The book is enjoyable to read, entertaining if not enlightening. The impact of the psychological damage was described and some plot elements elaborate orated upon the full impact of the psychosis the war created, but that impact was not seen in Tom’s letters nor in Evie’s general tone in the wake of Tom’s hospitalization. Battles are described only vaguely, the impact of the Spanish Flu which took the lives of millions merely mentioned, and the emotional damage to soldiers such as Tom was not reflected in the tenor and tone of his letters as the war dragged on. As a bit of historical fiction, it lacks the specific details to give it historical meaning and adequate context. Letters from other characters in the orbits of Thomas Harding and Evelyn Elliott help to give the story more detail, furthering its plot and setting while vaguely providing information about the war.Īs a romance novel, the book is a great read, enjoyable and credible. The letters they exchange further their relationship as lifelong friends rather than as lovers. The two protagonists have been friends since early childhood. The authors’ innovative process of telling this story gave it a liveliness and a sense of reality, allowing the characters to tell about the war experience through their own eyes.

Last Christmas in Paris is an engaging romance novel told through letters against the backdrop of WW I. But one final letter is waiting for him.'. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris-a cherished packet of letters in hand-determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene? Christmas 1968. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears-and grow ever fonder from afar. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict-but how?-and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father's newspaper business. Evie and Thomas experience a very different war.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes-as everyone does-that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

Last christmas in paris by hazel gaynor