people they met.  Yes, my grandparents lived remarkable lives, in part because of their excitement for meeting other people and learning about their cultures.  I wish I was like them.  Well, I would love to go everywhere, especially the middle east, Egypt, etc.  As a history lover those areas are fascinating. Sadly, I am a terrible traveler.  As soon as I finish the cup of coffee I've brought with me to sip on in the car, I'm whining about aren't we there yet.  Yup, that's my tolerance length, one cup of coffee. Then, while away, I worry about things at home.  Yes, I'm a homebody and hate it.

I recently read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.  This is the story of a woman, Jess, who travels to Paris looking for a break, perhaps a fresh start.  She decides to stay with her brother, Ben, who is already there.  Jess is disappointed when Ben isn't home to meet her when she arrives but she's worried when he doesn't turn up the next day.  Ben's apartment is in a beautiful old building, that had once been a large house. His neighbors are less than helpful when Jess inquires about her lost brother.  Something is wrong and she is convinced they are hiding secrets. 

If you liked Lucy Foley in the past, I doubt you will be disappointed.  While there are several characters that you have to keep track of, the residents of the building, it becomes easy very quickly as the characters are well defined. I suppose the story might have been a smidge shorter, but the book is a quick read and remains interesting throughout. While this fun book has many twists, I'm proud to say I guessed one of the major surprises. The other twists, I missed completely.  If you can't travel to Paris, this might be a fun escape.

Hubby told me to end this by saying "arrivederci." He thinks he's funny and knows that's Italian not French. I might be saying "au revoir" to him soon!