These Dividing Walls
Author: Fran Cooper
Published by Hodder Books
Pages 249
Format Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by Hodder Books
Pages 249
Format Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Number thirty-seven has its stories; in this it is like any building. For what building doesn’t have secrets? How much does anyone know of what goes on behind their neighbours’ doors?
In a forgotten corner of Paris stands a building.
Within its walls, people talk and kiss, laugh and cry; some are glad to sit alone, while others wish they did not. A woman with silver-blonde hair opens her bookshop downstairs, an old man feeds the sparrows on his windowsill, and a young mother wills the morning to hold itself at bay. Though each of their walls touches someone else’s, the neighbours they pass in the courtyard remain strangers.
Into this courtyard arrives Edward. Still bearing the sweat of a Channel crossing, he takes his place in an attic room to wait out his grief.
But in distant corners of the city, as Paris is pulled taut with summer heat, there are those who meet with a darker purpose. As the feverish metropolis is brought to boiling point, secrets will rise and walls will crumble both within and without number thirty-seven.
In a forgotten corner of Paris stands a building.
Within its walls, people talk and kiss, laugh and cry; some are glad to sit alone, while others wish they did not. A woman with silver-blonde hair opens her bookshop downstairs, an old man feeds the sparrows on his windowsill, and a young mother wills the morning to hold itself at bay. Though each of their walls touches someone else’s, the neighbours they pass in the courtyard remain strangers.
Into this courtyard arrives Edward. Still bearing the sweat of a Channel crossing, he takes his place in an attic room to wait out his grief.
But in distant corners of the city, as Paris is pulled taut with summer heat, there are those who meet with a darker purpose. As the feverish metropolis is brought to boiling point, secrets will rise and walls will crumble both within and without number thirty-seven.
My thoughts:
I was really impressed by These Dividing Walls, and I would describe the book as an interesting reflective study on character and society. The simplicity of the story works really well, and you soon find yourself really interested in each of the characters and their individual struggles and personal stories. It is quite simply a gentle tale of various people living in the same building in an unfashionable Parisian suburb, and the story explores how their lives’ are intertwined.
The book is incredibly well written and engaging, and all the characters have believable backstories, complications and quirks. Along with the beautiful and vivid descriptions of Paris, it is really the characters that are at the heart of the book; the reason you become so immersed in reading.
After picking this up in a bookstore on a bit of a whim, the book really did live up to what I’d hoped it would be. After just a few chapters I couldn’t put it down, and I continually found myself routing for many of the characters and hoping for a happy ending to their varied situations.
There is so much to enjoy in These Dividing Walls, and it certainly takes the reader on a unique journey. I loved the writing and I know this is a book I won’t forget about. It is a satisfying read, and in my opinion, particularly appealing to those with an interest in exploring or living in Paris.
Overall reaction:
I was really impressed by These Dividing Walls, and I would describe the book as an interesting reflective study on character and society. The simplicity of the story works really well, and you soon find yourself really interested in each of the characters and their individual struggles and personal stories. It is quite simply a gentle tale of various people living in the same building in an unfashionable Parisian suburb, and the story explores how their lives’ are intertwined.
The book is incredibly well written and engaging, and all the characters have believable backstories, complications and quirks. Along with the beautiful and vivid descriptions of Paris, it is really the characters that are at the heart of the book; the reason you become so immersed in reading.
After picking this up in a bookstore on a bit of a whim, the book really did live up to what I’d hoped it would be. After just a few chapters I couldn’t put it down, and I continually found myself routing for many of the characters and hoping for a happy ending to their varied situations.
There is so much to enjoy in These Dividing Walls, and it certainly takes the reader on a unique journey. I loved the writing and I know this is a book I won’t forget about. It is a satisfying read, and in my opinion, particularly appealing to those with an interest in exploring or living in Paris.
Overall reaction: