Jun 12, 2018 Staff Reads: The Paris Architect
by Laurie
Circulation Assistant
For the audio book enthusiast, The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure, is a must read. I was introduced to this story years ago after it was recommended to me by our very own Reference Librarian, Susan B.; and I still have to say it is my all-time favorite audio book. Published in 2013, and read by Mark Bramhall, it is a riveting tale and was the author’s first work of fiction.
The narrator makes the story come to life through is mastery of foreign accents and the German and French dialects used throughout the book. Bramhall has received thirty-four AudioFile Earphones Awards for excellence and won the Audiobook Publishers Association’s prestigious AUDIE Award for best narration in 2016 and 2017.
The story…
This historical fiction novel is suspenseful and well written – a real nail-bitter. Lucien, a self-centered architect whose career opportunities evaporated when the Germans marched into Paris in 1940, is desperate for a job. He is so desperate that when industrialist Manet calls upon him to devise a hiding place for a wealthy Jewish friend, he accepts. Knowing full well the danger he will be putting himself and his family in, his desire for a challenging and paying project wins out. Manet has also promised Lucien the added commission of designing a German factory, a coveted opportunity in occupied France. With each new hiding place he builds, and the rise of the new factory, the tension is palpable. Members of the Resistance have even taken him for short drives to warn about the postwar consequences of collaborating with the enemy; and his wife, Celeste, has left in disgust. Lucien begins to understand the value of his work, and, more importantly, the value of the people he hides.
This book is a great choice for long car trips; it is a winner! Reserve your copy today!