A Paris Apartment

Starred review from April 15, 2014
April Vogt, a Sotheby's expert on continental furniture, is sent to Paris to assess the furnishings in a decrepit apartment that hasn't been unlocked in decades. The assignment comes just in time as April's husband confesses to a one-night stand. April finds the apartment is filled floor to ceiling with priceless furniture pieces and works of art once owned by a Parisian demimondaine, Marthe de Florian. One particular portrait, painted by the Master of Swish, Giovanni Boldini, captures April's attention. She yearns to know more about the woman in the painting and stumbles upon journals in the apartment. Aided by an irresistibly handsome French lawyer for the estate, April pores through journal entries discovering this forgotten woman lived a life among the world's most renowned writers and artists. April connects with Marthe's struggles, while working through her own life problems. VERDICT With its well-developed, memorable characters and the author's skillful transitioning between story lines, finding similarities in the lives of two women decades apart, this stunning and fascinating debut will capture the interest of a wide audience but particularly those interested in stories about women behind famous men like Melanie Benjamin's "The Aviator's Wife" or Nancy Horan's "Under the Wide and Starry Sky". Highly recommended.--Brooke Bolton, North Manchester P.L., IN

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Shuttered for 70 years, the ninth arrondissement apartment is a treasure trove for furniture appraiser April Vogt. Plus, an extended trip to Paris allows her to avoid her troubled marriage. As April uses the diaries of Marthe de Florian to establish provenance of the pieces, she becomes obsessed with Marthe's Belle Epoque exploits, her rivalry with Jeanne Hugo (Victor's granddaughter), and her path from Folies Berg're bartender to renowned (if forgotten) courtesan. All the while, April struggles to forgive her husband's infidelity, a situation not helped by the presence of Luc Thebault, the estate's solicitor, who seems determined to make sure April doesn't work too hard. Gable's debut is strongest when Paris is the focus, whether it's suffering a rude waiter at a corner bistro in the present day or dripping in jewels and furs and being bored by Proust in a caf' at the turn of the century. Some of April's actions late in the book will render her unforgivable to many readers, so if sick parents and infidelity are red flags, pass on this one. Otherwise, vive la Paris apartment!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)