The Keeper of Happy Endings

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So it makes perfect sense that I would be attracted to a book with the phrase “happy endings” in the title.

The Keeper of Happy Endings - Barbara Davis

So when I saw that Barbara Claypole White offered praise for this novel and is the author of Echoes of Family, I immediately put that book on my TBR list. Its a story of hopes and dreams and trauma, leading back to how one comes to again believe in possibility. When Soline connects with Anson’s sister, Thia, Rory discovers not only that Anson is alive, but also that they are related; through a magical twist of fate, Anson is her grandfather, Soline is her grandmother, and Camilla is the baby, Assia. But it turns out that all three women are connected in a way that would seem almost roll-your-eyes coincidental, if not for that tiny bit of magic introduced into the story by the dress charm. Rory has recently suffered a dreadful shock and is desperately trying to piece her life back together, hoping that one day she will also have her happy ending.Check out my article on How to Form a Book Club for tips on creating the ideal club for your lifestyle. We could have seen the stories of some of the brides she'd helped, or have desperate Parisian women queuing outside her door during the war, clutching worn out dresses, handkerchiefs or even rags for her to embroider charms into to keep their loved ones safe. Told through the heartbreak of two engagements lost to tragedy forty years apart, the story weaves together contemporary loss with the horrors of Nazi-occupied France to find healing and second chances. Anson sends her to live with his family, the Purcells, and while there, she learns that she is pregnant with Anson’s baby.

The Keeper of Happy Endings - Barbara Davis - Google Books The Keeper of Happy Endings - Barbara Davis - Google Books

It is said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a happy ending in her marriage and a life of complete joy. Four decades later, twenty-three year old Rory, who is trying to come to terms with her recent grief, has taken an old property on lease for her art gallery. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. Soline Roussel comes from a long line of bridal dressmakers, who are reputed to have magic in their fingers that ensures a happy ending for the bride that wears a Roussel gown.

In 1985, it is a joy to watch as the cautious friendship between Rory and Soline blossoms and grows.

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis - Fantastic Fiction The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis - Fantastic Fiction

Which parts of the story did you prefer, the historical parts with Soline or the modern parts with Rory? The rest of the world is moving forward, living their lives and dreaming their dreams, while you’re frozen, forever suspended in that terrible moment when your world stopped turning and the ground suddenly fell away. We follow both women through their sorrows and their successes - one whose sorrows started during WWII and the other present day. At the core is a simple question: Can you break free of generations of family patterns to chase your own dreams and allow yourself hope? I haven’t read anything else like this particular book, and its uniqueness alone makes it deserving of a read.A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Thia, Camilla, and Rory visit Soline and share all the details of the story, which leads to their collective healing. Some of us may break more quietly than others, but break we all do, when this world dishes out its worst.

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis Review – The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis

When she leases the property owned by Soline’s family to open an art gallery, she finds letters and a dress with special meaning. All this changes in the blink of an eye when Soline loses everything she holds dear due to World War ll.The baby did not die but was instead adopted in an arrangement orchestrated by Owen, who lied to Anson and told him that Soline wanted nothing to do with him after he was injured. This is one of those feel-good, curl up with a good mug of tea or hot chocolate on a cold and rainy day kinds of books. Haven't we saturated the market with books about WWII and old ladies that are still alive now who lived through those ghastly times, made heart-wrenching choices or sacrifices, bravely fought with the Resistance in some European country or other, who loses her one and only for decades, then conveniently is reunited with him current day because of someone reading her diary/letters/etc? Unlike some multi-pov books that change characters in every chapter, the author here seems to have a clear purpose for each perspective change, and makes sure she completes that plot point before moving on to the next pov, even if it takes multiple chapters.