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Sue
Finding oneself
You know you have a good read when you become so invested in the characters that you find yourself yelling and talking back to them. laughing with them, embarrassed for them and wishing they would have talked more to each other.
While some readers may be off put by the bouncing back and forth between narrators, once I became more familiar with their cadence and thought process, this did not present a problem to my enjoyment of the book
I thoroughly enjoyed Echoes and hated to see it end..
Jennie R. (Highland, CA)
Loved this book!
I loved this book from start to finish. It would be a great book club book, with lots of discussion worthy topics. The characters were believable and filled out just right. I felt I got to know 'Tariq', the young man from Morocco, the best, as he narrated every other chapter. He's so naive and mostly charming, though also a bit of an opportunist. I really liked 'Hannah', too, and found her character deep and intriguing, someone I'd enjoy knowing in real life. The historical aspect of the novel was well told, too; I appreciated the look at the lives of several women who shared their stories of living through the
…more years of the Nazi occupation. One of my very favorite bits is Tariq's description of the girl he left behind in Morocco..."There was so much more to her, so many things I'd forgotten, starting with the way she never bothered to say hello, because there was always something more important to tell me." I was sorry to arrive at the last page of this one. Well done, Mr. Faulks! (less)I am a fan of Sebastian Faulks' novels and his Paris Echo is now a favorite.
Faulks uses an unlikely relationship between Hannah, an American historian, and Tariq, a Moroccan teenager, to tell this multi-layered story. The primary premise is Paris under German occupation and the atrocities committed in Algeria and Paris during the Algerian War of Independence. The Algerian history was unfamiliar to me and one about which I would like to know more. Faulks also has a lot to say about how the past, and our view of that past has an enormous influence on our relationships and on our lives.
I found Faulks storytelling
…more compelling and thoroughly engrossing. I highly recommend the book. (less)Paris Echo is another fine book by Sebastian Faulks.
There are three main characters in this novel. Hannah a researcher seeking to study the lives of women during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Tariq a young man from Tangier who is seeking adventure and an answer to the secret of his mothers life in Paris. The third character is Paris which holds untold secrets and answers for Hannah and Tariq. The wonders of Paris seen through Tariq's eyes are spellbinding showing both its glorious and dark sides. The characters are fleshed out so the reader cares a lot about them and their outcomes. Both Hannah and Tariq grow
…more in ways which will impact and better their lives in the future. Another beautiful story by Sebastian Faulkes will keep the reader thoughtfully revisiting the characters days after the book is finished. (less)I thought this was a thought provoking novel. I needed to read it slowly to understand the complex characters and their relationship,especially between Hannah,the American historian and Tariq,the young man on a mission to learn about his deceased mother.
I liked the development of Tariq’s personality. He is emotionally young but desirous of growing. He has many great qualities. I loved his boldness and persistence.
There are many parallels in the development of Hannah and Tariq. I needed to reread parts of the novel to grasps how the author tied the lives of Tariq and Hannah together using the ghosts of the past
…more to help them. The ghost, Clemenceau, is beautifully developed.
I liked how the novel encouraged me to learn more about Vichy France and the Algerian war. I felt so much like Tariq walking about in ignorance of so much. (less)Two interesting, diverse characters make Sebastian Faulk's novel Paris Echo a really good read. Moroccan Tariq is young, confident, optimistic, and good looking and American Hannah is middle-aged, obsessed with history, intellectual and plain looking. The reader will enjoy the unlikely interactions of these two characters and will enjoy the skill of the author who makes them come alive.
Claire M. (Wrentham, MA)
Echo, Hera and Zeus
In the multi-layered Paris Echoes the reader is immersed in the lives of past and present generations, their intersection aided by the visual spectacle of the storied City of Lights, redolent with the life of its occupants. Temporary residents, Hannah and Tariq, participate and touch the lives of lifelong inhabitants in ways both nostalgic and new. Faulkes' fine hand on the historical memory of world wars is strong and sure, his characters either absorbed or indifferent to the past. The mythic story of Echo is a poetic silent partner in the story of two souls who don't know they have lost their way. For readers
…more with a love of history and an open mind to the considerable contrasting views of contemporary life, the novel introduces us to multiple ways of constructing a life with purpose and suggests to the reader why doing so is redemptive. A rewarding choice for book groups that enjoy delving beneath the surface reading of novels. (less)
Barbara O. (Red Bank, NJ)
Journeying Paris through the wonders of the Metro
Beautiful language echoing two different life journeys for two very different individuals both in Paris seeking similar resolutions. Hannah, researching women's lives in World War II and Tariq, drawn to Paris to learn more about his mother's roots. Two different paths, cleverly intertwined with the rich history of Paris yet similar in their search. Lots of discussion points for book clubs are raised in this book. The moral choices faced and made during Nazi occupation but also the same choices created by the French Algerian crisis in the 60's. This book is filled with rich imagery juxtaposing Tariq's Paris
…more journey in the immigrant neighborhoods and Hannah's world of academia. Loved experiencing Paris through both sets of eyes. (less)
