Paris Echo

Reviews

Superb... weaves winningly between the present and the second world war, between Tangiers and Paris. ‘[Paris Echo is] brimming with Faulks’s deep affection for Paris. His outsider’s interest in quirky street names and quaint corners transports his readers there too. And in the end, the book is powered by his ambition to evoke that place, its ghostliness, those spectres of history, lurking around every beautiful avenue A brilliantly plotted and occasionally hallucinatory novel, in which the author's genius for literary ventriloquism is shown off to startling effect. Paris Echo doesn’t disappoint… Faulks is doing what he does best, marrying careful historical research with a good ear for dialogue [An] exquisite book... a deeply affecting, wholly unsolemn treatment of some of the 20th century's darkest moments. The prowess of his storytelling makes him a graceful guide through "the great world of the past"... Cunningly crafted, Faulks's fictional bridge between the French past and present has its sentimental side. There is humour and humanity in this bold, perceptive novel. Both thoughtful and thought-provoking with memorable characters and a profound sense of the past in the present Here is Paris in all its beauty and squalor, its blood-stained history and its ability to instil in its lover a sense of the true sweetness of life. So this intelligent, moving, often disturbing novel is also really a love letter to Paris and indeed to France. There is much to learn from Paris Echo about the city’s complex identity, and about the way we view the past. Expand reviews