A review by markw
Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks
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.