He has to design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish Man and one that even the most determining Nazi soldier won’t discover. However there is an air of danger about it. Paris 1942, Architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him little acclaim in the Architecture world but will bring him vast wealth. While this is a fiction story it doesn't really stray too far from the reality of wartime Paris and I thought it was convincing and clever. This book was recommend to me by bookshop employee who knew I enjoyed non fiction books set during WWII. A suspenseful and heart pounding read that is full of dislikable characters and yet they were interesting and believable. If you're struggling through this like I was, give it up and find something better to read. How does this book have such high ratings? I almost stopped reading it a quarter of the way in because of points #1 and #2, but the reviews kept me going, hoping it'd get better. Those bits were rough, even to skim through. I may be in the minority here, and I realize this is the Gestapo we're talking about, but still. Only the male characters who do similar acts get credit.)Ĥ. Clunky gender stereotypes (seriously, one of the female characters takes in a couple Jewish orphans, and it's described as natural, because she's got that female compassion going on. Towards the end, it looks like the main character might get killed for his actions, and I just couldn't bring myself to care one way or the other about it.ģ. All of the characters just feel like 2D cardboard cutouts, and I never developed an attachment to any of them. The main character shows development, but not in any sort of realistic way. Sure, the character who gets killed totally deserved it, but the kid never appears to wrestle with any feelings about this incident one way or the other, before or after. I know people sometimes do things out of the blue, but check this (spoiler): a kid, who we previously only see as good-hearted, studious, and shy, kills another character without any warning. People are treacherous or noble or somewhere in between without any prior reason given for their actions. Most of the characters lack the motivation for the actions they carry out. No, really, it's clunky and the dialogue is about as stilted as you can get.Ģ. Let me count the ways that this book failed:ġ. (Also, architecture! And plots set abroad!) I wasn't expecting anything high-brow, just a good, plot-driven escape. Seriously, I love historical fiction, character development in trying times, and moral quandaries. The only thing this book has going for it is a good premise.

The paris architect by charles belfoure