Under the Stars of Paris (Florian, #1) by Mary Burchell

Under the Stars of Paris (Florian, #1) Reviews

• 
  Naksed

  Such a sweet, chaste, romantic little surprise of a book. It reminded me a lot of the film Funny Face starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, with a similar storyline of a young girl being swept up by total chance into the world of high fashion.
  
  Anthea is a young English girl who has recently been abruptly jilted by her self-centered, cold, fiance and simultaneously abandoned by her already quite neglectful, artist father, so that she finds herself penniless, with no prospects, living in a cold attic room, in Paris, with only a few days before the end of both her lease and her meager savings. At the eleventh hour, she is "discovered" randomly by the executive assistant of Florian, one of the most famous fashion designers in Paris and whisked to his fashion house to see if she will be a good "fit" (pardon the pun) for the show-stopping finale of his collection, the bridal dress, since the model he was going to use has had an unexpected, ill-timed accident.
  
  He stopped suddenly and stared at Anthea, who was standing at the far end of the platform. Then, in a very quiet but completely carrying a voice, he said,
  
  "Walk towards me-as though you liked me-and were coming to greet me."
  
  
  
  I thought the author did a fantastic job of capturing the fantasy of that golden era of Paris haute-couture fashion houses, where a new collection could make headlines, every garment was a museum-worthy work of art, and every fashion show a breathtaking performance as dramatic as a Puccini opera.
  
  
  
  Besides the love story, in which the author cleverly keeps the reader guessing as she slowly and meticulously sets up a love triangle, the design world, with all its intrigues, artistic temperaments, cut-throat competitiveness, backstabbing and jealousies were a hoot to read about, without going over the top. There is one garment in particular, an exquisite cloak of white mink, that plays a central part in one of the most emotional episodes of Under the Stars of Paris, which shows that clothes can not only be merely decorative, they can be used as instruments of revenge, scorn, defiance, and yes, even understanding and love.
  
  
  
  All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Its romanticism, elegance, and sweet, old-fashioned vibe were definitely different from the usual Harlequin books that are so over-the-top and filled with punishing kisses and grabby hands. I enjoy those too, mind you, but this was a very nice breath of fresh air.
• 
  Leona

  Mary Burchell has such a unique style in her writing. I was shocked to say that up till the end of the book, I wasn't quite sure who the hero was. Unsuspecting to me, since the hero is actually written as a "slight, fair haired man with beautiful hands, thinning hair and the air of an exhausted and impatient schoolboy."
  
  I'm not sure I have ever read a book, where I didn't know which man was actually the love interest. At least, not in a category romance. But in typical Burchell fashion, this book is about so much more. About life in a large, beautiful city for a young woman entering the fashion world and all the pettiness, hatred and jealousies that exist in that world. This was an absorbing, entertaining read.....
• 
  Julz

  What a surprise this one was! You're not going to get much out of me. I can't tell you anything or it'll ruin it. Don't read any spoilers and just go in and see where it goes. It's an older story so not a lot of hot lovin'. A lot of filler about life as a "mannequin" (oldie for model) but I found it interesting. I just thought it was really clever. No hard limits (unless a book without a lot of dark action is a hard limit ;D). But I do recommend this. Very unusual.
• 
  Sarah Mac

  Cute little romance. Though when I say 'cute,' I'm well aware of my own jaded tastes for flamboyant bodice-shredding & melodrama. ;)
  
  This was originally published in the mid-1950s, & taken in that context one could almost call it edgy. Though it's squeaky-clean in terms of romance & language, all the sparkly trappings (Parisian streets, fashion houses, glam clothes, opera, backstabbing, cocktail parties, gossip, suggestions of mistresses, & broken engagements) must have seemed like June Cleaver's version of Danielle Steel. The prose, also, was clean & competent, but not dumbed down like too many modern trash authors (or even those awful 'inspirational' romances *barf*); rather, it has a definite Audrey Hepburn feel, both in character & story.
  
  4 stars, sweet & entertaining. I'll try this author again when/if the mood strikes for something different from my usual fare.
• 
  Gina House

  4.5🌟 Wow, what an entertaining read! I've never been one to read Harlequin romances, but I was hooked from the very first page. I guess I had this idea that most romances were overly frivolous or saccharine, but I was wrong. This book was really fun, quick-to-read and cheered me up.
  
  Thanks to Lil's (Lil's Vintage World) book recommendation, I found this book on ebay and started reading it right away. So glad she shared this one! I've already bought the sequel in the duology and I'll be embarking on that one tonight. Very excited.
  
  If you love Susan Scarlett's books (Noel Streatfeild), especially the ones on shops and fashion, you would love this book. It's short, interesting and so much fun. I'll have to find more books by Mary Burchell to read. If I can find some of these romances where there are mostly cozy domestic details, I'd be in heaven! Please recommend titles below if you have any you think I'd love.
  
  POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW
  
  
  I was very surprised at the ending. It must have been a conversation in the very last chapter that made my mouth fall open and had me rereading the section I just read. If you've read this already, you know what I mean. I don't like knowing that there's a twist at the end, but it's possible that some readers wouldn't mind. Anyway, I had no idea things were going in that direction. Perhaps I was a little dense and also preferred the other main male character more?
• 
  Teelah

  What a lovely story! I was about to DNF at around 15%, because I didn’t quite know what I wanted to read atm, but I’m so glad that I didn’t. Lovely!
• 
  MB (What she read)

  3.5 stars
  I'm absolutely loving these vintage gems I'm finding on Kindle Unlimited. The quality of the writing totally shames today's authors. It's amazing what these authorial whizzes could pack into such a tiny space. Plus, they're usually about career girls (of the 50's and 60's natch) so there's a really great insight into what life was like then for my mother (and aunts & grandmothers too). The exotic locations are always fun to read about too.
  
  After reading my way through the Warrender Saga (highly recommended, btw) and learning a LOT about opera et al and the music business of that era, I was chuffed to find this one which seems to be the first in a fashion-based series. At least I hope so! I sure hope whoever owns the rights to Burchell's backlist keeps releasing these, because I'm snapping up every one I can get my hands on.
  
  This one with it's inside look into a fashion atelier, populated with the drama queen genius designer, many models, and the rest of the back stage crew is totally fascinating.
  
  I love fashion and fashion history so this gave me a real glimpse into how things have changed. I don't know about Burchell's research methods but this felt authentic, to my knowledge, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. While reading, I kept flashing back to this nonfiction favorite of mine
  A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions and comparing Madame to Genevieve.
  
  Possible spoilers...
  Ironically, I had to laugh at the ending at the reality of how things have changed. In no way would I considered her eventual hero to be hetero if this were set nowadays. In book reality, I certainly wish her well--I know she'll be cosseted, well-dressed, housed and loved and respected as the muse--but am pretty sure she'll just be a beard IRL. Don't you get that vibe from him too?
• 
  Alisha

  Hmm.
  This book will most appeal to you if you have a toleration for the Mr. Rochesters and M. Paul Emanuels of the world of fiction.
  In other words, a romantic interest who is a bit of a jerk. Indeed, Charlotte Bronte would have been all over this plot.
  There's no getting away from it. There were multiple times in this book where I sighed a little bit and thought, "Ah. So we're doing this, are we?"
  The autocratic man who's rather too old for the heroine. Who keeps her guessing the whole time as to whether he dislikes her or is just indifferent (hint: it's neither).
  What can I say? Mary Burchell handled it with skill and thrill.
  
  Plot summary: Anthea is on her own in Paris, jilted by her fiancé, and with dwindling finances. A chance meeting gets her an opportunity to model at a luxurious fashion show, where she meets Florian, a prestigious dress designer. The rest is moments of catty girl drama, enigmatic conversations with her employer, dinner dates with a "just a friend" who wants to be more, and very Jane-Eyre-like amounts of concealed longing for the inscrutable employer.
  
  If it sounds like your thing, it probably is. Yes, I gave it 5 stars. Yes, even though I wouldn’t be on board with it in real life, I really liked it and was totally invested by the end.
• 
  Avigail

  I was browsing through the Kindle unlimited books looking for ones that I can match for my summer reading challenge. I saw the title, read the summary, but what made me pick up Under the Stars of Paris is Mary Burchell's (Ida Cook) biography.
  The book is sweet and clean Harlequin romance. It is a book that you need to read without reading any reviews, pick it up, and read it. It's incredible what these authorial whizzes could pack into such a tiny space.
  I have another book of Mary Burchell's books on my kindle to be read maybe for another challenge.
• 
  Mony

  I loooved this one. Vintage 1954, but could apply to modern times. Sweet, well written book set in Paris in a fashion salon in that era. Read it in one go. Second half has the nuancing & subtlety of the Duke of Falconbridge in What I Did for a Duke. (Ending was too quick though.) 5-star
• 
  Vee

  This is a clean romance. I'm not sure if you can even call it a romance. The writing has depth and the story sucked me in. And it's in Kindle Unlimited!
• 
  Z.

  In a sense, this book reminded me of The Duke's Wager by Edith Layton. They're really quite different books, except that both are character-driven, not steamy at all, and feature a love triangle with two plausible endings for the heroine -- and I really like them both. The heroine here is also newly striking out into the world on her own, because her father has remarried and she isn't particularly welcome under her stepmother's roof. While looking for work in Paris, she has a chance meeting with a man who becomes a good friend and lucks into a job as a mannequin working for a somewhat eccentric designer. The story is told in third person from the heroine's perspective, and she's charming, a genuinely good person but not saccharine or cloying. I'm not particularly interested in fashion in real life, but I enjoyed seeing the fashion world through her eyes. I also loved watching the heroine come into her own as she comes to understand herself and the people around her more clearly. And how could I not love a hero who's first described as "a slight, fair-haired man with beautiful hands, thinning hair, and the air of an exhausted and impatient schoolboy"?
• 
  Lolene

  Ha, ha! Another Mary Burchell romance from my misbegotten youth...a guilty pleasure. Burchell is a hoot to read...her characters are always principled people, there is NO hanky-panky, ideals are high...and the writing itself is so old-fashioned as to be charming. I read a Burchell aloud to Janna just last night, and we were laughing so hard at her turn-of-phrase. Who says things like, "Aunt Ellen seemed impressed by her sister's vehemence, even to the extent of admitting a glimmer of light into the general gloom of her prognostications"? The writing style reminds me of the old Nancy Drew mysteries I used to love as a kid...where they used words like "roadster" and "frock."
  
  I think I read Burchell occasionally because it's a safe place and time.
• 
  Jane

  Another vintage romance from a gentler time (published in 1954). I'm going through an old box of Harlequin romance novels from when I was a kid, and I needed one after reading descriptions in Publishers Weekly of the "romance" books due out soon. Today's "romances" are more about the shock factor than they are about the romance. I'm so over the erotica trend!
  
  Anyway, this was a pleasure to read, as it was written by Mary Burchell, even though it's not one of her best.
• 
  Bookworman

  Many thanks to Iris, one of my new GR friends, who brought this author to my attention. I really enjoyed reading this sweet story which is similar to the books by Elizabeth Cadell and Susan Scarlett (Noel Streatfeild).
  
  This is the kind of book to curl up with in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and just enjoy a nice, HEA story.
  
  
• 
  Cheesecake

  Part of an anthology; "Once You Found Him"
• 
  Megan

  A simple confection in book form. Demands little of the reader except to relax and enjoy the story. Which suited me perfectly. :-)
• 
  Fiona Marsden

  Mary Burchell is one of my stand by authors that I can read over and over again. I'm not sure how many times I've read this one but it's lovely and I never get bored with it.
  
  Anthea, the heroine, is still stunned from being dumped by her fiancé a couple of months prior to the start of the book. Her father has remarried to a woman who doesn't want her around so she goes to Paris to make a fresh start which doesn't work out.
  
  Until the day she uses her last few francs for a hairdo and is spotted by a woman who works for the great clothes designer Florian. They need a particular type to replace a model with a broken leg only a few days before a major show.
  
  Anthea is drawn into this new world and intrigued by Florian, the slight, rather world weary designer. Nothing at all like the modern alpha males we are used to seeing.
  
  She is also befriended by Roger Senloe, the cousin of the woman who is to marry Anthea's ex. He is a charming and friendly Englishman who makes her life in Paris a happy one.
• 
  Liralen

  Well, that did not go quite as I'd expected—a rarity for Harlequins, and one that delighted me. It's not a brilliant book (or even a brilliant Harlequin), but assuming that there's some degree of accuracy, it's a fascinating insight into the 1950s modelling world. Anthea is contracted to a single designer's fashion house, where he is god and the 'mannequins' (models) display the latest 'models' (designs), both at fashion shows and more or less on call whenever a potential client is around.
  
  This one is somehow available through Kindle unlimited (the new cover is not an improvement). I can't actually recommend the book, but the ending is fascinating and I can't be sorry that it's been digitised for a modern audience.
• 
  April

  The book was a good read. i enjoyed it and the love was quite unexpected from the chosen couple. Again I applaud Mary Burchell for her choice of character and the very subtle love that stems from understanding and respect.
  
  Anthea, who has only fifty bucks left, by chance gets at being a model after being dumped by her ex-fiance. Florian is the designer who hardly shows his feeling to anyone beside being angry but he shows kindness to Anthea although not very gentle. I actually love how Mary Burchell portrays her characters love for each other. no 'i love you because i lust so powerfully for you' is the kind of love that makes her book stand above all others.
• 
  Carmen

  A vintage harlequin romance showcasing a Parisian fashion where models were called mannequins parading around during fashion week. I really enjoyed this book. I love that the author kept the reader guessing where the HEA would fall. It was more of a 4 star slow burn read but the characters read well even after so much time which is remarkable since this book was written in 1954.
• 
  Cinda

  Ah, a romance from my youth! I would read it again with a smile. To be wooed by a rich and charming man . . . the stuff daydreams are made of when you're young. I like this author's characterizations. Her books are charming fantasies without pretension.
• 
  Jan

  2.5 to 3 stars. For me, this one was just okay. It was first published in 1954, and presumably set then. Originally a Mills & Boon/ Harlequin publication, it's now been released on kindle, with a pretty new cover. But for me the read was very dated and ultimately disappointing.
  
  I could picture Anthea as a kind of Audrey Hepburn type figure, and she did have a kind of appeal in spite of her naivety. I believed the b*tching and over-competitiveness that went on behind the scenes in the fashion house. Probably quite likely to have happened that way at times.
  
  The problem with the book as a romance is that there was very little actual romance. A clean read, as obvious from its original source as a 1950s Mills & Boon. But I don't even think there was any kissing??? Or if there was, it made so little impact on me as a reader that I can't even remember it. (And I only finished the book yesterday LOL). There was a little hand-holding and that was about it.
  
  The end of the book surprised and disappointed me. Florian????? What????? What happened to the charming Roger, who was clearly in love with her. And she just suddenly dumped him??? There just had been no preparation for readers that Florian was the love of her life. It needed a bit more overt hinting earlier on that Anthea was pining for Florian romantically, rather than being a sudden (and for me unwelcome) shock at the very end. I was also dissatisfied with the back story of Anthea's first fiancé and his b*tchy wife-to-be. There was a bit of a build-up, then suddenly their story faded away to nothing. I suppose this is a typical frustration of a short, category-line type book.
  
  Oh well, it was a short and sweet read. But I don't plan to read any more old Mary Burchells. This one was just unsatisfying as a romance.