Friday, January 29, 2016

6:41 to Paris







It's the simplest of plots: a man and a woman sit down next to each other on the train to Paris. Insert a small twist: the man and woman knew each other well, more than twenty years ago. Now enter the thoughts of each, in turn.


I took this little train ride of a book the last few days. How well the author got into the heads of these two complex and real people. How well the author maintained the tension between them. What a wonderful experience it is to choose a book to read and review without knowing anything about the author or the publisher and discovering you have read a marvel of a book you want to share with everyone.


This is the perfect book for your next short train trip. I caution you, however, to look carefully at who you sit beside on the ride.

My rating:


My niece and I on a train to Paris. June 2010.

Author Jean-Philippe Blondel

Would you like to read other reviews of this book? Click here.

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11 comments:

  1. I'm keen for this one, most people seem to like it, but I've got to read The Reader on the 6.27 first! Coincidence, yes.

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  2. thanks for your beautiful review!
    For your readers who might want to look at other reviews and get more information, the link to the tour is: http://francebooktours.com/2015/12/15/jean-philippe-blondel-on-his-second-tour-with-the-641-to-paris/
    As for The Reader on the 6.27, it was actually published in French a year after Blondel's book. The plot is very different, and Blondel's train is a regular train between 2 cities, whereas Didierlaurent's is a RER, so a commuter serving Paris and its suburbs. I have not read it yet, but it does sound good too!
    French people take a lot the train to go to work, that's really part of daily life, much more than in the US for instance.

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  3. Oh, this sounds interesting! I took the train to work in downtown Chicago for 20 years and every once in a while I would run into someone I hadn't seen in years.

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  4. Oh this sounds interesting! I love those "what's in their heads" kinds of stories! Great review too!

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  5. I recently read The Girl on the Train. That is the first book that comes to mind when I think of a good book involving a train.

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  6. Okay you have me curious about this one. I like the premise.

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