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Title details for Paris by Edward Rutherfurd - Available

Paris

The Novel

by Edward Rutherfurd
Jean Gilpin
Audiobook
1 of 4 copies available
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1 of 4 copies available
From the grand master of the historical novel comes a dazzling, epic portrait of the City of Light
Internationally bestselling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris.
Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties , passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city—from the building of Notre Dame to the dangerous machinations of Cardinal Richlieu; from the glittering court of Versailles to the violence of the French Revolution and the Paris Commune; from the hedonism of the Belle Époque, the heyday of the impressionists, to the tragedy of the First World War; from the 1920s when the writers of the Lost Generation could be found drinking at Les Deux Magots to the Nazi occupation, the heroic efforts of the French Resistance, and the 1968 student revolt.
With his unrivaled blend of impeccable research and narrative verve, Rutherfurd weaves an extraordinary narrative tapestry that captures all the glory of Paris. More richly detailed, more thrilling, and more romantic then anything Rutherfurd has written before, Paris: The Novel wonderfully illuminates hundreds of years in the City of Light and Love and brings the sights, scents, and tastes of Paris to sumptuous life.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    April 23, 2013

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780385359542
      • File size: 1104104 KB
      • Duration: 38:20:12

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Rutherfurd's newest saga entwines seven centuries of families and a multitude of events that helped to shape the magnificent city of Paris. The noble de Cynge clan sustains a multigenerational blood feud against the Le Sourds, the bourgeois Blanchards founded and continue to run a high-fashion retail dynasty, and the laboring Gascons include a riveter who toiled for Eiffel. Narrator Jean Gilpin's mostly straightforward reading gives consistency to the somewhat ragged narrative, which jumps back and forth through time and families so much that the listener may wonder if the audio player is skipping. Most notable are Gilpin's subtle portrayal of the distinctive designer Coco Chanel and her graceful characterizations of the Jacobs, a Jewish family that specializes in private art collections. Gilpin's steady interpretation makes PARIS a worthwhile listen. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 27, 2013
      This massive novel traces the evolution of the City of Light over eight centuries, lacing together the fates of a handful of families in operatic style over the decades as class, religion, and commerce are buffeted by great historical forces. From the construction of Notre Dame and the Belle Epoque to the Nazi occupation, Rutherfurd (New York), a specialist in fictionalizing great sweeps of history through a single place, weaves the family ties of a bourgeois merchant clan, a minor aristocratic lineage, and a working-class family of patriots and criminals. Augmented by a credible cast of several dozen other characters, the author spins tales of multiple of emotions over many eras. Rutherfurd dispatches these rich historical periods with grace, bringing different epochs to life through the family sagas that cleave through the sweep of time, from an era of great cathedrals to the rise of the Eiffel Tower. Though his characters are too often pressed into service as talking history textbooks, he shows great authority as to what makes Paris exciting, lively, and timeless in its appeal. Agent: Rogers, Coleridge & White (U.K.).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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