8 /10 1 Votes
Language English Pages 384 pages ISBN 1402284314 | 4/5 Goodreads Publication date October 8, 2013 Originally published 8 October 2013 Publisher Sourcebooks Country United States of America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Media type Print, e-book, audiobook Genres Historical Fiction, Thriller Similar Charles Belfoure books, Historical Fiction books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The paris architect by charles belfoure book trailer
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.
Contents
The paris architect by charles belfoure mpl book trailer 218
Plot summary
During World War II Lucien Bernard, an architect living in Paris, is offered a large amount of money to design hiding places for Jews being hunted by the Nazis. He desperately needs the money to make a living though he knows that if caught, he will 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 experience 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.
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. The book was translated into several languages, including Italian, Hungarian, Turkish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Polish, Hebrew, Norwegian and Romanian.
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.
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”.
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”. New York Post picked the novel as „a must-read”.
The Paris Architect was among finalists of the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award and hit The New York Times best seller list in an e-book category in July 2015. It was also ranked #102 on Best-Selling Books Top 150 list of USA Today on December 6, 2015.
Film
In July 2016 it was announced that StudioCanal and The Picture Company acquired the rights to film The Paris Architect. Chris Salmanpour was hired to adapt the script.