The Paris Hours

A Novel

By: Alex George

Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill

“Like All the Light We Cannot See, The Paris Hours explores the brutality of war and its lingering effects with cinematic intensity. The ending will leave you breathless.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train and A Piece of the World

One day in the City of Light. One night in search of lost time.

Paris between the wars teems with artists, writers, and musicians, a glittering crucible of genius. But amidst the dazzling creativity of the city’s most famous citizens, four regular people are each searching for something they’ve lost.

Camille was the maid of Marcel Proust, and she has a secret: when she was asked to burn her employer’s notebooks, she saved one for herself. Now she is desperate to find it before her betrayal is revealed. Souren, an Armenian refugee, performs puppet shows for children that are nothing like the fairy tales they expect. Lovesick artist Guillaume is down on his luck and running from a debt he cannot repay—but when Gertrude Stein walks into his studio, he wonders if this is the day everything could change. And Jean-Paul is a journalist who tells other people’s stories, because his own is too painful to tell. When the quartet’s paths finally cross in an unforgettable climax, each discovers if they will find what they are looking for.

Told over the course of a single day in 1927, Alex George'sThe Paris Hours takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

"What a design! George expertly crosscuts between various plots, coaxing them closer and closer as evening draws on. The tinder has been set and the fire is lit as the action converges on a raucous cabaret in Montmartre." —New York Times Book Review

Fantastic Narrator

Likeable characters, but at times the non-linear timeline between multiple characters was confusing. Souren was my favorite character, though his story was heartbreaking. The ending seemed abrupt. This is the first time I have read parts of the story and listened to parts on Audible. I enjoyed the Audible version because the narrator was fantastic with all of the French pronunciations that I would have stumbled through.

Not the greatest, but kept my attention.

Like so many books, there is a plot scattered across many characters and across time. Everything does come together at the end, and much of it is resolved.
I found the narrator's voice a bit too dramatic for my taste. But his French accent was good.
The details about Marcel Proust were interesting. I can't say I had one particular character who was my favorite. I would give the book a mildly enthusiastic thumbs up.

Exquisitely Woven Tapestry of Life

I absolutely loved this audiobook! I’ve been listening to books on audible for many years and sometimes the narrator is not ideal, or maybe the content is boring at times but this audiobook is EXCEPTIONAL! The narrator is exquisite and the content in riveting and remains riveting throughout until an ending that gave me chills when I realized its unvoiced ramifications.

If you love Paris as much as I do and if you love the early years of the 20th century, you will love this book. It takes you on three different journeys that are very gently woven into the tapestry of life.

I don’t usually review audiobooks but I would be remiss if I didn’t invite you to experience this captivating work of art.

Hard follow

I lost interest in this story about half
way through it. The story lines changed constantly, and it was hard to keep
my attention on them.

Enchanting!

While the book was lovely, the ending was quite a cliffhanger. I understood there are not always happy endings in the traditional sense, I only wish Guillame found love, and Souren to not die in the fire. But in their own way, they achieved peace.

The atmosphere was beautiful, stunning and quite imaginative.