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Description
Emma Donoghue, the “soul-stirring” (Oprah Daily) nationally bestselling author of Room, returns with a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.
Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.
From an author whose “writing is superb alchemy” (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.
Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.
From an author whose “writing is superb alchemy” (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.
Product Details
| Publisher | S&S/Summit Books |
| Publish Date | March 18, 2025 |
| Pages | 288 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781668082799 |
| Dimensions | 212.7 X 139.7 X 25.4 mm | 371.9 g |
About the Author
Emma Donoghue is the author of sixteen novels, including the award-winning national bestseller Room, the basis for the acclaimed film of the same name. Her latest novel is The Paris Express. She has also written the screenplays for Room and The Wonder and nine stage plays. Her next film (adapted with Philippa Lowthorpe from Helen Macdonald’s memoir) is H Is for Hawk. Born in Dublin, she lives in Ontario with her family. Find out more at EmmaDonoghue.com.
Reviews
“The Paris Express offers readers the opportunity to recognize something kindred in its characters’ passions and dilemmas….Well-researched, empathetic…steams across fin-de-siècle France with unstoppable momentum.”
“Thrilling….I could not put this book down.”
"A nail-biter - and you'll learn some history, too."
“A riveting mix of social commentary and mystery…has much in common with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express….Meticulous research has gone into the writing of this thriller, including into the real-life passengers on the original train….If the steam engine is an astonishing feat of engineering, so is Donoghue’s propulsive and thought-provoking 16th novel.”
"Deliciously tense...a heart-pounding ride."
“Titanic superfans will fall hard for this historically immersive story of glamour, hubris, chaos, and heartache.”
“Historical fiction you can feel in your bones.”
“Irresistible…beautifully capture[s] the thrill and romance of train travel’s heyday.”
“In exploring a little-remembered event in history, Emma Donoghue manages to hold a mirror up to a whole society, from its train porters to its members of parliament, and show that however much one tries to wrench life to conform to one's will, everyone is vulnerable to its shocks. What an absorbing, panoramic, meticulously researched, lovingly peopled gem. A huge privilege to get an early glimpse!”
“Captivating! Emma Donoghue writes in rich, luxuriant detail, yet the story moves at an exhilarating clip. THE PARIS EXPRESS brings big questions about human interconnectedness into an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller that I couldn’t put down.”
“Thrilling….I could not put this book down.”
"A nail-biter - and you'll learn some history, too."
“A riveting mix of social commentary and mystery…has much in common with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express….Meticulous research has gone into the writing of this thriller, including into the real-life passengers on the original train….If the steam engine is an astonishing feat of engineering, so is Donoghue’s propulsive and thought-provoking 16th novel.”
"Deliciously tense...a heart-pounding ride."
“Titanic superfans will fall hard for this historically immersive story of glamour, hubris, chaos, and heartache.”
“Historical fiction you can feel in your bones.”
“Irresistible…beautifully capture[s] the thrill and romance of train travel’s heyday.”
“In exploring a little-remembered event in history, Emma Donoghue manages to hold a mirror up to a whole society, from its train porters to its members of parliament, and show that however much one tries to wrench life to conform to one's will, everyone is vulnerable to its shocks. What an absorbing, panoramic, meticulously researched, lovingly peopled gem. A huge privilege to get an early glimpse!”
“Captivating! Emma Donoghue writes in rich, luxuriant detail, yet the story moves at an exhilarating clip. THE PARIS EXPRESS brings big questions about human interconnectedness into an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller that I couldn’t put down.”
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