Jacqueline in Paris — Ann Ma

Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Ma is a delicate and revealing historical novel that imagines a formative year in the life of Jacqueline Bouvier (later Kennedy). In the fall of 1949, the young Jacqueline crosses the Atlantic to Paris, leaving behind the expectations of her mother and a recent family separation. In the City of Light, she finds jazz clubs, bookshops, late-night conversations, and the excitement of self-discovery. But Paris after the war is still haunted — bombed-out buildings, espionage, political tension — and Jacqueline must balance her dreams with the shadows of a recovering Europe. Over the course of 368 pages in this Ukrainian hardcover edition, she learns that style, independence, and identity come at a price.