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wildbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful escape to Paris. A rich story where George managed to capture the hearts of the main characters. A short but rich story, this was such a great read for me.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
The story begins with four narratives: four distinct characters that are living in Paris in 1927. In addition to American expats like Hemingway and Baker, we also get the nibbles of every day life through the lens of three men and one woman that have made Paris their home.
As the story moved forward, I knew the characters would converge at the end of the book, I just didn't know how I would get there.
It seems I've read this author before ([b:Setting Free the Kites|30763898|Setting Free the Kites|Alex George|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482920582l/30763898._SX50_.jpg|51320016]), but that's not the reason I picked up this one. I found it at the library and liked that it is Paris during peacetime and a time that holds ghosts and secrets of the past.
As the story moved forward, I knew the characters would converge at the end of the book, I just didn't know how I would get there.
It seems I've read this author before ([b:Setting Free the Kites|30763898|Setting Free the Kites|Alex George|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482920582l/30763898._SX50_.jpg|51320016]), but that's not the reason I picked up this one. I found it at the library and liked that it is Paris during peacetime and a time that holds ghosts and secrets of the past.
stfne's review against another edition
5.0
A story about four ordinary people whose lives are about to collide in extraordinary fashion. So elegantly woven and honestly told, Alex George has a way with words. This book transports you to Paris in 1927, where you meet an Armenian puppeteer, a mother protecting her secrets, a struggling artist, a grieving journalist, and occasionally catch a glimpse of Ernest Hemingway.
candylovegirl's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully structured tale with poetic prose. The culmination of the characters and how they are entwined with the real life artists was superb!
katelynelizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
This is a pretty quick and easy read. Told in one day, the books tells the story of four characters who are somehow intertwined. Set in the 1920s in Paris, the story weaves in real life characters such as Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein, and had me googling what was real and what was fiction. I’m a sucker for short chapters that jump from character to character and this didn’t disappoint. Great quarantine read!
elizabethise's review against another edition
2.0
I was really excited about this one to come come in my BOTM box! I loved the concept of following multiple people throughout one day as the summary explained. However, that's not how it was written at all. It bounced around in time with different people that I assumed would all be connected somehow and their relationships explained at some point. I was confused at first trying to keep track of who was who and where in time/the world we were. I really enjoyed the mentions of Montmartre because it reminded me of a trip I took a few years ago, but I think the author used way too many details. It's like he was bragging that he knew some street names in Paris. Just got annoying after a while. The plot wasn't that exciting in the end and I was super underwhelmed by this one. Bummer!
linneakarchibald's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
I picked up this book after I heard Alex George speak on a panel during the 2021 Newburyport Literary Festival. It took me a while to get into it (I listened on audio, for what it's worth) because the language itself is much denser than I anticipated, similar to ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr. The novel weaves together four storylines: Marcel Proust's housekeeper with a secret, an Armenian refugee who processes his trauma through puppet shows in the park, an artist running out of money and running up debts, and a journalist running away from his own traumatic stories.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I felt some storylines (the housekeeper and refugee) were more interesting than others and, as I said, it took a little while to get going. If you like Doerr's work, this would be a good fit for you.
I picked up this book after I heard Alex George speak on a panel during the 2021 Newburyport Literary Festival. It took me a while to get into it (I listened on audio, for what it's worth) because the language itself is much denser than I anticipated, similar to ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr. The novel weaves together four storylines: Marcel Proust's housekeeper with a secret, an Armenian refugee who processes his trauma through puppet shows in the park, an artist running out of money and running up debts, and a journalist running away from his own traumatic stories.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I felt some storylines (the housekeeper and refugee) were more interesting than others and, as I said, it took a little while to get going. If you like Doerr's work, this would be a good fit for you.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
3.0
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It was well written... just lovely, and with interesting characters told over the course of one day (plus their back stories) in 1927 Paris, the premise was unique. The setting was just superb and I enjoyed the fact that it was historical fiction without the constant presence of war. That being said... I just didn't care about the characters. They were intriguing and I wanted to know what would happen to them - but I didn't feel emotionally connected to them. It was worth the read but fell flat for me at times. The ending was smart but wasn't my favorite type of ending.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.