Melanie Levensohn was born in 1970 near Frankfurt, Germany, and studied international relations and literature in France and Chile. She earned her master's degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris. She later worked as a spokesperson for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and travelled to the most complex political hotspots around the world. She reported from Liberia during the civil war in 2003 and was based in Amman, Jordan, as a UN spokesperson during the Iraq war. From 2006-13 Melanie worked as a communications and media expert at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., where she managed corporate external relations for the Caribbean region with a special focus on reconstruction and development in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. She now lives in Geneva.
In this vivid, affecting novel of intertwined destinies and the enduring power of love against the bleakest odds, Melanie Levensohn weaves a tale saturated with historical accuracy and yet surprisingly intimate. A Jewish Girl in Paris delivers romance and intrigue to spare, but the novel's real power lies in its portrayal of how deeply and sometimes mysteriously we can find ourselves connected to the past, and to each other. -- Paula McLain, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Paris Wife</i> and <i>When the Stars Go Dark</i> A beautiful and hard-hitting story -- Kate Furnivall, author of <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling novel <i>The Betrayal</i> Inspired in part by her own fascinating family story, author Melanie Levensohn has crafted an emotional tale of two women . . . desperately searching for answers . . . A Jewish Girl in Paris is a deeply researched, emotional roller coaster ride of love, fate, and second chances. -- Kristin Harmel, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Book of Lost Names</i> An elegantly drawn tale . . . [with] a pacy narrative, relatable heroines, and an eye for historical detail about life in occupied France. * The Jewish Chronicle, London * A Jewish Girl in Paris crafts a warm and intimate tale full of historical accuracy. Furnished with passion and intrigue, this historical romance is a powerful novel about forbidden love. * Hive * I was hooked from the very beginning because it is like a family history detective story . . . A Jewish Girl in Paris pays great attention to the accuracy of historic details and the depiction of the 1940s feels extremely authentic. The novel would appeal to anyone who is interested in the Second World War, and the plight of Jews who lived in France at this time. * Who do you think you are Magazine * Packed with extensive historical research, and written with warmth, insight, sensitivity, and a genuine empathy with the events of the Holocaust, this vivid, poignant tale of entwined destinies, unseen connections and enduring love is guaranteed to resonate long after the last page has turned. * Pam Norfolk Blog * Moving story on multiple levels of time and space. Extremely well researched. The book transported me into another world -- <i>Freundin</i> (major German women's magazine) This novel is full of suspense and doesn't let the reader go. A page turner. Must read! -- Christiane Krause-Dimmock, <i>Badische Neueste Nachrichten</i> Levensohn shows great sensitivity and empathy in her characters and the deep scars left by history and Nazi cruelty that reach all the way into the present * Stuttgarter Nachrichten * An intense read, depicting the time of World War II and the lifelong impact of those years, thoughtfully narrated with great depth -- Susanne Walsleben, <i>Fur Sie</i> (major German women's magazine)