Mark Helprin’s powerful, rapturous new novel is set in a present-day Paris caught between violent unrest and its well-known, inescapable glories. Seventy-four-year-old Jules Lacour—a maître at Paris-Sorbonne, cellist, widower, veteran of the war in Algeria, and child of the Holocaust—must find a balance between his strong obligations to the past and the attractions and beauties of life and love … love in the present. In the midst of what should be an effulgent time of life—days bright with music, family, rowing on the Seine—Jules is confronted headlong and all at once by a series of challenges to his principles, livelihood, and home, forcing him to grapple with his complex past and find a way forward. He risks fraud to save his terminally ill infant grandson, matches wits with a renegade insurance investigator, is drawn into an act of savage violence, and falls deeply, excitingly in love with a young cellist a third his age. Against the backdrop of an exquisite and knowing vision of Paris and the way it can uniquely shape a life, he forges a denouement that is staggering in its humanity, elegance, and truth.In the intoxicating beauty of its prose and emotional amplitude of its storytelling, Mark Helprin’s Paris in the Present Tense is a soaring achievement, a deep, dizzying look at a life through the purifying lenses of art and memory.
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Magnificent book. A complex main character, glorious details about Paris and music, wit, interesting observations about the United States from a Parisian perspective, and luminous writing. After this novel, I can’t wait to return to Paris and hope to read more by Mark Helprin.
Paris in the Present Tense begins with Jules Lacour flying over New York City at sunset and ends as he runs through Paris at sunrise. In the midst of these two events we learn exactly what kind of a jeweled heart the aptly named protagonist has. He lives for music as he is a cello instructor at the Sorbonne, for his grandson who is seriously ill, and for the memories of those he has loved. When he is literally on a bridge facing life and death, he changes the course of his life, dives in to the Seine, and washes away old regrets and changes the lives of those he cares for. Helprin’s profound novel satirizes corporations too big to fail, describes the changing demographics of the City of Light, and declares that music is the voice of God in sentences that are metaphoric allegorical, and poetic. This is a book that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who loves literature and Paris.
One of the best things about being in a book group is that it forces you to read books you might otherwise miss. Paris in the Present Tense is just such a book. I adored it. Not everyone in my book group did, which led to a terrific discussion.
There is music. There is love – and loss. There is the horror of the Holocaust. There is violence and family angst and corporate malfeasance. There is a police investigation that is, frankly, a hoot. Through it all, there is one man whose life has been shaped by sorrow and the eternal quest to survive it. And there is Paris.
As I have for so many of my recent books, I listened to this one. Just loved the accents, loved the flavor the narrator added. I’ve never read anything by Mark Helprin before, and I regret that. His prose is exquisite. As a writer, I learned much reading this book.
The many plot threads makes this title a special read. I was mesmerized as the problems are revealed. The conclusion was amazing and led by an extraordinary protagonist
Loved reading this. Read slowly
to try to make it last.
Felt like I was living this.
Just perfect!
Mark Halperin is a fine writer. In a period of publishing when one successful book spins off a litany of similar stories, this is an original story. It is also tender, and lovely. Given the main character is a man, a musician, who although flawed, he is also sensitive, deeply caring, and profoundly affecting. I enjoyed this sorry and feel the uniqueness of this story, its characters, and color of life in Paris will remain with me.
I consider Mark Helprin’s A Soldier of the Great War one of my top 3 best books ever, so I was thrilled to read his latest novel. Similar to his other works, his poetic-prose style casts a spell over his reader, creating moods and melancholy, as well as fulfillment and inspiration, that linger for months after reading. As a baby boomer, I don’t find many books that “speak” to our later life experiences, but this tale captures it all: loss, heartbreak, disillusionment, reinvention of one’s self, unconditional love, and painful reveries. As the old saying goes, life doesn’t get simpler and easier, and this book typifies it, but his protagonist is someone we can fall in love with, another not-quite-hero who does his best to stay true to his family, values, and beliefs despite the blows from the harsh and unforgiving world. It’s not a cheerful book to read on a beach vacation, but a thoughtful reminiscence. One of the best books I’ve read in 15 years.