The Paris Express
A Novel
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3.9 • 50 Ratings
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- $12.99
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 she seamlessly incorporates several real passengers into her story, including the contemplative African American artist Henry Tanner. Inventive and deeply moving, The Paris Express is both a thrilling historical journey and a thoughtful meditation on the importance of connection and chance.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A French anarchist targets a passenger train in the taut latest from Donoghue (Learned by Heart), which is inspired by a true story. On Oct. 22, 1895, Mado Pelletier boards the express from Granville to Paris with a homemade bomb in tow. Born into poverty, she's furious over the plight of the working class, which is made all the more plain to her by the arrangement of the train's carriages: first-class passengers are placed at the center of the train to cushion the blow in the event of a crash. ("This train is a moving image of the unfairness of the long con of life," she thinks.) Three members of Parliament are riding in first class, and Mado hopes that by assassinating them, she will send a message to the ruling class. But as the locomotive speeds toward Paris, Mado meets her fellow passengers and questions whether she can follow through with her plan. Through shifting points of view—including that of the train engine itself—Donoghue establishes an intricate web of human relationships as the narrative speeds toward an unexpected yet plausible finale. Along the way, she offers detailed commentary on the railway's cynical exploitation of its workers, enriching the themes raised by Mado's critique. Readers ought to jump on board.
