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The Last Train to Paris
is set in Paris and Berlin during the years preceding the
outbreak of WWII. Shifting between the reminiscences of the
elderly main character, Rose Manon, and the unfolding story
of Rose as an independently minded young reporter in mid-1930's
Paris, Last Train does a credible rendering of the uncertainties,
tensions, and coming turmoil of the rise of Nazi Germany and
its impact on her life in Paris. Rose, as being half-Jewish
and half-Irish American, becomes a symbol of American outlook
on the unfolding events in Paris and Berlin, in that she is
concerned about the fate of Jews in Germany but unable to
write about it, and has the optimism that she could make a
difference in her own small way.
I like the author's integration of historical figures and
events (e.g. Berlin's "Crystal Night" and a sensational
Paris murder trial) into the development of Rose's character
as she evolves from an enthusiastic reporter to that of a
more hardened reporter. The author describes life in Paris
and Berlin, and depicts uncertainty and fear because of the
impact and chaos of people fleeing Germany for Paris.
I found the story quite intriguing, since I believe The
Last Train was actually a metaphor for Rose's last chance
to spirit away her German lover and his family, and how the
result of that attempt shaped Rose for the rest of her life.
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