Paris: The Novel, by Edward Rutherfurd (2013)
Although the book is entitled Paris: The Novel, it’s actually a comprehensive history of France through the lives of six families from the reign of Louis IX, King of France in 1260 through 1968. The novel jumps a bit back and forth in time, and I had to constantly refer to the family chart at the beginning of the book (which comes in a just over 800 pages).
Each of the 26 Chapters covers a specific point of history, with fabulous details of life during that specific period of time, all through the above mentioned six families. The families come from all walks of life: from aristocrats, to peasants, to the bourgeois, to Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. From generation to generation, the author spends more time with some families than others, but in total, the reader is treated to a fascinated history of one of the most well-known cities in the world.
We learn what court life was like during the reigns of the many French kings. We learn of the events leading to the French Revolution. We learn how the Eiffel Tower was constructed, and its initial reception in Paris. The tale provided the background of the Huguenots and how they were expelled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
Some characters are more fully developed than others. The reader cheers Thomas Gaston on as he works on the Eiffel Tower. His brother, Luc, leads a life on the edge and he shows us the seedy side of life in the city.
I thoroughly enjoyed this travel to France.
Read: June 20, 2023
5 Stars
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