Absolutely Beautiful Story! A must read!

An epic love story. A story of being human. A love affair with Paris. War, betrayal, passion, suffering, and hope. Twists and turns galore that will have you spellbound. Oh yes, and a fine heaping dose of glamour and couture fashion. What more can ask for in a book? An exceptional writer? Natalie Meg Evans is just that. Perfection!

14 people found this helpful

Immerse yourself in another time

Even though there are flaws in this book, I enjoyed it and would read another by this author. I actually quite enjoyed the fashion and millinery aspects to the book and found myself looking up styles of hats and French fashion in WW2. The story is a tad farfetched at times, but it's forgivable and it hangs together if you accept the twists and turns as is. The narrator didn't have a grasp of French pronunciation but was excellent at the different characters, which ultimately is more important. For those of us that are bothered by this sort of thing, there is minimal explicit violence or sexual scenes and no swearing that I can recall. My kind of book! If you can't escape winter with a holiday, take a trip to a Parisian hat shop during WW2.

12 people found this helpful

Amazing, you won't want to stop listening

Would you listen to The Milliner's Secret again? Why?

This was one of my favorite books ever. I listened to "The Nightingale" prior to listening to this. It was a great follow up. So many different story angles without getting too confusing. Fast paced and will keep you wanting more!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked all of the character descriptions. I felt as if I could really visualize them and know them as the people they were

Have you listened to any of Julie Teal’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to "The English German Girl" after listening to this. I enjoy Julie Teal's narration and I am very picky with narrators.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would keep the title of "The Milliner's Secret". It fits perfectly.

Any additional comments?

The only thing I found confusing in the book was the many names that Dietrich had. I found myself googling the meaning of his nickname "Graf" and "Grafin" (which when narrated sounded like "grafinvon" etc.)

8 people found this helpful

Learn to pronounce the words first!

What did you like best about The Milliner's Secret? What did you like least?

I am just starting to listen to it so I will up date this. But I am only 10 minutes into the story and the reader has mispronounced several words repeatedly. There should be a test that you understand how to pronounce the words in the book before you are allowed to do this. People who speak French are going to be very annoyed.

10 people found this helpful

Epic, Love it - it's s'good!

Any additional comments?

I love WWII books, and have listened or read all of them and this book, ugh it was SO GOOD. The story was a refreshing twist compared to others in it's genre,haute-couture is not usually a topic you come across too often in wwii books so it added a fun plot line. I never really gave millinery a thought and just figured their business slowed as much as everyone else's but I learned that none of their materials were rationed and you got an inside look into how cut throat millenery was in 1940's Paris - and was it ever!

The characters are complex, intriguing and well thought. Their stories blended beautifully and you even found some compassion for some of the less favorable ones (briefly lol) At times you would think the story took a complete 180 with a different tangent but they would all interweave within the story flawlessly, and always added such exciting, shocking twists.

This story had a lot of layers to it and was very complex but not once did I feel that any part wasn't essential. The historical details were accurate and helped move along the story.

10 people found this helpful

Must read for historical fiction/romance and fashion history fan!

It’s a really good intriguing story, if slightly unbelievable at some points; but what good stories aren’t? Love the mix of European fashion history set against WWII and the story of a woman that goes for what she wants. Although not a perfect character by far, I can relate to her ambition and yearning to make creations she is proud of.

2 people found this helpful

Complete Waste Of Time And Money

What disappointed you about The Milliner's Secret?

The deception of the preface vis-a-vis the plot or story. Having recently read "Light of the Moon" by Elzabeth Buchan and found it fascinating, thie brief description of this audiobook caught my attention. Shame on me - will do more research next time - can not believe the reviewers listened to the same book as I.

Would you ever listen to anything by Natalie Meg Evans again?

No

What three words best describe Julie Teal’s performance?

I can not speak Gernman, so can make no comments regarding the critical reviews on the way she pronounces certain words; nor can I think of three words to describe her narration - one imagines she did the best she could considering what she had to read.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Milliner's Secret?

This was not an audiobook with scenes - it was a circus with a variety of characters wandering in and out every five minutes - making no real contribution to the story and disappearing without explanation. The premise of the book - or as much of it as I can understand - is that drop dead gorgeous Cora Masson flees a drunken and abusive father in a small village near London, makes her way to Paris during its occupation by Germany, becomes romantically involved with a high- ranking German officer who changes her name to "Coralie," and surfaces as the owner of a fashionable millinary shop. However, this is the point at which the author turns Coralie into "Super Woman - she sews hats, she sings, she dances, she cooks, she nurses and heals the sick or wounded, she hides various Jewish people from the German authorities - and still finds time to be a mother and dabble in the French underground resistance movement. I have listened to this nonsense almost to the end of Part 2, and am still unable to understand by what magic she, out of all the dozens of characters in the book, escapes notice, capture, internment, etc., by the overly suspicious Gestapo; especially since her lover, Von-whatever (he also has several names), is heavily implicated in a plot to kill Hitler.

Any additional comments?

Save your time and money - buy and listen to "Light of the Moon" - you will enjoy it more than once !!

9 people found this helpful

Wow!

Wonderful story! You fall in love with the main characters in the book & are instantly engrossed. The audio was incredible - I could hardly wait for the ride to work!

3 people found this helpful

Loved it!!

I love WW2 fiction and have been making my way through all of the books I can find on this time period. this is such a great story. a little hard to follow at times but a great book.

2 people found this helpful

A new favorite

I love this book. it was well written and well narrated. this has become a new favorite for me.

2 people found this helpful