Paris by the Book: A Novel

Liam Callanan has created a masterpiece with this novel. While the pacing may be slow and a bit awkward at first, give yourself time to fall into the story and you will fall in love with the protagonist who is telling the story, Leah Eady, her children Ellie and Daphne, and the biggest, most important star of the novel, Paris itself.The City of Light has been a haven for bibliophiles for a long time. There is a certain magic and literary calling that has brought more than one author, or just a lover of books, to the city, and this novel will make you want to visit the city of Paris even more so.Leah's husband Robert, an author himself, and a fan of the Madeline children's books, disappears one day on one of his "writeaways", when he leaves for a period of time to work on his writing. This is something Leah has grown accustomed to during their marriage, but this time it doesn't seem like he is coming back. Where could he have gone, what might he be doing? Herself a fan of the 1950's short film, The Red Balloon, and the book of the same name, shares a bond with her husband that is equal all-parts Paris and thus she knows without a doubt her husband must be there, waiting for her. They discussed going there almost from the beginning when they met, through their courtship, and even into their marriage. Neither had ever been, but both yearned to go. So Leah scoops up her girls and heads to Paris, where she buys a bookshop (of course) and searches for her husband and searches the city itself to discover....well, that is the question. In the process of looking for her husband, Leah grows extraordinarily and discovers quite more about herself, her daughters, and life in general.When a person is deep in self-discovery, you could not ask for a better setting than Paris. The city and its history and its lore is always there, always tempting, always teaching. The narrative almost becomes second-place to how life is showcased in the city throughout the novel.Paris By the Book is that rare novel that captures the imagination and showcases the city of Paris in all of its literary glory. I highly recommend this book to any bibliophile, any author, or anybody who just plain loves Paris. Your heart will be tugged at and your soul will be tested, but in the end, you will discover quite a bit about the city and yourself.

Like some other readers, I slogged through this to the very end. I wanted to see how it concluded. The ending was a bit of a surprise. Others have described the gist of the story. Personally, I couldn't relate to either Leah or Robert and had little empathy for them. The daughters were much more grounded, and I could not understand why Leah kept so much from them. Children, even young ones, have insights than can be very helpful. If you're going to read this book, it would be helpful to know more about The Red Balloon (book or film) or the Madeleine series and their authors to have more of an investment in this tale.

2.5 - overall story was good once you got to the end but it was an infuriatingly difficult journey there. I was never engrossed in the story as the characters never fully developed and the storytelling choppy. To make matters worse I was mad for hours after finishing over the selfishness of a character.

More of a thesis on literature than actual story telling. The characters lacked development and the plot line was boring. The ending, a disappointment.

How does one cope when your partner vanishes, leaving you and your children with scant clues about the why and where of it all? In Paris By The Book, Liam Callanan, in prose which is both deft and light, explores this question. He takes us inside the minds and hearts of Leah Eady and her two children when her husband, Robert, mysteriously disappears. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but potential readers should know this book weaves together Paris, literary and cinematic history, real people coping with real loss, and figuring out how to move on - all without taking any easy ways out. Callanan avoids simplistic explanations and instead delivers a satisfying climax which answers our questions (which are really Leah's questions) in an intelligent, provocative way. Read and love. I did.

FABULOUS BOOK! Wonderful lyrical story that is completely transporting. The romance, the loneliness, the searching-so many twists and turns but somehow it's all very down to earth while still hitting all of these high notes. I can't wait to go to Paris this summer and live in the pages of this book for a day or two. I also now need to go back and watch the Red Balloon and buy the book. I can't figure out if I'm team Madeline or Red Balloon! Absolutely beautiful story and a high recommend.

I enjoyed this book because I enjoy most everything that takes place in Paris. It was also fun to re-watch "The Red Balloon", which I would recommend before you read this novel unless you remember all of the nuances of that story. There was enough mystery behind her "missing" husband to make you want to read more. I enjoyed her daughters and their ability to assimilate into Parisian culture. A few of the story lines were beyond belief, such as the connection that allowed them to get the right visas to stay after over staying their visitor visa.... but the story is good enough I could suspend my logic and just enjoy the jaunt through Paris.

The disappearance of the protagonist's husband takes the reader on a journey from Wisconsin to Paris in search of answers. The setting of Paris serves as a major character in this compelling story. The author paints a vivid picture of both the city and the protagonist's complex inner conflicts. Nicely done. Highly recommend.

Just could not get into this. Tried skipping a few chapters to see if it would get to the point.No luck with that....

Felt the story went off the boil. Got very irritated towards the end and found it too long. Sorry

Different, stuck with it, but not really for me

Not my cup of tea. At times enjoyable though. But at times a bit puzzling. The end was disappointing. An ok read.

Good read