Reviews - The Paris Express

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

romonko's review against another edition

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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

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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? Complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

olivias_bookrecs's review against another edition

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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.

wendyreadsbook1's review

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informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Complicated
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mallorymoyer's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated

3.75

doreeny's review

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tense fast-paced

4.0

The events in this novel take place in a single day (October 22, 1895) on an express train from Granville on the Normandy coast to the Montparnasse station in Paris.

The author populates the train with actual people who were part of the crew or on the passenger list, real people who could plausibly have been on the train, and fictional characters. The passengers include people from various classes of society: government officials, a priest, a female scientist, a cabaret performer, an Irish playwright, a black American artist, a Russian immigrant, a coffee seller, a pregnant woman, a young boy travelling alone, a young anarchist, a fisherwoman, etc.

The novel begins at a leisurely pace as the various crew members and passengers are introduced, but then we learn that a young woman named Mado Pelletier, an anarchist, has fatal plans for the train. As the journey progresses, because the engineer tries to make up time to keep the train on schedule, the train’s speed towards disaster increases and tension builds. Will Mado change her mind when she considers the collateral deaths of innocent people? Will a fellow passenger who guesses Mado’s intention be able to stop her? The writer effectively adds suspense by shortening the scenes devoted to characters: at the beginning several pages focus on each person but as the train gains momentum, the scenes become shorter and shorter and there are constant shifts among characters, thereby adding to the impression of speed and impending doom.

And then there’s the ending. Yes, a disaster does occur, though there is a twist. I knew nothing about the historical event and I would advise readers to go in blind. At the end of the book, there is a lengthy explanation about the train and the fate of her crew and passengers. Knowing beforehand what actually happened would, I think, lessen the novel’s impact.

The book provides a snapshot of the times. Political and social conditions and technological advances are described. For instance, classism, racism, and misogyny are evident. And references are made to typewriters, automobiles, the development of films, and the building of a subway.

The book also provides a snapshot of the intimate lives of people. There is a large cast of characters, but I found it not too difficult to differentiate among them. Everyone has a pre-occupation or secret or regret or hope unique to him/her.

The plot could be summarized as a train journey, but there are mini-plots. For example, there’s a sexual encounter, a possible romance, Mado’s internal conflict, friction between a boss and his ambitious female secretary, and a quarrel over a young woman’s health.

I found I learned a great deal from reading this book. Donoghue clearly did considerable research. I also appreciate when a book adds to my vocabulary: glacis, dynamitard, bourdalou, demimondaine, and dandling are words with which I was not familiar.

When travelling, I like to imagine the intimate lives of my fellow travellers, and this book is a writer’s imaginative creation of the interior lives of travellers, albeit those on a specific historical train journey. I enjoyed the novel and definitely recommend it, though some readers might find the sheer number of characters daunting.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

vocampo's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

p4chen's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

5.0

An exquisitely researched, expertly crafted work of historical fiction.

The tension is built through multiple points of view and the diverse group of passengers journeying together on this ominous day. Even the train itself has its own persona!

A fascinating, propulsive, face-paced and thoroughly entertaining journey!

The Author’s note provides additional depth and interest to accompany this real-life journey and event within history.

I especially enjoyed the historic referenced quotes as subtext to each chapter!

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