THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Bienvenue à Paris!When April Vogt’s boss tells her about an apartment in the ninth arrondissement that has been discovered after being shuttered for the past seventy years, the Sotheby’s continental furniture specialist does not hear the words “dust” or “rats” or “decrepit.” She hears Paris. She hears escape.Once in France, April quickly learns the … Paris. She hears escape.
Once in France, April quickly learns the apartment is not merely some rich hoarder’s repository. Beneath the cobwebs and stale perfumed air is a goldmine, and not because of the actual gold (or painted ostrich eggs or mounted rhinoceros horns or bronze bathtub). First, there’s a portrait by one of the masters of the Belle Epoque, Giovanni Boldini. And then there are letters and journals written by the very woman in the painting, Marthe de Florian. These documents reveal that she was more than a renowned courtesan with enviable decolletage. Suddenly April’s quest is no longer about the bureaux plats and Louis-style armchairs that will fetch millions at auction. It’s about discovering the story behind this charismatic woman.
It’s about discovering two women, actually.
With the help of a salty (and annoyingly sexy) Parisian solicitor and the courtesan’s private diaries, April tries to uncover the many secrets buried in the apartment. As she digs into Marthe’s life, April can’t help but take a deeper look into her own. Having left behind in the States a cheating husband, a family crisis about to erupt, and a career she’s been using as the crutch to simply get by, she feels compelled to sort out her own life too. When the things she left bubbling back home begin to boil over, and Parisian delicacies beyond flaky pâtisseries tempt her better judgment, April knows that both she and Marthe deserve happy finales.
Whether accompanied by croissants or champagne, this delectable debut novel depicts the Paris of the Belle Epoque and the present day with vibrant and stunning allure. Based on historical events, Michelle Gable’s A Paris Apartment will entertain and inspire, as readers embrace the struggles and successes of two very unforgettable women.
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Found the characters in this book to be entertaining and engaging. Loved how the story unfolded and explained even subtle happenings in the book. Everything seemed probable and believable. Loved it.
It starts slow but was very interesting story. Read it for our book club.
An amusing enough book, with a twist. But the modern-day characters were dull, leaving only the journals of interest….
Too much French
Loved the historical looks at old Paris using real life people
This was a modern take on Paris pre-war WW2, with periodic flashbacks to the life of one of its more colorful courtesans, It was an interesting read, although some characters were not fleshed out as well as they might have been.
Loved learning about Paris in the 1800’s.
I probably would not recommend this book. I do a lot of reading and it was interesting but not very original. I didn’t find the characters or the plot compelling. I learned a little about antiques.
Loved it.
The book winds between past and present, between two passionate women and their lives. Gable’s writing is fresh and compelling, she weaves a romance and mystery into a page-turner.
Gable was inspired by the real find of Marthe de Florian’s apartment in 2010, full of treasures untouched for seventy years. A charming read about a fascinating history and the woman behind it.
A great look at Paris. Brings back memories. Fun to learn about the fine antique auction business from the inside. Great characters in current time and the past. Highly recommend.
I learned something of the furniture auctioneering business, but I thought the characters were weak.
Interesting setting of an antique appraiser assessing a packed Parisian apartment unopened since WWII. Switches back and forth between her story and that of the demimondaine who owned the apartment. Character learns and grows through the events of the story. I honestly didn’t know how it would end so kept me glued to the pages till the end.
This was a book I read because I was interested in the history and research that would have to be included based on the premise of an abandoned apartment being opened for the first time. That part did not disappoint, I wish there would have been more! I love reading about urban archeology, things hidden in plain sight, and this was very fun in that respect. That being said, the dialog between characters wasn’t very ‘realistic’ and when there were flashbacks of 80 years ago, the dialog from that time was really not accurate, so that was disappointing. Nice beach/vacation type read that doesn’t require a ton of brain cells. I did enjoy it for the over-arching story.
An enchanting book about an enchanted inheritance. Who hasn’t wanted to walk into an undisturbed setting that has lain in wait for seventy or (in my dreams, two hundred years?)
I had read about the Paris apartment left abandoned and untouched since WWII so I was very interested. The author has taken that story and turned it into a plausible work of fiction with two separate plot lines. Worth reading.
It was different–the setting in Paris made it interesting, the focus on the life of the apartment owner and her life with figures from history was as interesting as the life of the American who was charged with auctioning the contents of the apartment.
Interesting take on a story from Real life.
Loved the story but since I do not speak French, it was hard to keep looking up the translations of words and phrases used throughout the story.
kind of boring, and not well written