What a shared passion for music and living in Paris can do…

Synopsis

Step into the roaring 1920s Parisian music scene

Leaving Manhattan…

For a secret Parisian affair…

New York darling Elizabeth Van Hoeven has everything…except freedom. But now Eliza’s traveling to study piano at the Paris Conservatoire and falling for jazz prodigy Jack Coleman in the process! A love like theirs is forbidden back home, and as they make beautiful music together under the Parisian lights, Eliza and Jack face a difficult choice: the life they’ve always known, or the possibility of a life they never could have imagined…

My review

Elizabeth Van Hoeven is living in New York’s 1920’s as a privileged young woman. Her family comes with wealth and prestige. Yet the one thing that makes Eliza’s heart truly skip a beat, is music. Having the opportunity of a lifetime, Eliza moves to Paris to study piano. And it’s on the other side of the world that she meets Jack Coleman, a talented jazz player.
Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, as a white Manhattan girl and a black Harlem man feel this impossible pull toward each other.
But while everything seems possible in Paris, choices need to made anyway… a future together filled with love, or a future apart with only the memory of that wonderful time together in Paris? 

There is always something that pulls me into the stories of impossible loves. Is it because I love reading how the heart wins over the mind? Or because of wonderful characters not listening to society and make the most difficult choices yet manage to find that perfect happiness?
I don’t know, but this story for sure shows us many prejudices, many dilemma’s but also that marvellous feeling of pure love, with the addition of a few famous characters that our main characters meet, having that little extra. 

I have always liked music, I always have music on, wherever I am. As background at the office, at home, and even singing out of tune in the shower.
However, playing instruments is not something I can do, except those few years we learned to play the flute at high school. But I always admired people who can play an instrument and even shred sometimes a tear while hearing talented players. 

So I took an immediate liking to Eliza, as I can only imagine being able to play the piano like her, but also perfectly understanding where those notes can take you while playing.
But I also admired her courage, to follow her passion. Maybe I am just a coward, but I would be terrified to move to the other side of the world, even with the opportunity of a lifetime. 

However, what I liked the most, was seeing Eliza finding her feet, finding herself while being in Paris. She discovers a whole different world, where people accept her and just everyone else, without any prejudice. And even at moments where her homebase seemingly wants to pull the strings, I liked how Eliza pulled herself free, and fought for her own happiness. 

A happiness she didn’t know, but found with Jack…
Jack is a man who has been through a lot, and not only because of him being black, but he has also seen terrible things while fighting during the war.
It hurt me seeing how people, especially in New York, were prejudiced towards him just because of the colour of his skin. And only made me realize that even a century later, these things still happen…
Why can we not just see people for who they really are and not for how they look like? 

Yet is was heart-warming to read how in Paris Jack gets the treatment he truly deserves, gets opportunities because of his talent. And seeing him feeling at home in Paris, was somehow even sweet. 

Eliza and Jack show their readers that love doesn’t look at someone’s appearance, but at someone’s heart. And seeing a shared love for music only makes that attraction even bigger.
While this story takes place in the 1920’s, I found this a story that is still very relatable now. It shows us that even if society wants us to make other choices, following your heart and your passions is always the right choice. And being set at a great place like Paris only shows us that the right place at the right time will bring us the most wonderful and amazing things!