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The Paris Hours

A Novel
Pages
272
Published
2020
Language
English

Synopsis

The Paris Hours follows four ordinary people across one day in Paris between the wars, a city teeming with the era's most famous artists, writers, and musicians. Camille, maid to Marcel Proust, is desperate to find a notebook of his she secretly saved before it can be discovered missing. Souren, an Armenian refugee, performs puppet shows for children that are nothing like the fairy tales they expect. Guillaume, a lovesick and broke artist running from a debt, wonders if everything might change the day Gertrude Stein walks into his studio. Jean-Paul, a journalist who tells other people's stories because his own is too painful to tell, searches the city for answers of his own.

As the day unfolds, the four lives intersect in an unforgettable climax, each discovering whether they'll find what they're looking for.

About the author

Characters

Sister CamilleProtagonist

Marcel Proust's maid, hiding a notebook she saved from being burned.

SourenProtagonist

An Armenian refugee who performs unconventional puppet shows.

GuillaumeProtagonist

A lovesick, debt-ridden artist chasing a change in fortune.

Jean-PaulProtagonist

A journalist who tells other people's stories to avoid his own.

Gertrude SteinCameo

Real-life writer and salon host who appears in Guillaume's storyline.

All characters in The Paris Hours

Frequently asked questions

  • Are the historical figures in The Paris Hours, like Gertrude Stein and Marcel Proust, real people?

    Yes, they're real historical figures who appear alongside the novel's four fictional protagonists in 1927 Paris.