If you enjoy sprawling stories that cover several centuries of history, you are probably already familiar with Edward Rutherfurd. He came to prominence with his first novel, Sarum, which tells the story of the land and the people of the Salisbury Plain in England over a period of about 10,000 years. He followed up that success with books set in Russia, London, Ireland, and New York, all in the same pattern. Rutherfurd uses the specific — stories of individual lives — to draw a picture of the whole; his books, as in yesterday’s post, are mosaics.
Character is at the heart of Rutherfurd’s novels, and Paris is no exception. Here, he follows the lives of four French families from the 1200s through the 1960s. He uses the ebb and flow of their personal and professional lives to track the life of the city, and does so in an eminently readable fashion. As in all his novels, Rutherfurd creates characters from all classes of society, allowing him to move smoothly from the lives and homes of courtiers and nobles to those of merchants and artists to the Paris underworld and its denizens.
Paris itself is a character here too, and the city comes to life in Rutherfurd’s telling. His attention to detail is always just right. There are no unnecessary facts cluttering up the story just to show the author’s erudition. Whether it is Paris during the two World Wars or in the reign of the Sun King, Rutherfurd creates a compelling and memorable portrait of a lively and engaging city. The fictional and historical characters blend easily together, and Rutherfurd creates dialog that rings true regardless of the time period.
Readers who like family sagas will find a great deal to enjoy here, as will fans of history, and lovers of Paris. If you cannot get away to the City of Light anytime soon, you could do worse than letting Edward Rutherfurd take you there in his book.
Check the WRL catalog for Paris
Or try the ebook version of Paris
Thank you SO much for posting about this. Great job!
A pleasure!
I am not sure if I would be intrigued to read a book spanning over 500 years. Would be too many contrasting experiences!!
It is definitely a lot to keep track of rumadak. But Rutherfurd does a good job of keeping things flowing.
I had no idea Rutherford did Paris! I love his books, I love his styles, the way he creates little idiosyncrasies to trace through the lives of the character’s he creates. I’m definitely adding to my list. Thanks for posting!
My pleasure! Happy reading.
It’s going on my to-read list :)
Reblogged this on Leyla Eraybar and commented:
Paris!
I was able to read about half of this tremendous novel, but unfortunately couldn’t renew it anymore, and by the time I got it back, I had forgotten the story! It’s so beautifully written–Rutherfurd’s description of Paris throughout the centuries painted such vivid images. Loved what I read so far, but it’s quite the commitment.