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kelsey_mary's review against another edition
3.5
BOTM - remembered enjoying it when I read it but can't tell you anything about it now
sarahmelc's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
Just another BOTM book knocked off my TBR list.
The Paris Hours was good. It honestly took me a while to get into and even now, while I'm writing this review, I still don't think I actually found one character that I truly connected with. I did, however, think they were likable but I just wasn't 100% invested in their stories. Only a teeny tiny amount.
Now I liked getting to know everyone - Camille, Jean-Paul, Guillaume, and Souren. Each person brought something different to this book and I liked seeing what they went through in order to achieve their own version of happiness. As for some of the side characters, well, I sort of felt bad for some of them. Especially the lady who was annoyed that her husband said he missed his guy friends the second they came back from their little honeymoon. Like take a nap first sir. Then go drinking.
Other than that, I liked the book. It definitely made me think about the time I spent in Paris. Which, yes, I would go back right now with zero hesitations. I also enjoyed the lessons that each character went through. It wasn't always easy because escaping the past never is but it definitely made this a page turner for me.
In the end, I'm very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and will definitely reread it in the future.
The Paris Hours was good. It honestly took me a while to get into and even now, while I'm writing this review, I still don't think I actually found one character that I truly connected with. I did, however, think they were likable but I just wasn't 100% invested in their stories. Only a teeny tiny amount.
Now I liked getting to know everyone - Camille, Jean-Paul, Guillaume, and Souren. Each person brought something different to this book and I liked seeing what they went through in order to achieve their own version of happiness. As for some of the side characters, well, I sort of felt bad for some of them. Especially the lady who was annoyed that her husband said he missed his guy friends the second they came back from their little honeymoon. Like take a nap first sir. Then go drinking.
Other than that, I liked the book. It definitely made me think about the time I spent in Paris. Which, yes, I would go back right now with zero hesitations. I also enjoyed the lessons that each character went through. It wasn't always easy because escaping the past never is but it definitely made this a page turner for me.
In the end, I'm very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and will definitely reread it in the future.
readingintheether's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! I'm a sucker for separate storylines that come together in some dramatic way. Souren broke my heart. And I didn't expect there to be a twist at the end of a historical fiction!
samanthabooks19's review against another edition
4.0
*3.75 stars
RECEIVED ARC FROM GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
'The Paris Hours' was very unique and not like anything I've read before. Such a fun read. I was never bored and I constantly wanted to pick it up again and again. The author left many chapters on a cliffhanger ,which I really enjoyed because I wanted to see what was going to happened.
I really enjoyed how the whole story came together so beautifully. You could really tell that the author planned out every single detail. I think that this book was beautifully done.
Although there wasn't anything that I didn't like about it, there were just some things that could have been done better. There were so many different characters that a lot of the time I had to look back and see who that character was in order to understand what was going on. This isn't particularly the author's fault and could just be something with me and my memory. There was also a lot of jumps in the timeline and so sometimes I found that I was confused. I felt that it could have been a little bit better explained about where in time we were. Those were just a few of the little critiques that I had, but overall this was an amazing story and I highly recommend.
RECEIVED ARC FROM GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
'The Paris Hours' was very unique and not like anything I've read before. Such a fun read. I was never bored and I constantly wanted to pick it up again and again. The author left many chapters on a cliffhanger ,which I really enjoyed because I wanted to see what was going to happened.
I really enjoyed how the whole story came together so beautifully. You could really tell that the author planned out every single detail. I think that this book was beautifully done.
Although there wasn't anything that I didn't like about it, there were just some things that could have been done better. There were so many different characters that a lot of the time I had to look back and see who that character was in order to understand what was going on. This isn't particularly the author's fault and could just be something with me and my memory. There was also a lot of jumps in the timeline and so sometimes I found that I was confused. I felt that it could have been a little bit better explained about where in time we were. Those were just a few of the little critiques that I had, but overall this was an amazing story and I highly recommend.
luvlacandi's review against another edition
3.0
REALLY slow start, but finally captured me in the middle. I also hated the ending.
mrskristinkeyes's review against another edition
5.0
“The only place where you can regain lost paradises is in yourself.”
The Paris Hours is a literary and historical fiction novel set over the course of 24 hours that follows multiple characters around the city of Paris as they seek something that has been lost. Oh, but it is so much more than that--
This book feels like velvet, like a soft velvet blanket that was shaped perfectly for me, one in which I happily passed into a dream-like state for hours. It is no surprise to me that I loved this book, as I knew before I read it that it is exactly the type of book I adore.
To be precise, it is:
1. A literary fiction novel (a slow-burn, set over the course of 24 hours)
2. A historical fiction novel (set in a post WWI France)
3. Set in Paris! (Need I say more?)
On reading this book, I also discovered that it is:
1. A story of the literary and artistic expatriates (Hemingway makes multiple, boisterous appearances)
2. Written in melodic, lyrical prose (“Music coursed through her, a joyous river. It illuminated her from within, filling her with the light of a thousand suns.”)
3. An intelligent remark on the power of art (and its subjectivity).
Who I would not recommend this book to:
1. People who don’t like literary fiction
2. People who get confused by stories with multiple characters and multiple timelines (we do get lots of flashbacks)
Overall, if you want to bathe yourself in a lucious, velvetine story of love and longing, you should read this book.
Much thanks of course to FlatIron Books for providing me early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I will be discussing this book in-depth on my BookTube channel Perks of a Bookflower in a video titled “My Best Reads of 2020 So Far” that will be out on May 16th.
My channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAa3DZnHK3iMF_fQzLl4ALA
The Paris Hours is a literary and historical fiction novel set over the course of 24 hours that follows multiple characters around the city of Paris as they seek something that has been lost. Oh, but it is so much more than that--
This book feels like velvet, like a soft velvet blanket that was shaped perfectly for me, one in which I happily passed into a dream-like state for hours. It is no surprise to me that I loved this book, as I knew before I read it that it is exactly the type of book I adore.
To be precise, it is:
1. A literary fiction novel (a slow-burn, set over the course of 24 hours)
2. A historical fiction novel (set in a post WWI France)
3. Set in Paris! (Need I say more?)
On reading this book, I also discovered that it is:
1. A story of the literary and artistic expatriates (Hemingway makes multiple, boisterous appearances)
2. Written in melodic, lyrical prose (“Music coursed through her, a joyous river. It illuminated her from within, filling her with the light of a thousand suns.”)
3. An intelligent remark on the power of art (and its subjectivity).
Who I would not recommend this book to:
1. People who don’t like literary fiction
2. People who get confused by stories with multiple characters and multiple timelines (we do get lots of flashbacks)
Overall, if you want to bathe yourself in a lucious, velvetine story of love and longing, you should read this book.
Much thanks of course to FlatIron Books for providing me early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I will be discussing this book in-depth on my BookTube channel Perks of a Bookflower in a video titled “My Best Reads of 2020 So Far” that will be out on May 16th.
My channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAa3DZnHK3iMF_fQzLl4ALA
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
2.0
As she turned the first page, a single tear fell onto the still paper, washing the words beneath it into gentle oblivion, lost forever to her sorrow.
Set in 1927, this novel follows four characters as they live their romantically tragic lives walking around Paris and interacting with famous people. Each feels their emotions deeply and is able to get advice and insight from everyone from Josephine Baker to Marcel Proust. There's Souren, a young man who escaped the Armenian genocide and now puts on a puppet show in the Luxembourg Gardens. Camille was Marcel Proust's maid and she deeply misses her former employer, even as she harbors a terrible secret. Jean-Paul lost his wife and infant daughter to a bomb, and because his daughter's body was never found, he continues to search for her. And
Guillaume is an artist who is still struggling after years of work. He fell in love with an acrobat he watched perform and is deeply in debt to a violent loan shark.
Over the course of a single day, the four characters walk around Paris, frequently noting where they are and what they can see from their vantage point, as they think their tragic thoughts and slowly circle each other, until they finally all converge at a single nightclub where tragedy is about to strike.
Yeah, I didn't like this one at all. I have a high tolerance for anything set in Paris, but the market seems to be dictating that novels set there indulge in an exaggerated sentimentality and an emphasis in mentioning locations as though the reader is on a bus tour of Paris. There are some fantastic recent novels set in Paris, like Paris, 7 A.M. by Liza Wieland or Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks, but for the large majority, referring to the city in the title is a message about not just the setting, but also the kind of book it will be, unabashedly treacly and filled with heightened emotion. Will I stop jumping on novels with Paris in the title? Probably not. But the likelihood of finding a well-written novel where Paris is something other than a sparkling stage set is becoming rarer by the day.
Set in 1927, this novel follows four characters as they live their romantically tragic lives walking around Paris and interacting with famous people. Each feels their emotions deeply and is able to get advice and insight from everyone from Josephine Baker to Marcel Proust. There's Souren, a young man who escaped the Armenian genocide and now puts on a puppet show in the Luxembourg Gardens. Camille was Marcel Proust's maid and she deeply misses her former employer, even as she harbors a terrible secret. Jean-Paul lost his wife and infant daughter to a bomb, and because his daughter's body was never found, he continues to search for her. And
Guillaume is an artist who is still struggling after years of work. He fell in love with an acrobat he watched perform and is deeply in debt to a violent loan shark.
Over the course of a single day, the four characters walk around Paris, frequently noting where they are and what they can see from their vantage point, as they think their tragic thoughts and slowly circle each other, until they finally all converge at a single nightclub where tragedy is about to strike.
Yeah, I didn't like this one at all. I have a high tolerance for anything set in Paris, but the market seems to be dictating that novels set there indulge in an exaggerated sentimentality and an emphasis in mentioning locations as though the reader is on a bus tour of Paris. There are some fantastic recent novels set in Paris, like Paris, 7 A.M. by Liza Wieland or Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks, but for the large majority, referring to the city in the title is a message about not just the setting, but also the kind of book it will be, unabashedly treacly and filled with heightened emotion. Will I stop jumping on novels with Paris in the title? Probably not. But the likelihood of finding a well-written novel where Paris is something other than a sparkling stage set is becoming rarer by the day.
surpriseitem's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars.
I was really excited to read this. I'd never read a historical fiction set in Paris during the 1920s, and I couldn't wait to see how George would deliver a story in this setting. Unfortunately, the story fell flat. The Paris Hours follows four different character POVS. While I normally love novels that include multiple POVS, The Paris Hours is only 253 pages long. There simply wasn't enough time to connect to each of the characters, even though they all had their own heartbreaking stories.
I was most invested in Camille's POV. I mainly kept reading to find out the mystery of what Marcel Proust had written in his journal. However, when the secret was finally revealed, I found it to be underwhelming and predictable.
The prose was gorgeous, and I would consider picking up another one of George's works. However, the prose was not enough to redeem all of the faults in this story.
I was really excited to read this. I'd never read a historical fiction set in Paris during the 1920s, and I couldn't wait to see how George would deliver a story in this setting. Unfortunately, the story fell flat. The Paris Hours follows four different character POVS. While I normally love novels that include multiple POVS, The Paris Hours is only 253 pages long. There simply wasn't enough time to connect to each of the characters, even though they all had their own heartbreaking stories.
I was most invested in Camille's POV. I mainly kept reading to find out the mystery of what Marcel Proust had written in his journal. However, when the secret was finally revealed, I found it to be underwhelming and predictable.
The prose was gorgeous, and I would consider picking up another one of George's works. However, the prose was not enough to redeem all of the faults in this story.
cmcclure9's review against another edition
5.0
4.5; I loved this book. The setting, the diverse characters, and how all their stories tied together in the end. And since I can't get to Paris anytime soon, this was the next best thing.