The Storyteller of Casablanca

Written by Fiona Valpy

Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

In this evocative tale from the bestselling author of The Dressmaker’s Gift, a strange new city offers a young girl hope. Can it also offer a lost soul a second chance?

Morocco, 1941. With France having fallen to Nazi occupation, twelve-year-old Josie has fled with her family to Casablanca, where they await safe passage to America. Life here is as intense as the sun, every sight, smell and sound overwhelming to the senses in a city filled with extraordinary characters. It’s a world away from the trouble back home—and Josie loves it.

Seventy years later, another new arrival in the intoxicating port city, Zoe, is struggling—with her marriage, her baby daughter and her new life as an expat in an unfamiliar place. But when she discovers a small wooden box and a diary from the 1940s beneath the floorboards of her daughter’s bedroom, Zoe enters the inner world of young Josie, who once looked out on the same view of the Atlantic Ocean, but who knew a very different Casablanca.

It’s not long before Zoe begins to see her adopted city through Josie’s eyes. But can a new perspective help her turn tragedy into hope, and find the comfort she needs to heal her broken heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713608479

Fiona Valpy

Fiona is an acclaimed, number 1 bestselling author, whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. She draws inspiration from stories of strong women, especially during the years of World War II. Her meticulous historical research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place. Fiona spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007, before returning to live in Scotland. Her love for both of these countries, their people and their histories, has found its way into the books she’s written.

Reviews for The Storyteller of Casablanca

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It took me a while to get into "The Storyteller of Casablanca" but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in Morocco, the novel has dual timelines, seventy years apart. I loved young Josie's story which was told through her diary that modern-day Zoe found. Like Zoe, I soon became fascinated with Josie's plight.Despite hardships and heartbreak, Zoe and Josie were brave, sensitive people who cared so much for those they loved. I thought the author did a wonderful job of weaving the two stories together and I loved how the novel ended.I also adored the vivid descriptions of Casablanca. I could easily imagine the heat, smells and noises of the city, and I thought the use of quilting to tell one's story was a lovely inclusion. A great read.

[tamidale · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was captivated by this book from the very start and enjoyed it all the way through. I have never been to Casablanca and know very little about the area. The author was very adept at describing the area in the timeline of the 1940’s and the present day timeline.The timeline from the 1940’s focuses on a young girl, Josie Duval, who is fleeing France with her family in order to migrate to the United States. Josie embraces her time in Casablanca, making friends, learning about the area and starting a diary. When the time comes for her family to leave for America, she is hopeful for her future, but sad to leave Casablanca.In the present day timeline, Zoe, a young wife and mother is an ex-pat from England hoping that her time in Casablanca will help her marriage and give her a fresh start in life. It’s obvious she is struggling with some deep hurt, which is not immediately known to readers. Zoe inadvertently discovers some items hidden under a floorboard in the house. One is a diary, the other a box of trinkets and mementos. Zoe begins to read the diary, which was written by Josie and as she reads she begins to become more hopeful about her own life.The ending just captured my heart. I loved how the story came together and how these women across all ages and cultures cared for each other. I highly recommend this to readers who love historical fiction and stories about strong women.Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I've ever read a book set in Morocco before and Fiona Valpy brings Casablanca to life beautifully in this book. I got a real sense of what it would be like to live there, both in 1941 and in 2010, with the shimmering heat, the warren of streets, the markets, the food, the smells.In 2010, Zoe and her husband, Tom, have just moved to Casablanca. It's an attempt at a new start for the two of them as it's clear that this is a marriage that is struggling. One day, Zoe finds a Sandalwood box beneath the floorboards in the attic of their new home. It contains some treasures and a journal written by Josie, a 12 year old French girl whose bedroom the attic was when her family left war-torn France for Casablanca, with America being the end goal. Zoe reads Josie's journal and learns the story of her time in Casablanca and it helps her to begin to settle in herself. I felt that this was a book with two distinct sections. Not Zoe's story and Josie's story, but more the build up and the denouement. It's clear that Josie's story, set as it is during wartime, may be quite dramatic and it's also clear that there's more to Zoe and Tom's arrival in Casablanca than the reader is initially privy to. Much of the book is given over to scene-setting, building up the story and characters, and then along comes the finale with one or two unexpected twists in the tale. This is a gentle read, one that is quite melancholic and poignant. I found Josie to be a brave and clever narrator in the face of leaving all she knew behind. Zoe is more of a closed book and as such it took a little longer to get to know her. The two stories intermingle well and I thought the author wound up the story as a whole perfectly. If you want to be transported to Morocco then The Storyteller of Casablanca will take you there. It's evocative and moving, tender and thoughtful.

[squirrelhead_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story starts in 2010 immersing you in Morocco's severe heat and exotic locale. Our narrator Zoe is just getting settled as her husband’s company posted him to Casablanca. She is a bit overwhelmed by the welcome wagon talk from one of the wives posted there.Zoe is looking around her new home when she discovers a loose board in the floor causing her to investigate. She pulls it up and discovers a dusty box and a diary from 1941. The diary is written by 13-year-old Josie. With such an exotic setting and the chance to read somebody’s diary, a glimpse of the past, I just had to read this book.In present day there are uncomfortable social situations for Zoe as well as some marital woes. She immerses herself into Josie’s life while trying to fit in with her life in Casablanca and misses England more every day.Both timelines have some sad stories. I think I was expecting it to be sad in the 1941 narrative but was surprised at what Zoe was going through in present day. There is nothing objectionable in this book, no poor language, just a nice story that may put you in mind of Nicholas Sparks novels.Fiona Valpy writes about strong female characters and obviously does detailed historical research. If you like historical fiction you will enjoy this author. This book has a genre tag for romance but I would not have classified it as such. I do agree on it being women's fiction and historical fiction.More about the author HERE. Publication date September 21, 2021 by Amazon Publishing UK. Genre: General Fiction Romance, Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction.Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.