All the Ways We Said Goodbye

William Morrow
Published January 14, 2020
ISBN-10: 0062931091
ISBN-13: 9780062931092

All the Ways We Said Goodbye

By Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig

Available in Hardcover

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The New York Times bestselling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel.

The heiress…
The Resistance fighter…
The widow…
Three women whose fates are joined by one splendid hotel

France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their family’s ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German Major’s aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met during Aurelie’s debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max’s friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both, driving Aurelie back to Paris and the Ritz—the home of her estranged American heiress mother, with unexpected consequences.

France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite “Daisy” Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to assist her grandmother’s Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand’s underground network, committing increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country—and the man—she holds dear, she uncovers a devastating secret … one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal, and to confront at last the shocking circumstances of her own family history.

France, 1964. For Barbara “Babs” Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit’s death, American lawyer Andrew “Drew” Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned traitor known as “La Fleur,” the investigation has led to Kit Langford. Curious to know more about the enigmatic La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that takes them to Paris and the Ritz—and to unexpected places of the heart….

“The W’s have done it again: All the Ways We Said Goodbye brilliantly interweaves the stories of three women across The Great War, The Second World War and the 1960’s with the common thread of the Ritz in Paris.  Combining meticulous research with elegant prose, the result is a captivating book of love and betrayal, loss and redemption as timeless and magnificent as the legendary Ritz itself.”  –Pam Jenoff, NYT Bestselling Author of The Lost Girls of Paris

All the Ways We Said Goodbye is a superbly plotted lover’s knot of passion, regret, and betrayal. Willig, Williams, and White expertly spin three narrative threads across two wars and three generations, grounding their trio of very different heroines in the gilded luxury of the Paris Ritz–a place where anything can happen, even a decades-deferred second chance. Atmospheric, twisty, intriguing to the last page!”  –Kate Quinn NYT bestselling author of The Alice Network 

“For most people, staying at a grand hotel is a rare treat. It’s a time to indulge in luxury, to be catered to with impeccable service and to forget about the outside world until check-out. It’s not unlike the experience a reader gets when reading “All the Ways We Said Goodbye.”  —Atlanta-Journal Constitution

“All three of these “team W” writers (Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White) create engaging characters and complex relationships while setting a tone that matches the story’s time period. Longtime fans will enjoy references to previous works by the authors (The Glass Ocean) and newcomers will be grateful for the discovery of three new authors to follow. The twist at the center of the story is worth the price of admission on its own. VERDICT A great choice for anyone looking for clever historical fiction with plenty of drama, action, and surprises in every chapter.”  —Library Journal, starred review

“Full of heart and intrigue, the authors’ latest collaboration captures women’s perseverance and how history connects us all.”  —Booklist

“Well-researched and cohesively written, this historical novel reflects the strength of [three] women as they struggle to survive during turbulent times.”  —The Orange County Register

“Team W has woven an intricate and surprising tale of loyalty when everything seems lost, bravery in the face of brutality, and love that always finds a way — all of it playing out against a backdrop of turbulent history and the ever-stalwart presence of the Paris Ritz.” —Commercial Appeal (Memphis)

“Williams, Willig, and White (also known as “Team W”) have crafted a gorgeous tale about the interwoven lives of three truly formidable women, in three different timelines, but all tied together through the illustrious Paris Ritz Hotel… all three tales are so uniquely told and fascinating…[a] beautifully written, heart breaking, touching, fulfilling, magnificent book. I am so excited to read more from Team W!” —thenerddaily.com

“The lives of these three women are woven in an intimate tapestry by the talented authors, recounting adventures of love, hope and courage… Faith, love and friendship triumph over malevolence and darkness in this brilliantly told and utterly captivating novel.” —The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA)

“[A]s always, with Team W, the writing was absolutely seamless. If I didn’t know better, I never would have guessed that it was co-authored by three separate (brilliant) minds. Their latest ambitious undertaking made for a satisfyingly rich tale that I won’t soon forget.”  —Book Reporter

“Going back and forth between different timelines, it is evident that the three authors, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, are truly masters of their craft, especially in terms of collaboration because the details are perfectly written. Whether it’s 1914, 1942, or 1964, I strongly enjoyed all three time periods and ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBYE is a tale that is impossible to put down for a minute.” —Fresh Fiction

“An elegantly scripted and multi-layered novel that showcases the three co-author’s impressive literary skills with narrative driven storytelling, “All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris” by the team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White is an inherently fascinating, multi-generational read from beginning to end.” — Midwest Book Review

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