Author: Alex George
Pages: 272
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: 5th of May 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Kindle
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
This
was the quote that came to mind as I was approaching the final pages of
this novel. So many characters, each with their own battle. Worth the
read!
Good Reads Review:
Paris between the wars teems with artists, writers, and musicians, a glittering crucible of genius. But amidst the dazzling creativity of the city’s most famous citizens, four regular people are each searching for something they’ve lost.
Camille was the maid of Marcel Proust, and she has a secret: when she was asked to burn her employer’s notebooks, she saved one for herself. Now she is desperate to find it before her betrayal is revealed. Souren, an Armenian refugee, performs puppet shows for children that are nothing like the fairy tales they expect. Lovesick artist Guillaume is down on his luck and running from a debt he cannot repay—but when Gertrude Stein walks into his studio, he wonders if this is the day everything could change. And Jean-Paul is a journalist who tells other people’s stories, because his own is too painful to tell. When the quartet’s paths finally cross in an unforgettable climax, each discovers if they will find what they are looking for.
Told over the course of a single day in 1927, The Paris Hours takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.
Camille was the maid of Marcel Proust, and she has a secret: when she was asked to burn her employer’s notebooks, she saved one for herself. Now she is desperate to find it before her betrayal is revealed. Souren, an Armenian refugee, performs puppet shows for children that are nothing like the fairy tales they expect. Lovesick artist Guillaume is down on his luck and running from a debt he cannot repay—but when Gertrude Stein walks into his studio, he wonders if this is the day everything could change. And Jean-Paul is a journalist who tells other people’s stories, because his own is too painful to tell. When the quartet’s paths finally cross in an unforgettable climax, each discovers if they will find what they are looking for.
Told over the course of a single day in 1927, The Paris Hours takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.
My Review:
The focus in The Paris Hours is on ordinary people, with tangentially mentioned famous figures of 1927 Paris. All four characters come to the same place towards the end of the novel - at Le Chat Blac. Through flashbacks we learn each character's life story; sad stories, but beautiful in their ordinary.
The novel started slowly, especially until I got used to each character and their history. For me, the rhythm started to pick up once I hit the 20% mark. It seems a lot of grace to give to a book, but it was worth it. The writing reads naturally and there were some parts that caught my attention and I went back to reread them. At times the language sounds very poetic and lyrical, but it doesn't come across as (too) forced.
There is a plethora of charactes and it might be a lot to keep tabs on, especially until you figure out who's who and what's the point of each one being mentioned. I personally needed to keep a list of them all. Looking back, I can see how all of them were necessary to make the story credible.
Each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger and each one focuses on a different character. It makes you want to keep reading to learn more about them. Every chapter is crucial in order to get the whole picture. As the novel progresses you're given more clues. It's like a puzzle whose pieces are handed to you a few at a time - sometimes you can fit them in right away, other times you have to wait for the next hand of pieces to see how and where they can be used.
Each storyline is tender in its way, but Souren's affected me the most. Despite being so tragic, it's fitting the direction his story took. It also added another layer of knowledge to what I know about the Armenian war, which is a too little talked about event, in my opinion. I first learned about this conflict by watching The Ottoman Lieutenant (which I know is not the most historical film...)
The Paris Hours reminded me of the film Midnight in Pairs. I was pleasantly surprised of this book; it shows a different perspective of the '20s in Paris. For historical fiction fans, especially of novels set in Paris or between the two World Wars this could be a good choice.
I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.
