01959cam a2200313 i 4500 296123398 TxAuBib 20161006120000.0 160201s2016||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2016001384 9780425266267 pbk. 0425266265 pbk. DLC eng rda DLC GCmBT NjBwBT TxAuBib rda Richman, Alyson. The velvet hours [BOOK] / Alyson Richman. New York : Berkley, 2016. 374 pages ; 21 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes readers guide. "As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother's treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she'll ever return. An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Moststriking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe's tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path. Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother's legacy behind to save all that she loved"-- Provided by publisher. 20161006. World War, 1939-1945 France Paris Fiction. Storytelling Fiction. Grandmothers Fiction. Biographical fiction. Historical fiction.