A Paris Apartment

by Michelle Gable

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. With the help of salty (and annoyingly sexy) Parisian solicitor and the courtesan's private diaries, April tries to uncover the many secrets buried the apartment. As she digs into Marthe's life, April can't help but takes a deeper look into her own. Based on real events, Michelle Gable's A Paris Apartment will entertain and inspire, as readers embrace the struggles and successes of two very unforgettable women.

• ISBN10: 1250067774
• ISBN13: 9781250067777
• Publish Date: 30 June 2015 (first published 22 April 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lianne]

I received a copy of this book as part of a book blog tour that I participated in. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/10/08/review-a-paris-apartment-excerpt-giveaway/

A Paris Apartment was an interesting read. I really enjoyed reading about the work that furniture specialists do; it’s a different way of handling history, handling objects from the past. It was also interesting to learn how this job reflects April’s values and interests, especially as the reader learns more about the protagonist over the course of the novel. The setting adds to the nature of the job as well as the overall storyline; Paris of course is always a lovely place to set a story, and here it and the Belle Epoque time period is used to its full effect, complete with Parisian society and culture.

The historical storyline with Marthe was interesting enough, complete with familiar artists and historical characters mentioned throughout; Marthe obviously came from a very difficult childhood, and her induction into the world of the courtesan enabled her to travel through different social circles in Paris and become embroiled in all sorts of drama.

I found April’s storyline the more interesting of the two. I found myself strangely intrigued despite the fact that April is hanging on by a thread with all of the problems in her life. I thought her marriage to Troy didn’t make a whole lot of sense, though was oddly compelled to keep reading; granted, the reader is thrown into the middle of a growing distance between Troy and April, but I just couldn’t figure out how they ended up together in the first place. Nonetheless, I liked that the conflict was handled in a mature manner, showing the complexities of emotions and details about relationships. Meanwhie, I also enjoyed the banter between April and Luc throughout the novel, which was also curious considering he came off like such a…err, jerk.

Overall, I enjoyed reading A Paris Apartment: it piques your interest at the beginning and the character interaction throughout keeps you rather glued to the book. Readers who enjoy novels set in France and the Belle Epoque and who enjoy history and handling the antiquities may want to check out this novel.

Rating: 3.5/5