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Book Jacket

The Paris Hours

One day in the City of Light. One night in search of lost time.

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Excerpt
Reading Guide
Author Biography

Discuss The Paris Hours by Alex George

Discuss how each of the main characters continues to be pulled back into the past. In what ways are the characters' attempts to regain their lost paradises helpful or hurtful?

4

May. 25, 2020
by veronicaj

What happiness is available to the different characters in this novel? How much agency do they have to pursue it?

1

May. 27, 2020
by gerrieb

"We're always gazing toward the horizon, searching for the next adventure. And those who are trapped still dream helplessly, obsessively." Do you agree? How do the characters in this novel confirm or contradict this assessment.

1

Jun. 03, 2020
by Muse48

What did you make of Guillaume's painting of Suzanne? What resonance does it have throughout the novel?

4

Jun. 03, 2020
by Muse48

Do you sympathize with Souren's belief that art requires audience reception to be meaningful? Discuss the tension between isolation and connection that characterizes the artists' experiences.

2

Jun. 03, 2020
by Muse48

What is the effect of setting the entire novel over the course of just one day? What do you think the future holds for these characters?

12

Jun. 03, 2020
by Muse48

Was there a particular scene you found especially moving in The Paris Hours or a scene that stayed with you after you had finished the book?

11

Jun. 03, 2020
by tswaine

Finding Independence

1

Jun. 03, 2020
by veronicaj

"The combination of first-rate mechanical engineering and such manifest uselessness strikes [Jean-Paul] as being particularly, deliciously, French." What does he mean?

3

Jun. 03, 2020
by Muse48

Do you agree with Camille's assessment that Proust "was a thief, a pirate...who plundered other people's lives for his own ends." Are all writers thieves of a sort? If so, do the ends justify the means?

17

Jun. 06, 2020
by patriciag

Jean-Paul understood that "it was the ferocity of [his grandfather's] love for him that had prompted such severe retribution." Does that make sense to you?

4

Jun. 09, 2020
by swchis39

In what ways does Souren's Armenian background shape his identity? Do you have to be from a place to belong to it? How does Souren's experience resonate with current debates around immigration?

3

Jun. 09, 2020
by swchis39

Overall, what do you think of The Paris Hours? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

30

Jun. 10, 2020
by juliaa

Do you agree with the epigraph? How does this novel carry out James Baldwin's directive?

6

Jun. 10, 2020
by juliaa

What moved Souren "was not hearing his native language spoken, but hearing it understood. That sense of connection is what he misses so badly." What does he mean?

10

Jun. 11, 2020
by Lois Irene

How does Paris itself become a character in this book? If you have spent time in Paris, did the portrait ring true? Were you surprised by any aspects of it?

12

Jun. 11, 2020
by Lois Irene

Suzanne says to Guillaume, "I want to remember us exactly like this. No fights, no disappointments. No broken hearts. Just a perfect memory." Do you empathize with her decision?

17

Jun. 11, 2020
by paulagb

This novel is peppered with famous historical figures--yet they remain on the periphery of the novel, not at its heart. What do you make of that narrative decision? What does the novel seem to be saying about celebrity?

19

Jun. 11, 2020
by paulagb

Of the four interwoven storylines that comprise the novel--Souren's, Guillaume's, Jean-Paul's, and Camille's--did you have a favorite? If so, why?

19

Jun. 13, 2020
by patriciag

Were you surprised by the twist at the very end of the book?

21

Jun. 24, 2020
by patriciag

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