The Keeper of Happy Endings

Rory Grant is reeling. Her fiancé was working with Doctors without Borders and was abducted in Sudan. It has been 5 months and no word. She is supposed to be starting back at grad school soon but she really doesn’t have the motivation, despite her nagging mother’s attempts. And then she sees an empty row house that tugs at her. And she decides to skip grad school and open the art gallery that she has been dreaming of. Soline Roussel is the owner of the building. She once lived there and ran her wedding dress business from it. Until 4 years ago when there was a fire. She sustained burns on her hands and was no longer able to make dresses. She is now a recluse. Until Rory reaches out. Rory finds a box with a dress, a shaving kit, and some letters while renovating the row house. A box of Soline’s memories. And a tentative friendship between two woman with almost 40 years between them begins. Rory is technically the main character of this story, but it was Soline who stole my heart. Alternating between present day and Soline’s experiences in France when the Germans invaded, it is a story of tragedy, bravery and strength. She lost the love her of life to the Nazis and has been pining over him since. But still she has thrived. This story was really sweet and beautiful. It covers mother daughter relationships, romantic love, and so much bravery. I really enjoyed it.

Author not the best but compelling story for quiet time or book club.

I always read the last page to create interest in how we get to that point, and this story contains a plot twist that I didn't even see coming, and a worthwhile one at that! I loved the story lines and how the lines cross. And that it's a *clean* book with happy endings <3

2025 felt chaotic and hard so I bought this book for all of my friends for Christmas because it’s an uplifting book with a genuine happy ending that just makes you feel good that we could all use right now. In case you get anticipatory anxiety like I do, no one dies on the 2nd floor at any point in the book. I just kept waiting to read ‘and she died quietly upstairs’ but rest assured - she doesn’t!! Haha. That’s not a spoiler just reassurance. Not the very best book (but solidly very good) of all time but the feel-good book we need.

Soline is the latest in a long line of seamstresses at her family's exclusive bridal salon. Far from being in a fancy Paris location, the shop is located in her family's modest home. For generations, her family has sewn a special "charm" inside each exquisite dress, and the bride who wears a Roussel dress is said to be assured of a happy ending. Unfortunately, the magic doesn't extend to the seamstresses themselves, who are not to expect--or chase--happiness. A bit of a rule breaker, Soline sews herself an exquisite bridal gown which she keeps hidden away. All is well until her mother dies and the Nazis come marching into Paris. Decades later, in mid-1980s Boston, Rory is lost without her fiancé Hux, who disappeared while working in South Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. Always at odds with her mother, Rory forgoes her mother's plans for her future and instead opens an art gallery for unknown artists. Rory is an artist herself but doesn't view her fabric art as "true art." While cleaning up the old building, she finds a hidden box containing a wedding dress, a shaving kit, and some old letters. The box is the only thing Soline took with her when she fled Paris at the insistence of her fiancé, Anson, an American ambulance driver and secret member of the French Resistance. But Rory knows none of this when she hand delivers the box to the reclusive older woman. What ensues is an unlikely friendship, one which drives the wedge between Rory and her mother even deeper. The book, which is full of history, mystery, and secrets, is told in dual timelines (WWII and the 1980s) and two POVs, first person for Soline's chapters and third-person limited for Rory's. For me, this made Soline's story the main one. Some of the themes are magic, grief, loss and restoration, the hardening of hearts after physical or emotional trauma, self-doubt, community, healing, misunderstandings due to lack of communication, and the danger of keeping secrets. The biggest secret of all is somewhat improbable, but that didn't keep me from loving this book! Also, I thought I'd had my fill of books about World War II, but this one took a different angle, and it's not totally about the war.