Novel: The Light of Paris (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, July 12)

Author: Highlands Ranch’s Eleanor Brown, whose first novel, The Weird Sisters, became a 2011 New York Times best-seller

Synopsis: The plot alternates between Margie—a character based on Brown’s grandmother—who spends time in 1920s-era Paris, and her granddaughter, Madeleine, who finds Margie’s journals at a pivotal time in her life.

Verdict: Both women are fairly one-dimensional, but Brown’s writing is vivid and clever, especially when describing both Paris and Madeleine’s fictional hometown of Magnolia.