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essjay1's review against another edition
2.0
On the one hand this book is interesting for the history and the snippets of information about Paris - an alternative guide and it would be fantastic to read while in Paris (as a tourist - not sure how a Parisian resident would feel about it). On the other I felt there were parts of the book that did not need to be there at all.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
I have enjoyed every single book by Sebastian Faulks that I have read, and loved On Green Dolphin Street so much, so my reluctance to read Paris Echo makes no sense at all, except that the bare outline of the description made me nervous. Hannah, an American post-doc, comes to Paris ten years after her last stay, to do research into the lives of ordinary Parisian women during the Second World War. Tariq is an Algerian teenager who, through a series of events, ends up as a lodger of sorts in her small apartment. I think I was worried about what would happen in the wrong hands, that Tariq would do something terrible, or Hannah would, and I would be left feeling unhappy about the novel.
But Sebastian Faulks is not a first-time author looking to write something edgy or controversial. He knows exactly what he's doing. Here, Hannah is a naturally cautious woman who is used to being alone. She's given access to a series of recordings of women recalling their wartime experiences living in Paris and she is drawn into their lives. Meanwhile, Tariq is figuring out how to survive in a city that doesn't welcome him. His natural resilience means he's willing to explore the city and he especially loves the Metro. He gets a menial job at the fabulously named Panama Fried Poulet spends his free time exploring. The careful way they manage to form a friendship is just wonderful.
There's a clever bit of blurred time in this novel, but the main thing is how evocatively Faulks describes a Paris, not of tourists and grand avenues, but of immigrants, not always in France legally, trying to get by and of ordinary Parisian women during the war, and how they managed to survive. There were moments where it was clear that Faulks is much more comfortable with the thoughts of teenagers living eighty years ago than with a teenager today and he sometimes adds actions and thoughts to Tariq that don't feel entirely natural, but this was still and extraordinary novel, that I enjoyed thoroughly.
But Sebastian Faulks is not a first-time author looking to write something edgy or controversial. He knows exactly what he's doing. Here, Hannah is a naturally cautious woman who is used to being alone. She's given access to a series of recordings of women recalling their wartime experiences living in Paris and she is drawn into their lives. Meanwhile, Tariq is figuring out how to survive in a city that doesn't welcome him. His natural resilience means he's willing to explore the city and he especially loves the Metro. He gets a menial job at the fabulously named Panama Fried Poulet spends his free time exploring. The careful way they manage to form a friendship is just wonderful.
There's a clever bit of blurred time in this novel, but the main thing is how evocatively Faulks describes a Paris, not of tourists and grand avenues, but of immigrants, not always in France legally, trying to get by and of ordinary Parisian women during the war, and how they managed to survive. There were moments where it was clear that Faulks is much more comfortable with the thoughts of teenagers living eighty years ago than with a teenager today and he sometimes adds actions and thoughts to Tariq that don't feel entirely natural, but this was still and extraordinary novel, that I enjoyed thoroughly.
leemac027's review against another edition
4.0
I am a big fan of Sebastian Faulks and so it is no surprise that I really enjoyed Paris Echo.
The way Faulks builds relationships and connections across his characters is intriguing. The main protagonists, Hannah (an historian and researcher), and Tariq (who is running away from his life in Morocco) cross paths in modern day Paris and, without giving anything away, find their lives intertwining and they find both meaning and purpose as a result of their relationship.
The traumas of World War II and the challenges of migrants in 1960s Paris come together and start to wind their way into the present, impacting both Hannah and Tariq. Hannah's research is drawing her into the lives of women in occupied Paris, while Tariq is searching for answers about his long lost mother. How these two quests come together forms a compelling narrative.
A trip into history and how it can invade the present day, the importance of kindness and the search for purpose result in the growth of Hannah and Tariq, but in different ways.
Highly recommended.
The way Faulks builds relationships and connections across his characters is intriguing. The main protagonists, Hannah (an historian and researcher), and Tariq (who is running away from his life in Morocco) cross paths in modern day Paris and, without giving anything away, find their lives intertwining and they find both meaning and purpose as a result of their relationship.
The traumas of World War II and the challenges of migrants in 1960s Paris come together and start to wind their way into the present, impacting both Hannah and Tariq. Hannah's research is drawing her into the lives of women in occupied Paris, while Tariq is searching for answers about his long lost mother. How these two quests come together forms a compelling narrative.
A trip into history and how it can invade the present day, the importance of kindness and the search for purpose result in the growth of Hannah and Tariq, but in different ways.
Highly recommended.
baezel's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
i picked this book up by random off my mums table. the first page started with a teenage boy thinking about his penis, which is trope with male authors that i hate. but i ended up enjoying this book a lot!! im not very familiar with this style of book, so i think some things stood out to me which wouldn't be so interesting to another reader. the book explored how we understand, relate to, and respect the past. it drew on facts and surreal moments to express this, through a very informed protagonist and another very ignorant protagonist, and several interesting side characters. between these, you get a diverse and mutlifaceted picture of paris. one thing i found interesting was that neither of the protagonists were french - one was a Moroccan teenage boy, the other an american historian. therefore, we were firmly placed in the role of the outsider as we learnt about the french resistance/collaborators, concentration camps, and algerian independence. i felt the author was confident sharing information about ww2, but the reflections on french colonialism in algeria and morocco felt slightly more hesitant and uninformed, though i dont know enough to judge it further. i found all the characters very charming, though, even the slightly pervy teenage boy. occasionally i was very aware it was written by a male author, but honestly, it wasnt that bad. this book has history, and reflections on how to live beside horrible events, which i found pertinent right now. also, a little bit of romance, which i really enjoyed but cheapened the end.
kelbi's review against another edition
5.0
If I could give this book more than five stars I would. Totally my kind of book. It was loaded by my lovely daughter onto the new Kobo she gave me for Christmas and as I’m poorly I’ve just laid in bed and read it in two days. It is about memory, connection to place, the way the past impacts upon the present, how people change each other. And wonderful Paris, which is almost a character in the book. Fantastic book
campbelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
wendydt's review against another edition
4.0
As always the flow of Faulks work is a pleasure to read. However, I felt a little lots at times with so many names to remember. Not just people but places, history and metro stations. In fairness perhaps the reader is meant to feel a little lost and dream like. Definitely need to read it again. I think I only scratched the surface. Might even read again with a Paris map by my side.
joenglish's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.25
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Tariq is a Moroccan teenager, sexually frustrated and looking for adventure he decides to travel to Paris, former home of his long-dead mother and a city he is obsessed with. Hannah is an American academic who travels to Paris to research the lives of women during the Occupation and to exorcise the ghost of an unsatisfactory love affair from her last visit ten years before. Tariq is an innocent abroad, he knows nothing of the famous French that his beloved Metro stations are named after, but his eyes are opened to two sad events, the deportation of the Parisian Jews from Drancy and the massacre of the Algerians several years later. Hannah finds her life intertwined with the stories of the women she is researching.
Many reviewers say that this is not Faulks' finest book, it may well not be, but a lesser offering from Faulks is still better than most other books published! I loved this book and am prepared to forgive the slightly confusing elements because it is such an emotional story. I ended it wanting to know more about the plight of the Algerians under Pappon, a tale that is glossed over in French history. Faulks is a wonderful writer, he draws the reader in with emotional power until the reader really cares about the characters and then is hit with the bigger message. I don't think this is one of Faulks' weaker books, it is just wonderful.
Many reviewers say that this is not Faulks' finest book, it may well not be, but a lesser offering from Faulks is still better than most other books published! I loved this book and am prepared to forgive the slightly confusing elements because it is such an emotional story. I ended it wanting to know more about the plight of the Algerians under Pappon, a tale that is glossed over in French history. Faulks is a wonderful writer, he draws the reader in with emotional power until the reader really cares about the characters and then is hit with the bigger message. I don't think this is one of Faulks' weaker books, it is just wonderful.
markw's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Engaging (if implausible) characters, Faulks writes a fine sentence, evocative Parisian settings, good pace that's keeps you turning the pages.
On the downside: Faulks seems to think we are likely to be in want of some basic lessons in 20th century French history, notably on occupied Paris/France (collaboration, the Raf' du Vel' d'Hiv, Drancy & Natzweiler) and the Algerian war and its mainland repercussions, so has his characters deliver lectures to each other. Perhaps worse, though are the fey magic realism/time-slip scenes. Worst of all, the toe-curlingly sentinmental and (to my mind) lazy ending – I'm sure Faulks could have come up with half-a-dozen better endings in an afternoon if he'd put his mind to it.
On the downside: Faulks seems to think we are likely to be in want of some basic lessons in 20th century French history, notably on occupied Paris/France (collaboration, the Raf' du Vel' d'Hiv, Drancy & Natzweiler) and the Algerian war and its mainland repercussions, so has his characters deliver lectures to each other. Perhaps worse, though are the fey magic realism/time-slip scenes. Worst of all, the toe-curlingly sentinmental and (to my mind) lazy ending – I'm sure Faulks could have come up with half-a-dozen better endings in an afternoon if he'd put his mind to it.