The Paris Express (Unabridged)
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- 25,99 €
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the bestselling and “soul-stirring” (Oprah Daily) author of Room, a sweeping historical “nail-biter” (People) of a novel about the infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.
Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.
From an author whose “writing is superb alchemy” (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Emma Donoghue (Room) transforms a real French train disaster into an illuminating and intimate panorama of late 19th-century life, where class divides and personal ambitions are all hurtling toward the same moment in history. Aboard a train bound for Paris in 1895, dozens of strangers—politicians, artists, lovers, and dreamers—share a single, fateful journey. What’s remarkable is how alive every carriage feels. Donoghue’s characters reflect a world in motion, when technological breakthroughs, social unrest, and the exciting first flickers of cinema feel like they’re all about to transform everything. Her immersive prose captures that restless energy, and Justin Avoth’s narration matches its pace and emotional sweep, gliding effortlessly between characters—who range from an impassioned young female anarchist to the contemplative African American artist Henry Tanner, one of several real passengers Donoghue seamlessly incorporates into her story. Inventive and deeply moving, The Paris Express is both a thrilling historical journey and a thoughtful meditation on the importance of connection and chance.
