The Paris Architect

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

That cliche of "never judge a book by its cover" apparently hasn't sunk in for me. I totally bought this book because of the cover. I loved the title (hello - I love Paris and an architect. It had to be perfect.), and I loved the premise. I loved the street maps of Paris on the inside of the cover. And the love stops there. I only give it two stars because it was compelling enough for me to try and finish it for over two years. The writing is like bad traffic - sometimes you get this brief reprieve where you really get moving and then you slam on the breaks and just sit there. The characters are very Gatsby-esque in that they are, for the most part, unlikeable. Only the rest of the book isn't good enough to carry you on. I'm mostly just thrilled to be finished, though in fairness, I have to say I liked how the book ended. Mostly, I wish I hadn't seen this tantalizing cover sitting on the stacks at the Lahaina Barnes & Noble when I was hunting for a new book after pouring through everything I'd brought to Maui two years ago...but at least I can say I bought it in Hawaii. How's that for cliche? :)

Happy reading!