Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

What readers think of The Paris Hours, plus links to write your own review.

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Discuss |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Paris Hours by Alex George

The Paris Hours

A Novel

by Alex George
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • May 5, 2020, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2021, 272 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

Reviews

Page 1 of 7
There are currently 50 reader reviews for The Paris Hours
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Janecoradi

The Paris Hours
Loved it!
gerrie

A Day to Remember
This book is composed of brain burning, gasp inducing scenes that will stay with you forever. One day in Paris, four main characters, mystery upon mystery and it all unwinds and just when you think it's over,,,, it really isn't.
The Paris Hours is not a long book but it packs one heck of a punch. The writing is beautiful and thought provoking. Humans are human no matter where they are from, where they live, or their station in life. Their paths often intersect as do their secrets, sometimes with disastrous results.
Katherine P

Can Anyone Move Forward After A Tragic Loss?
Come spend a day on the streets and in the bookstores and bars of Paris as four very different people try to capture what has been lost. An Armenian immigrant performing puppet shows for French children while narrating in Armenian. A wounded WW I vet searching for the infant lost with his wife in the flames of a burning Church. A failed artist trying to find the money to save his life. And a shy country woman serving as the confidante and caretaker of a hypochondriac, Marcel Proust. We follow them through the course of one day as they seek and, in the process, learn of their histories and the whys of the seeking. Engrossing as their stories are the city itself captivates the senses as the reader roams from place to place and observes the other residents of the City of Light. The story brings it all together at the one fateful night when all the seekers find themselves in the smoky, jazz-filled room of Le Chat Blanc.
Power Reviewer
tired bookreader

Highly Recommend
I do believe this is the first book of 2020 that rates #1. The style of the writing almost requires reading four (not too long) chapters at a time and the storyline(s) are so unique, it is a surprise to find how they connect.

The choices a person makes every day are more consequential than we know. Not only for ourselves, but for those with whom we interact.

Thank you, Alex George, for this wonderful read.
Sooz

An Unforgettable Day in Paris
Imagine an historical novel in which you not only meet the four main protagonists but also the likes of Josephine Baker, Marcel Proust, Maurice Ravel, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. The author very cleverly weaves the lives of these celebrities into the lives of his main characters.
He first introduces the reader to an Armenian puppeteer Souren, then a French artist, Guillaume, a French journalist, Jean Paul, and the maid and confidante of Marcel Proust, Camille.
All of them end up involved with each other in some way and their stories are all confined to one day in Paris. I was amazed at how the author was able to connect their diverse lives and tell the story of each one searching for something lost.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience Paris through the eyes of four very different inhabitants and find themselves caught up in their emotions and life struggles.
I will definitely plan to look for more novels from this very talented author.
tired bookreader

Best read for 2020
The style the author chose for the book is perfect to keep the reader motivated. You have to read 4 chapters at a time (no worries, they aren't long). The story is captivating and shows how barely noticeable meetings with strangers can have major effects on someone's life.

I read this book in record time and have recommended it to anyone who will listen. A must read!!
Becky S

Love, love, love this book!
I loved everything about this book.. the characters were rich and well developed... I loved the backdrop of the book and the fact that it culminates in a single day in Paris in 1927 where the characters finally intersect and leave you feeling breathless. I love the historical aspect and the use of real live characters from that time frame... Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, Gertrude Stein... they all leave a feeling of authenticity to the story. Just an amazing read for me, love the way this author writes! Bravo!
Maryford

A gorgeous book
I read this for the book discussion later this month but I need to say right now that it is a beautiful jewel of a book. The writing is exquisite. Definitely the best book I have read this year and it will probably hold on to that title for a long time.

Beyond the Book:
  Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Our Evenings
    Our Evenings
    by Alan Hollinghurst
    Alan Hollinghurst's novel Our Evenings is the fictional autobiography of Dave Win, a British ...
  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.