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bethnyland's review
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mainstbooksmonroe's review
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Any Donoghue book is better than most authors... her best books are focused on a small cast and their inexorable being forced into confrontation with each other. The Paris Express scattered its view on so many people so lightly that we didn't really get to know or care about them, and the time span is so short -- a few hours train ride -- that it also weighs lightly on us. Still a good read in the interest of completion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Pregnancy
I don't see them in the usual content warnings but childbirth and train crash.willowcat's review
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jvcody66's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
danubooks's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Every great invention costs a few lives
On October 22, 1895, an express train left the station in Granville on the Normandy coast of France at 10:04 am, its destination Paris. Its passengers and crew ran the gamut of age and social class, their one commonality their need or desire to get from one destination to another. The train made its customary stops along the way, in places like Vire, Flers and Dreux, before arriving at the Gare Montparnasse at 4:00 pm. Over the course of the voyage the novel details the lives, loves and dreams of many of the passengers and crew, from a member of parliament who is rushing to make a vote to a medical student whose mind is focused on the condition of a patient, from two crew members engaged in a quiet relationship to a young woman unhappy with the state of the world who is plotting a violent act. What should have been a routine voyage by rail would become anything but ordinary when it ends in horrific fashion, and those on board would forever share a bond in the experience.
As I have found to be the case with many of author Emma Donoghue's works, this novel is far more engrossing and involved than the basic plot line suggests. The event described in the novel actually happened and was captured for posterity at the time in several stunning photographs. The author has taken that event, researched it in great detail, and woven fictional characters with real life passengers to form a microcosm of society. The story unfolds in chronological fashion, jumping from character to character, and becomes a portrayal of human drama within the train's walls. Each person is exquisitely drawn, their backstories and plans detailed as their paths intersect; having the train engine itself be one of the voices was a bit distracting for me though, to be honest. The pace starts out slowly but increases speed along with the train itself, the suspense building as the train nears its fateful end. The beauty of the prose and the level of detail offered brings this period of history to life, and themes of class differences, gender inequalities and the wonders and pitfalls of industrialization mix together to form a fascinating read. I found hints of both James Cameron's movie Titanic and Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express within these pages, and I recommend The Paris Express to those who enjoyed either of those two works as well as to readers of Sarah Waters, Kate Morton, Anita Shreve and of course of Emma Donoghue herself. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster/Summit Books for allowing me access to this though-provoking novel in exchange for my honest review.
On October 22, 1895, an express train left the station in Granville on the Normandy coast of France at 10:04 am, its destination Paris. Its passengers and crew ran the gamut of age and social class, their one commonality their need or desire to get from one destination to another. The train made its customary stops along the way, in places like Vire, Flers and Dreux, before arriving at the Gare Montparnasse at 4:00 pm. Over the course of the voyage the novel details the lives, loves and dreams of many of the passengers and crew, from a member of parliament who is rushing to make a vote to a medical student whose mind is focused on the condition of a patient, from two crew members engaged in a quiet relationship to a young woman unhappy with the state of the world who is plotting a violent act. What should have been a routine voyage by rail would become anything but ordinary when it ends in horrific fashion, and those on board would forever share a bond in the experience.
As I have found to be the case with many of author Emma Donoghue's works, this novel is far more engrossing and involved than the basic plot line suggests. The event described in the novel actually happened and was captured for posterity at the time in several stunning photographs. The author has taken that event, researched it in great detail, and woven fictional characters with real life passengers to form a microcosm of society. The story unfolds in chronological fashion, jumping from character to character, and becomes a portrayal of human drama within the train's walls. Each person is exquisitely drawn, their backstories and plans detailed as their paths intersect; having the train engine itself be one of the voices was a bit distracting for me though, to be honest. The pace starts out slowly but increases speed along with the train itself, the suspense building as the train nears its fateful end. The beauty of the prose and the level of detail offered brings this period of history to life, and themes of class differences, gender inequalities and the wonders and pitfalls of industrialization mix together to form a fascinating read. I found hints of both James Cameron's movie Titanic and Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express within these pages, and I recommend The Paris Express to those who enjoyed either of those two works as well as to readers of Sarah Waters, Kate Morton, Anita Shreve and of course of Emma Donoghue herself. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster/Summit Books for allowing me access to this though-provoking novel in exchange for my honest review.
jetangen's review
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
This is the story encompassing the riders, train employees, and a few passersby who were directly impacted by the train accident in 1895. While well researched and based in fact (as explained in the afterward) there is some degree of poetic license that makes the characters all the more real and the realities of the time quite clear. It is a relatively short book, but it grabbed my interest and I found it to be unputdownable.
#TheParisExpress by @e_donoghue @simonbooks @summitbooks @simonschusterca @cbcbooks.ca @harpercollinsca #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones ***** Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk @kobo #parisfrance #traindisaster #historicalresearch #1895Paris #factbasesfiction #vignettes
#TheParisExpress by @e_donoghue @simonbooks @summitbooks @simonschusterca @cbcbooks.ca @harpercollinsca #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones ***** Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk @kobo #parisfrance #traindisaster #historicalresearch #1895Paris #factbasesfiction #vignettes
romonko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love Emma Donahue's writing, and when I saw that this was her latest, I just had to read it. The book is entirely based on a true event and is full of the actual people from this train disaster of 1895. Ms. Donahue has taken these real-life characters and constructed a total life for each of them and these people and their lives are revealed to us as we read through the book. This is as fine an example of a character narrative that I have ever read. Each of the characters comes alive in the telling of their stories. Even though we know that the train is going to crash, we just keep reading to see the how, when and why, and to get to know the astounding characters better. The train trip itself is only about 5 or 6 hours in length, but so much life happens and is revealed in that time. Well worth a read for historical fiction and non-fiction lovers.
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Homophobia
olivias_bookrecs's review against another edition
I couldn’t get myself to focus/care about the plot, so I’ll have to return to this another time. If I attempt again I’ll read the physical version because there are so many characters.