"Paris, World War I. Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Edouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans, Sophie is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait--painted by her artist husband--a dangerous obsession is born.

Almost a century later in London, Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before his sudden death. After a chance encounter reveals the portrait's true worth, a battle begins over its troubled history and Liv's world is turned upside all over again."

Acquired via PaperBackSwap. (Unabridged on 11 CDs; read by Clare Corbett & Penny Rawlins)

Sophie Lefevre is the rock that keeps her extended family together in their small-town French hotel during World War I. As the Germans occupy her home, she finds comfort in the portrait of herself hanging on the wall, painted by her artist husband who is away at war. When the German commander takes an interest in the portrait and seemingly in her, Sophie makes a decision that seals the fate of herself and her family. Fast forward nearly 100 years later. Sophie's portrait is hanging in the home of Liv Halston, a young widow living in London, whose husband had bought her the painting as a wedding gift. When a chance encounter leads Liv to the knowledge that the painting may have been stolen during war times, she is torn between returning the painting to its original family, or holding onto it in memory of her husband.

I do enjoy Jojo Moyes' writing and while this was not my favorite of hers, I did enjoy it. For the most part I like alternate timelines, and although I wasn't crazy about Liv's character, I did like the way Moyes' tied these two stories together. Her novels usually do include an underlying love story or two, but they're not overly sappy. I did feel like the ending of this one was a little rushed, but enjoyable just the same.

Sending off to PBS member. Enjoy! :')

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