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The Paris Architect A Novel Charles Belfoure Books

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The Paris Architect A Novel Charles Belfoure Books

In occupied Paris, a talented French architect is hired by the conquering German military to design factories to house their war material production machinery. At first reluctant, Lucien sees it as an opportunity to finally have his designs become reality. But more meaningful design challenges await him as he tries to survive the daily strife of living under the watchful eyes of the Gestapo. The author Belfoure, through his writing, brings vivid scenes of what life under German occupation to the reader. Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of WWII history will find the storyline, characters scenes completely believable and moving. A very satisfying read, as each page brings tension, danger and intrigue which forces the reader to continue turning the pages in pursuit of survival and closure.


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The Paris Architect A Novel Charles Belfoure Books Reviews

What a great story, Lucien is a French architect in Paris during the occupation. He is trying to make a living & keep food on the table for himself & his wife. He has an opportunity to do some work for the Reich, & he also is presented with a very different opportunity also using his trade. He looked at one opportunity as a means to showcase his work & make money & he looked at the other as a slight annoyance.....But, as the story goes on & his work on both fronts continue we start to see a change in Lucien.
There were some difficult parts of the story, as would be expected from this time & from the types of people involved in this horrible acts. But throughout the book, we saw caring people who went to great & risky lengths to help save people, no matter who they were.

Lucian's character grew on me & grew all through the book. He was rather self centered & focused on his on life & survival but as the story progressed we saw the "real" person within Lucien.

Very good book, will look for more by this author!
The core plot is interesting and perhaps even plausible, and Paris under the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1941 is always a good venue for atmosphere and suspense. However, that’s where this book’s strengths end. The characters are cardboard cut-outs; the dialogue is obvious and juvenile; and the writing is no more than serviceable and IMHO uses far too many modern terms that tend to destroy the atmosphere that’s a strong element of the book.

A good read, but not much more.
The Paris Architect was a fascinating story about an architect who lived in Paris during World War 2 & put his skills to good use by devising ingenious hiding places for prominent Jews who were being hunted by Hitler & his goons. Some of these hiding places were right under the noses of the SS & one of the best parts of the story was how frustrated & enraged the soldiers would become when they weren't able to find the person they were looking for despite their intel which told them that the Jew was indeed living in that home. My heart was racing during several parts in the book when I wasn't sure if the Gestapo agents were going to find the Jews that were hiding or not. The book was definitely a nail biter, that's for sure! The other thing I really loved about the book was the character development as we watched each of the characters navigate through their lives in the midst of a terrible war. Whether they were Parisian Jews or Parisian Gentiles, or German agents or soldiers, or wives or husbands,the reader got to experience many of the characters grow & change as they made decisions based on their own conscience, & values. As the story progressed & the characters changed with their circumstances, I found myself asking what I would have done had I been in Paris in the midst of the war. Characters that were shallow & self-serving in the beginning of the book emerged as heroes in the end when they showed courage they didn't even know they possessed & decided to help their fellow man no matter the consequences to themselves or their families. None changed so much as our main character Lucien, & I'm sure you will take as much pleasure as I did as you watch him slowly grow into the hero he becomes by the end of the book. There are also characters who you will be convinced in the beginning are "bad guys" only to be surprised & also reminded in the end that love of & compassion toward our fellow human beings still exists in this world. I really enjoyed this book & will recommend it to my friends.
As an architect myself, I found Belfoure's use of architectural elements to be very effective, although his architect-protagonist Lucien Bernard seems to be able to produce working drawings at superhuman speed. A small distraction to those who have drawn buildings, it does not detract from the overall story. His accounts of Gestapo torture and murder on the one hand, and the lengths to which some French went to protect their Jewish friends on the other, were riveting. And he does not mince words in describing French anti-Semitism, indifference and collaboration.

Most of all, it reads like Alan Furst's best work -- atmospheric, taut and unpredictable, all the while creating a world of its own.
In occupied Paris, a talented French architect is hired by the conquering German military to design factories to house their war material production machinery. At first reluctant, Lucien sees it as an opportunity to finally have his designs become reality. But more meaningful design challenges await him as he tries to survive the daily strife of living under the watchful eyes of the Gestapo. The author Belfoure, through his writing, brings vivid scenes of what life under German occupation to the reader. Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of WWII history will find the storyline, characters scenes completely believable and moving. A very satisfying read, as each page brings tension, danger and intrigue which forces the reader to continue turning the pages in pursuit of survival and closure.