Let me tell you just a few words about this book: I read it immediately. The Paris Architect, by Charles Belfoure, tells the story of Paris under the siege of Germany, during the World War 2. In Nazi-occupied Paris, there is this architect, Lucien, who will save many lives just by working with his knowledge about buildings.
Captivating, easy to read, I wouldsay this book is perfect for a quiet Sunday.
Working for Germans, but fighting against them
From the very first pages, we find out some basic information about Lucien, the French architect. Married, but not in love anymore, he has a mistress and his dream is to design the most remarkable buildings in history.
Lucien’s base need for money conduct him to work for a wealthy French man. His main work is to build ingenious hiding spaces for Jewish people in apartments or houses of Paris. On the other hand, he will design modern factories for Nazi. While he will be saving the lives of innocent Jewish, Lucien will also be projecting buildings for the enemies, fulfilling his professional dream.
Until he will need to make a decision, based on his personal connection with Jews, that will end bloody.
History and fiction in an easy lecture
This book is pleasant, the writing style is easy to follow, but I can’t say it was high literature. It is just a novel from which you can learn interesting facts about history, sprinkled with a fiction story of human kindness.
Despite the fact that many readers don’t agree with the information or the way the characters are built, “The Paris Architect” is still a nice reading.
Will you give it a chance?
