“This saga is filled with historical detail and a huge cast of characters, fictional and real, spanning generations and centuries. as grand and engrossing as Paris itself.” -Historical Novels Review most romantic and richly detailed work of fiction yet.” -Bookreporter With Rutherfurd’s unrivaled blend of impeccable research and narrative verve, this bold novel brings the sights, scents, and tastes of the City of Light to brilliant life. As various characters come of age, seek their fortunes, and fall in and out of love, the novel follows nobles who claim descent from the hero of the celebrated poem The Song of Roland a humble family that embodies the ideals of the French Revolution a pair of brothers from the slums behind Montmartre, one of whom works on the Eiffel Tower as the other joins the underworld near the Moulin Rouge and merchants who lose everything during the reign of Louis XV, rise again in the age of Napoleon, and help establish Paris as the great center of art and culture that it is today. Moving back and forth in time, the story unfolds through intimate and thrilling tales of self-discovery, divided loyalty, and long-kept secrets.

No matter that I already knew much of what he was talking about beforehand.From Edward Rutherfurd, the grand master of the historical novel, comes a dazzling epic about the magnificent city of Paris. However, I love Paris, and I enjoyed all the little tour-guide moments.

If I had not been such a fan of Paris, I would have found it a bit boring. A few times this becomes tedious, seemingly too unreal and staged. Rutherfurd takes the opposite approach, using his characters to back up his story by reciting many facts and anecdotes. Most tour guides tell small stories to back up their recitation of the facts. He also takes many opportunities to inform us about the history and culture of the city. The reader is taken to the heights of Montmartre, to the bridges over the Seine, and into many famous landmarks that are stacked like chord wood within the boundaries of the city. No matter the subject matter of the time period, whether it be the uprising of the Paris Commune, or the French Revolution, or the golden age of the Sun King, or even the building of the Eiffel Tower, Rutherfurd keeps our eyes focused solely on that most magical of cities. The star of the book, of course, is that grand lady, Paris. Atop Montmartre, the site of much of the action

Paris the novel by edward rutherfurd