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Paris

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Paris

By: Edward Rutherfurd
Narrated by: Jane Wymark, Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

"City of love. City of splendour. City of terror. City of dreams."

Inspired by the haunting, passionate story of the city of lights, this epic novel weaves a gripping tale of four families across the centuries: from the lies that spawn the noble line of de Cygne to the revolutionary Le Sourds who seek their destruction; from the Blanchards whose bourgeois respectability offers scant protection against scandal to the hard-working Gascons and their soaring ambitions.

Over hundreds of years, these four families are bound by forbidden loves and marriages of convenience; dogged by vengeance and murderous secrets; torn apart by the irreconcilable differences of birth and faith, and brought together by the tumultuous history of their city. Paris bursts to life in the intrigue, corruption, and glory of its people.

Beloved author of Sarum, London, and New York, Edward Rutherfurd illuminates Paris as only he can: capturing the romance and everyday drama of the men and women who, in 2,000 years, transformed a humble trading post on the muddy banks of the Seine into the most celebrated city in the world.

©2013 Edward Rutherford (P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton Fiction Historical Fiction

Critic Reviews

"From the ice-age to the present day, Rutherfurd's scope is vast. Both historical novel and adventure epic, this is a work of universal appeal.'' ( Kirkus UK, on Sarum)
''Hold your breath suspense, buccaneering adventure, and passionate tales of love and war.'' ( The Times, on London)
All stars
Most relevant  
love the Effiel tower , and all of the drama romance war and Love! recommend for all lovers of Paris

Lovely story from a beautiful time and place

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This is an absorbing story so much Paris history wound into the lives of the characters,

very enjoyable

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It took me about a month to finish this book only because I am very time poor. Interesting story lines and characters kept me listening to it every day.

Enjoyable read

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Another excellent Rutherford masterpiece. I couldn’t stop listening. Wonderful characters used to recount the history of Paris

Very enjoyable

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I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend and I'm glad I did. The jumping between centuries can be a bit rough to start with, but the central story and families keep you tethered to the plot. very enjoyable!

You will fall in love with Paris

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What made the experience of listening to Paris the most enjoyable?

Listening to the story about the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and the war years,

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas Gascon was my favourite because of his link to the above

What three words best describe Jane Wymark and Jonathan Keeble ’s performance?

A good performance but not sure why the French characters had an English (cockney?) accent and yet the Germans had the more appropriate (in my opinion) German accent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No because its very long

Any additional comments?

The numbered chapters in the audio book did not match the spoken chapter numbers, not sure why.

A long story but but full of interesting information

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The narrators were marvellous. Their French was also very good.

The story is quite engaging. It brings Paris to life and hits all the major points of French history along the way and from several different points of view through the different characters with different sympathies and beliefs.

Quite long, but not a chore to listen to at all.

Beautifully read

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I listened entranced by this book.This was the first book by Edward Rutherford that I had encountered and I wondered why I hadn't come across him before. It helped that Paris is one of my favorite cities and that I had been there for short visits quite a lot of times and knew the area she spoke of.
I can't wait to listen to another.

A few centuries of wonder

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Engaging story that covers all the important events over the last eight hundred years through the improbable connections of half a dozen families.

Engaging

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Where does Paris rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Best to date

What did you like best about this story?

We have visited Paris many times, and loved each visit. But this treatment adds a new dimension to our experience

What about Jane Wymark and Jonathan Keeble ’s performance did you like?

Top readers

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The section on the resistance movement in WWII

Any additional comments?

Just the book to listen in midwinter or while on a long trip. Absorbing.

Rutherfurd brings out the soul of the city

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