Book written by Barbara Davis, Published October 2021
This is a fantastic story set in 1985, with flashbacks to Paris during the German occupation in World War II. Davis weaves a tale that pulls readers across an emotional spectrum of heartache, loss, hope, self-discovery, and new relationships.
Rory is a bit lost in life, bouncing between grief and hope, and decides to pursue her dream of opening an art gallery for up-and-coming artists, and feels a tug towards a certain row house. This leads her to her new landlady, reclusive Soline Roussell who had a wedding dress shop in the row house years previously until a fire destroyed it. During renovations, Rory finds a box tucked under the stairs that was spared and decides to return it to Soline, sparking an unlikely but healing friendship.
I have seen that some people are turned off by the magic practiced in Soline’s family and stop reading the book. It is far from conjuring or spells. It is basically reading auras of possessions to find out if two people are really meant to be married, and stitching a spell, or poem really, into the fabric above the bride’s heart. It seems to be intended as a larger part of the story than it actually is, as a way of wrapping everything together for its happy endings, crediting everything right or wrong in her life and her family to “La Magie”. To me, the story would have been almost exactly the same without it.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction, and suggest it as a buy.
This book contains mild language, the beginning of intimacy, one simple description of war injury, and one mention of a homosexual character (if it were a movie, it would be a safe PG-13).
Keep reading for an in-depth review!
(Spoilers Below)
"Dreams are like waves, babe. You have to wait for the right one to come along, the one that has your name on it. And then when it does, you have to get up and ride it. This dream has your name all over it."
I started this book thinking that it was mostly a story about Rory and her life, not realizing how much Soline would be a part of it. Actually, I would argue that the whole thing is Soline’s story, pieced together with the help of Rory. Soline had to deal with many troubles, as did a lot of people who lived during World War II. A fiancé that died, unwelcome in a home that was supposed to be a refuge, a baby that didn’t survive, being in an unfamiliar country with literally no one, and after building up a life for herself, to have the shop and the use of her hands taken from her finally pushed her into isolation. I don’t blame her one bit for wanting to shut every person out and she didn’t even have the option to rebuild her dress shop for a third time. But I think it was therapeutic for her to finally find someone like Rory that she felt was so familiar, and someone whose story was so similar to her own.
I will admit something here, and I hope you don't judge me too harshly. I was so engrossed in this book, that when Soline mentioned to Rory that she didn't even have a picture of Anson, I grabbed my phone to look him up! Madison will vouch that I am good at finding things online, so it's not an uncommon request of me. And then I realized that he was a fictional character from my book... so kudos, Barbara Davis. You got me.
It’s definitely a common theme in entertainment sources, whether it be screen or print, that major plot problems could have been solved with some simple communication. Usually this drives me crazy, but Barbara Davis weaved such an elaborate grasp of Owen's control, that I really don't fault Anson for not reaching out. It might have been the next logical step after looking Soline up, but he could have used that as his opportunity to return the rosary and close the door a few decades sooner than he did. I think it definitely applies to this story, though not entirely solving Soline’s life grievances, could have saved her forty years of grieving for Anson. Had Anson reached out to Soline when he returned to the country, she would have learned that he was alive, and he would have learned that his father had lied to him. It would definitely have taken a lot of humility for Anson to reach out to Soline, and maybe it’s the pettiness in me, but if I were him, I would love to have shown off the fact that I wasn’t paralyzed.
Soline was heavily drugged during the birth of her daughter and woke up to be told that her daughter didn’t survive. Did anyone else have warning bells in your head? Or was it because I am familiar with the mid-20th century scandal-filled years of child and newborn kidnappings to sell them for adoption to wealthy families. This is the main idea behind Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest you do; it’s another historical fantasy novel. I will also point out that I think Thia is the unsung hero of this story. She was super loving and welcoming of Soline when she came to her house, dug through the paperwork and figured out that Soline's baby was stolen and adopted to the Lowells, and spent time trying to talk to surly Anson about it.
I loved the second chances in this story, especially since there were multiple. So hang on here, because this probably could have used a diagram! First, Rory and her mom, Camilla, got to experience a more healed relationship after Camilla opened up about feeling like she was unlovable. Camilla was finally able to truly support Rory in her art gallery. This was most likely also due to Camilla being able to feel secure in her life when she learned that Soline was her birth mother, giving her a chance at a healthier mother-daughter relationship than what she and her adoptive mother had (which wouldn't be all that hard, given how toxic that was). Soline and Camilla had a second chance at friendship after that same incident, with Camilla swallowing her attitude and jealousy, both of them becoming very close and going out together even without Rory. And of course, when Soline found out that her baby had survived, she was able to have a second chance as a mother to the baby she had mourned for so long. And the last, most obvious one, when Soline and Anson were brought together again! I especially liked the fact that they agreed to try things out again, knowing that they had become different people through their years apart, bringing realistic timidity to the situation. Of course, we know that they eventually get their wedding, and Soline can be the keeper of her happy ending as well.
It's hard not to think about what each of their lives would have been like, had Owen not interfered to the degree that he did. I honestly think that he thought he was protecting his son, and in the midst of grief, wasn't in the most welcoming state of mind. But like the stories we crave most, they all ended up happy. Which brings us to the title, "The Keeper of Happy Endings". This is a label Soline gave herself when talking about how she kept the letters from previous brides. She finally got to have her own happy ending with Anson, complete with finding their daughter and granddaughter.
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