The Beasts of Paris
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By Stef Penney
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1 review
In Paris 1870, three wandering souls find themselves in a city set to descend into war.
‘A historical epic that Jessie Burton fans will adore’ GRAZIA
‘Exquisite, relevant and immersive’ ANNA MAZZOLA
‘A triumph’ GUARDIAN
Anne is a former patient from a women’s asylum trying to carve out a new life for herself in a world that doesn’t understand her. Newcomer Lawrence is desperate to develop his talent as a photographer and escape the restrictions of his puritanical upbringing. Ellis, an army surgeon, has lived through the trauma of one civil war and will do anything to avoid another bloodbath.
Each keeps company with the restless beasts of Paris’ Menagerie, where they meet, fight their demons, lose their hearts, and rebel in a city under siege.A dazzling historical epic of love and survival, Stef Penney carries the reader captivated through war-torn Paris.
Praise for Stef Penney ‘One of the best storytellers we have’ The Scotsman ‘Penney works hard to fill her canvas with colour and conviction’ Sunday Times ‘[Her] prose is cinematic’ Independent ‘What has marked Penney out from the start is her ability to make her extensive historical research come alive’ Sunday Herald
‘Hypnotically readable . . . Stef Penney is a mesmerising storyteller’ Amanda Craig
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This book started with great promise. The first chapter was intriguing. A visually strong sense of place was swiftly established and a series of cliff hanger chapter endings drew me in . However by page 25 twelve main characters were introduced in rapid succession and it was challenging to absorb all the strands of the plot. The author also had a tendency to litter the narrative with unfamiliar vocabulary eg obsidional and inchoate which I found both distracting and irritating . The middle section of the book was let down by several poorly written homosexual encounters. The phrasing became increasingly flamboyant as Lawrence was ‘ambushed by desire’. Once the author turned her attention to focus on the story telling the finale of this book was gripping. I liked the way authentic news reports from different viewpoints were used to support her description of the brutal confrontation between Government troops and the Commune in Paris 1871. The true meaning of the title was revealed as it became evident that the term Beasts of Paris was not confined to the four legged creatures in the menagerie . I would like to thank Charlotte Gill at Quercus Books for providing copies of this book to Whitley Bay Book Club for review purposes.
