Author: Sebastian Faulks
Genre: Historical Fiction (WWII)
Type: Trade Paperback
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
First Published: November 6, 2018
Opening Lines: "I was taking a pee in the bathroom when I caught sight of myself in the mirror."
Book Description from GoodReads: A story of resistance, complicity, and an unlikely, transformative friendship, set in Paris, from internationally bestselling novelist Sebastian Faulks.
American historian Hannah intends to immerse herself in World War II research in Paris, wary of paying much attention to the city where a youthful misadventure once left her dejected. But a chance encounter with Tariq, a Moroccan teenager whose visions of the City of Lights as a world of opportunity and rebirth starkly contrast with her own, disrupts her plan.
Hannah agrees to take Tariq in as a lodger, forming an unexpected connection with the young man. Yet as Tariq begins to assimilate into the country he risked his life to enter, he realizes that its dark past and current ills are far more complicated than he’d anticipated. And Hannah, diving deeper into her work on women’s lives in Nazi-occupied Paris, uncovers a shocking piece of history that threatens to dismantle her core beliefs. Soon they each must question which sacrifices are worth their happiness and what, if anything, the tumultuous past century can teach them about the future.
From the sweltering streets of Tangier to deep beneath Paris via the Metro, from the affecting recorded accounts of women in German-occupied France and into the future through our hopes for these characters, Paris Echo offers a tough and poignant story of injustices and dreams.
American historian Hannah intends to immerse herself in World War II research in Paris, wary of paying much attention to the city where a youthful misadventure once left her dejected. But a chance encounter with Tariq, a Moroccan teenager whose visions of the City of Lights as a world of opportunity and rebirth starkly contrast with her own, disrupts her plan.
Hannah agrees to take Tariq in as a lodger, forming an unexpected connection with the young man. Yet as Tariq begins to assimilate into the country he risked his life to enter, he realizes that its dark past and current ills are far more complicated than he’d anticipated. And Hannah, diving deeper into her work on women’s lives in Nazi-occupied Paris, uncovers a shocking piece of history that threatens to dismantle her core beliefs. Soon they each must question which sacrifices are worth their happiness and what, if anything, the tumultuous past century can teach them about the future.
From the sweltering streets of Tangier to deep beneath Paris via the Metro, from the affecting recorded accounts of women in German-occupied France and into the future through our hopes for these characters, Paris Echo offers a tough and poignant story of injustices and dreams.
My Review: 2.5 stars
My Review: I was drawn to The Paris Echo, my first Faulks book, due to its WWII connection. As a regular reader of Historical Fiction, I enjoyed the historical tidbits surrounding Germany's occupation in France during WWII as well as learning a little about Algeria's history and its relationship with France. Within this historical backdrop, this is a tale of self discovery for the two main characters who have recently arrived in Paris - Hannah, a thirty-one-year-old American post-doctoral researcher and Tariq, a 19-year-old Moroccan youth who ran away from home and arrives in Paris hoping to find his way in the world.
Unfortunately, the different story lines never felt like they came together cohesively. I felt disconnected from Tariq and Hannah throughout the book and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Maybe it was the disjointed, back-and-forth flow? I know it was partly due to how unrealistically the two story lines were connected. It bothered me that I was expected to believe that a thirty-one-year-old woman in a foreign country would randomly take a sick homeless youth (and her friend) into her home. I just couldn't buy it. It felt like a weak and much too convenient way to link the two characters story lines. My lackluster feelings could also have been caused by the overemphasis on the Paris Metro system.
I found some parts of this book interesting and I learned more about a few historical events but overall this wasn't a compelling read for me. It suffers from too much shifting between characters, time frames and even reality versus drug-induced visions. While it does give readers food for thought, I struggled to get through this book. Perhaps fans of Faulks previous works will enjoy this book more than I did.
Unfortunately, the different story lines never felt like they came together cohesively. I felt disconnected from Tariq and Hannah throughout the book and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Maybe it was the disjointed, back-and-forth flow? I know it was partly due to how unrealistically the two story lines were connected. It bothered me that I was expected to believe that a thirty-one-year-old woman in a foreign country would randomly take a sick homeless youth (and her friend) into her home. I just couldn't buy it. It felt like a weak and much too convenient way to link the two characters story lines. My lackluster feelings could also have been caused by the overemphasis on the Paris Metro system.
I found some parts of this book interesting and I learned more about a few historical events but overall this wasn't a compelling read for me. It suffers from too much shifting between characters, time frames and even reality versus drug-induced visions. While it does give readers food for thought, I struggled to get through this book. Perhaps fans of Faulks previous works will enjoy this book more than I did.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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