The Paris Architect

The Paris Architect
Author Charles Belfoure
Country United States
Language English
Genre Historical, thriller
Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication date
 October 8, 2013
Media type Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages 384 pages
ISBN 1402284314

The Paris Architect is a 2013 novel by Charles Belfoure and the author's debut in fiction writing. Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, it follows the story of a French architect Lucien Bernard who is paid to create temporary hiding places for Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris. The book reached The New York Times best seller list in July 2015.

Plot summary

During World War II Lucien Bernard, an architect living in Paris, is offered a large amount of money to desing hiding places for Jews persecuted by the Nazis. He desperately needs to make for living though he knows that if caught, he would be killed.

Background and release

Specializing in historic preservation, before writing The Paris Architect, Charles Belfoure had written several non-fiction books on architecture, including works on the history of American banks and rowhouse architecture in Baltimore. He decided to pop into fiction spontaneously, thinking it might be an exciting expierience and a way of having a break from everyday work. A direct inspiration came to Belfoure after discovering the fact that during the reign of Elizabeth I in England special spaces were designed in houses as temporary hiding places for repressed Catholic priests.[1]

The novel was first published in hardcover in the United States on October 8, 2013. A paperback edition was released on July 15, 2014. An unabridged audible version narrated by Mark Bramhall was also released.[2] The book was translated into several languages, including Italian, Hungarian, Turkish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Polish and Hebrew.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Reception

The book received generally favourable reviews. It was presented by USA Today in the "New Voices" section and was an American Booksellers Association Indie Pick in October 2013.[1][10]

Malcolm Gladwell of The Guardian chose The Paris Architect his favourite book of 2013, calling it „a beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war”.[11]

Seamlessly integrated architectural details add to the excitement. Belfoure’s characters are well-rounded and intricate. Heart, reluctant heroism, and art blend together in this spine-chilling page-turner.

– Publishers Weekly review[12]

Vicki Briner of Library Journal wrote that „Belfoure’s portrayal of Vichy France is both disturbing and captivating, and his beautiful tale demonstrates that while human beings are capable of great atrocities, they have a capacity for tremendous acts of courage as well”.[13] New York Post picked the novel as „a must-read”.[14]

The Paris Architect was among finalists of the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award[15] and hit The New York Times best seller list in an e-book category in July 2015.[16] It was also ranked #102 on Best-Selling Books Top 150 list of USA Today on December 6, 2015.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 Jocelyn McClurg (30 October 2013). "New voices: Charles Belfoure and 'The Paris Architect'". USA Today. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Audiobook Review: The Paris Architect, by Charles Belfoure". Entomology of a Bookworm. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Il nascondiglio segreto di Parigi" (in Italian). bookrepublic.it. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Suhajda Bettina (3 April 2015). "Egy építész, aki búvóhelyet tervezett a zsidóknak – Könyvajánló" (in Hungarian). artsonline.hu. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Paris Mimarı – Charles Belfoure" (in Turkish). okuryazar.tv. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "O Arquiteto de Paris de Charles Belfour" (in Portuguese). marcasdeleitura.blogspot.com. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Парижкият архитект" (in Bulgarian). hermesbooks.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Paryski architekt" (in Polish). znak.com.pl. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "האדריכל מפריז" (in Hebrew). Penn Publishing. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "October 2013 Indie Next List" (PDF). indiebound.org. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Writers and critics on the best books of 2013". The Guardian. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Paris Architect Review". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Vicki Briner (15 June 2013). "Fiction Reviews". Library Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Billy Heller (12 October 2013). "This week’s must-read books". New York Post. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Longlist of the 2015 International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award". IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "E-book Fiction Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Best-Selling Books Top 150 on December 6, 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 13 December 2015.
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