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A review by alundeberg
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley
4.0
If your heart is heavy, Jane Smiley's sweet novel "Perestroika in Paris" is just the book to lighten it. Perestroika (Paras, for short) is a race horse, who like many of us, finds that her life is "stalled" and leaps for adventure the first chance she gets. Paras' perambulations lead her to Paris (because, where else?) and its Champ de Mars, home of the le Tour Eiffel. There she experiences freedom and befriends the intelligent German shorthair stray, Frida; the philosophical and urbane raven, Raoul; and the bickering mallards, Sid and Nancy. Together they explore their environs and the world of humans and capture the attention of eight-year old Étienne, a lonely boy being raised by his great-grandmother, who changes the course of their lives forever. This novel is a thoughtful meditation on loneliness, loss, and the careful connections we create with others.
Even though it is a little slow in the beginning, it is fun to read how Smiley creates a world in which a horse can wander around Paris mostly undetected and how she uses the animals' natural abilities to move the plot along. It also helps that the humans that populate her book are sympathetic to animals and each has their own spirit of whimsy. For this reader, who is always looking for an "authentic" Parisian novel, one where the city feels integral to the story rather than a gimmick, this book succeeds. Even though this is a fanciful tale, Smiley brings the same realism to Paris as she does to the Iowa farmland in her "A Thousand Acres" (which you should only read when your soul is strong). "Perestroika in Paris" is good addition to any Paris bookshelf.
Even though it is a little slow in the beginning, it is fun to read how Smiley creates a world in which a horse can wander around Paris mostly undetected and how she uses the animals' natural abilities to move the plot along. It also helps that the humans that populate her book are sympathetic to animals and each has their own spirit of whimsy. For this reader, who is always looking for an "authentic" Parisian novel, one where the city feels integral to the story rather than a gimmick, this book succeeds. Even though this is a fanciful tale, Smiley brings the same realism to Paris as she does to the Iowa farmland in her "A Thousand Acres" (which you should only read when your soul is strong). "Perestroika in Paris" is good addition to any Paris bookshelf.