Book: Paris by Edward Rutherfurd

Regulars will know that I’ve become a big fan of the historical novel, due mainly to this writer. It’s my opportunity to go back and learn the bits of history I stopped paying attention to during school lessons. I was interested – in some parts, particularly the American Civil War and Tudor times if I recall correctly – but as with most people, I’m far more fascinated as a fully formed adult.This summer saw the release of Edwards Rutherfurd’s eight historical novel.  I first read him in 2009 when New York was released and having since gone back to read London and now Paris, it is still my favourite book of recent years. All 1017 pages of it.

Paris with its 731 pages is far lighter by comparison but still treads the familiar territory of telling the history of the city of lights via the families through the ages. I found this a little more confusing to read and therefore harder to get into. This maybe that I’ve never had a particular fondness for Paris or France but more likely as the chapters go back and forth in history rather than being in a chronological order throughout.Having now referred to the jacket, I note there are four families' story being told although I hadn’t noted that when reading, or I would have looked for them? It’s odd as I’d normally notice but perhaps it’s the back and forth through the centuries that had me a little lost?It matters not as the stories of the noble family, the criminal under class, the working classes and of course the Parisian well-to do middle classes is told as well as always. It’s interesting to visualise the French unions being formed through the French revolution. I especially enjoy reading about these families merging as the whole of Paris becomes fascinated with the building o the Eiffel Tower. They were divided in opinion on it even then,There’s a great lesson in writing which I fully intend to use reportedly from Hemingway too: ‘So don’t come to the end of a section and put down your pen’ meaning stop when you are in full flow in a paragraph say, as it will be easier to start the next day!And on the business side, great examples of customer service from the middle class family running Josephine’s store – a bit like Selfridges and Mr Selfridge.I’ve yet to read ‘Dublin’ which I picked up after ‘London’ so it was just too close but I’m looking forward to that one. Having covered NYC, London, Dublin and now Paris, I wonder what city maybe next?7½/10Inspiration factor 7½/10Buy on Amazon Check on Good Reads  More on Edward RutherfurdFollow me on Twitter for the next read!