The Paris Express

By (author) Donoghue Emma
Short description/annotation:
From Emma Donoghue, the bestselling author of Room, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set at the end of the nineteenth century about a high-speed steam train journey, the people on board and the secrets and dangers they carry with them.
Description:

''Clever, ambitious . . . a smartly structured novel that ratchets up the pace until it''s hurtling along as fast as the train itself'' – Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam

''Captivating . . . an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller that I couldn''t put down'' – Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

It is 1895, and turn-of-the-century Paris is as chaotic as it is glamorous. Industry and invention have created ever greater wealth and terrible poverty. One autumn morning, an anarchist boards the Granville to Paris express train, determined to make her mark on history.

Aboard the train are others from across the globe: the railway crew who have built a life together away from their wives, a little boy travelling alone for the first time, an artist far from home, a wealthy statesman and his invalid wife, and a young woman with a secret hidden under her dress.

All their fates are bound together as the train speeds towards the City of Light . . .

Inspired by a famous rail disaster, The Paris Express is a thrilling ride and a literary masterpiece that evokes an era not so different from our own.

''Donoghue''s talents are at such glorious heights in this novel'' – Heather O''Neill, author of The Capital of Dreams

Review quote:
Clever, ambitious, and richly researched. A slice of 1890s Paris that makes us see that our modern problems aren’t so modern after all! The Paris Express is a smartly structured novel that ratchets up the pace until it''s hurtling along as fast as the doomed train itself.
Review quote:
Donoghue''s talents are at such glorious heights in this novel
Review quote:
Captivating! Emma Donoghue writes in rich, luxuriant detail, yet the story moves at a exhilarating clip. An edge-of-your-seat historical thriller that I couldn’t put down
Biographical note:
Born in Dublin in 1969, and now living in Canada, Emma Donoghue writes fiction (novels and short stories, contemporary and historical), as well as drama for screen and stage. Room was shortlisted for the Booker, Commonwealth and Orange Prizes, selling nearly three million copies in forty languages. Donoghue was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film adaptation starring Brie Larson. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the film of her novel The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh, and adapted The Pull of the Stars for the stage. For more information, visit www.emmadonoghue.com.