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    The Paris Architect
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    The Paris Architect
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    The Paris Architect
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Paris Architect

    Written by Charles Belfoure

    Narrated by Mark Bramhall

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn't really believe in. Ultimately he can't resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces-behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe-detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality.

    Written by an expert whose knowledge imbues every word, this story becomes more gripping with every life the architect tries to save.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 8, 2013
    ISBN9780804190824
    Unavailable
    The Paris Architect
    Author

    Charles Belfoure

    Charles Belfoure is the nationally bestselling author of The Paris Architect. An architect by profession, he graduated from the Pratt Institute and Columbia University, and he taught at Pratt as well as Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. His area of specialty is historic preservation, and he has published several architectural histories, one of which won a Graham Foundation national grant for architectural research. He has been a freelance writer for The Baltimore Sun and The New York Times. He lives in Maryland. For more information, visit www.charlesbelfoure.com.

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    Reviews for The Paris Architect

    4/5

    371 ratings51 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Lots of suspense, characters just flawed enough to make them interesting, and set in historic France makes for a very good read. WWII historical fictional is almost always a hit with me, and this was no exception.
    • 3/5
      The writing was really blunt--nothing poetic or elegant about it, and the characters were not very well developed, so the combination made getting through this feel a bit like a chore. Luckily the plot was just interesting enough to make me want to keep going and see how it would end, but i was glad i when i finally got there and could finally move on to something else.
    • 4/5
      Not a true story. At least it demonstrated how the French ignored the Jewish population. They aided and abetted the German’s.
    • 3/5
      The blurb I read made it sound pretty interesting, but really there was more romance among dilettantes than I wanted to read. I got about halfway, then read the ending, then went back & skimmed to find out what happened to his wife.I'm tired of reading about rich people who only care about themselves, and have affairs endlessly, even if they learn something in the end. Obviously I don't fit in the current cultural meme.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story. Not well written. Unlikeable protagonist
    • 5/5
      Paris at the fall of France. Lucien Bernard was an officer on the Marginot Line when the Germans passed by the Marginot Line and took Paris. He changed to civilian clothes, got false documents and returned to Paris. Now as an architect he is seeking employment when he meets Manet, an automotive industrialist who wants him to design hiding places for Jews – the money and future commissions for building plants are his price. If he is caught the result will be death.A page turner, at times my heart was in my throat. Excellent character development and historical research of the Gestapo and Wehrmacht, the resistance and the general French public from 1939 to 194_.
    • 4/5
      A well-crafted suspenseful story of Lucian Bernard, an architect in Paris who has been without commissions since the German occupation of Paris. He is asked by Auguste Manet, a wealthy industrialist, to design hiding places for Jews. While not an strident anti-Semite, Lucian is indifferent to the plight of Jews. He is reluctant to get involved as the penalties for hiding Jews is severe. He needs the money and is further enticed to take this on by the offer of a large project to design a factory where German war munitions will be made. After insisting he'll do this only one time, he's further drawn into this scheme, partly because of the commissions but also by the challenge of designing detection-proof hiding places. A cat and mouse interplay with the Gestapo chief ensues. The Gestapo chief becomes aware that someone is creating these ingenious hiding spots and obsessively works to find out who is behind it. Lucian becomes close to a German engineer officer working with him on the munitions factory. The plot unfolds in a realistically plausible fashion leading to an exciting ending.
    • 5/5
      Welcome to occupied Paris during World War Two, where the life of a non-jew was a struggle to survive and the life of a Jew was one of hiding and evading until caught and put to death along with any that assisted in the hiding and evading.Those who found favor with the Nazi occupiers lived a fast life but continually had to look over their shoulders. There was a fine line between trying to survive and collaborating and few could walk it without the danger of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suspenseful novel moves right along and exposes the evil of some and the dignity of others turned upside down by the war.
    • 5/5
      Very good read, recommend, architect hides Jews from Germans occupying France in buildings til they escape. He flies country with help of a friendly German.
    • 4/5
      Lucien is an architect in Paris during the German occupation. He is just trying to survive. Then a remarkable opportunity arises. He can earn a lot of money and maybe even advance his career, but there is a catch. The project involves building secret hiding places for Jews. Lucien is indifferent to the plight of the Jews, so it is not for any benevolent reason that he considers the job offer. His desire to provide some little luxuries for himself to and finally be working at a project that challenges him proves to be the motivation that causes him to say yes. So he starts working with Auguste Manet, his wealthy benefactor, hoping that he can just do this one job for him and then be done with it. But as he gets more involved with Manet and with a host of other characters - including Manet's clients and a new love interest-Lucien finds himself becoming personally involved with the project. After all, there is a certain thrill to using his skill to hide people and fool the Germans. But will he pay the ultimate price for playing this cat and mouse game with them?I enjoyed this story on several levels. I enjoyed the historical details about what life was like in Vichy France. I enjoyed the novelty of an architect using his skill to design such clever hiding places--something for which there is a great historical precedent. And I also found that Lucien and Manet and the other characters, particularly Lucien's love interest, were real enough to me that I genuinely cared what happened to them. The ending may have been a bit contrived, but it was emotionally satisfying for those wanting the "good guys" to win. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy well crafted historical fiction, especially if they enjoy those about World War II
    • 4/5
      During World War II an architect in occupied Paris is hired to design secret hiding places for Jews. I wasn't expecting this one to be such a nail-biter, but I couldn't put it down. I loved that the book portrayed people on both sides of the conflict with questionable morals. Just because someone is on one side or the other doesn't make them completely good or bad. They are still just people, terrified by the events happening around them. Neighbors lived in fear that a jew would be found hiding in their building and they would all be killed. Parisians were scared that refusing to cooperate with the Nazi officials would end in their imprisonment. It was a culture of fear and that makes some people brave and others weak.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed reading this book well enough, but it was predictable and not believable in the details. A god vacation read, but entirely unforgettable.
    • 4/5
      Heartbreaking subject matter, but well-written with a great storyline. Some characters did seem to just kind of disappear without a resolution, but I think that was a little more authenticity that was added in.
    • 5/5
      The story is fabulously told, and with appropriate accents. Loved the acts of kindness found among the bad, and terrible circumstances of the time. Is there a sequel?
    • 3/5
      This book just didn't work for me. I liked the architectural details, but the voice of the main character didn't ring true to me. I really wanted to like it as it was given to me by a guy I saw every week at PT, reading it in the waiting room while his wife got treatment. He commented that I always had a different book with me, while he just had one, and then left me that one when he was done with it.
    • 4/5
      Well researched and written novel about French citizens dealing with the Nazi occupation of Paris in WWII; making moral decisions about participating in the annihilation of Jewish people. The book explores the good and bad in both German occupiers and French citizens while portraying life of the times and adding in lots of exciting plots that keep the reader wanting to find out outcomes.
    • 4/5
      Lucien Bernard is an architect living in Paris. It is the second year of the German Occupation during WWII and he is just trying to earn a living, gain some respect in his chosen field and stay alive. He hates the Germans but has little feeling for the plight of the Jews. As the book opens he is on his way to an appointment when a Jewish man is gunned down by a German soldier right in front of him. His main concern is that he not be late for his appointment.Despite some excess blood, Lucien makes it to his appointment; he is meeting a man of means who offers him two commissions. He cannot take one without the other. One is for a large factory, the other for a secret room in which to hide someone. A room that will never be discovered no matter how well a house is searched; rather like the "priest holes" of yore. Lucien needs the money and he wants the challenge so he accepts. Little does he know how it will affect him.This first novel by Mr. Belfoure takes on a very difficult subject in a very troubling time in the history of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. His architect's eye translates well to fiction and it allows his reader to experience the beauty of the buildings and the space of the city. His characters are not perfect and some of them seem to just disappear into the night but Lucien shows remarkable development and growth. He is the lodestar of the novel and it all really rests upon him. Trying times cause great change in people collectively and individually and that is shown to great effect in this arresting tale of one man's efforts to fight evil.It was a book that I found hard to put down even when reading the more disturbing passages. It is not a perfect book but it is a book that certainly left me thinking.
    • 5/5
      Gripping and well written. Loved the architectural details - would have liked to know how much was based on real events.
    • 3/5
      Germans are hunting Jews down and killing them or sending them to concentration camps to die. The architect uses his skills to design hidden rooms so some might hide. His failures are just an inconvenience for his clients, but a death sentence. While the story captures the brutality and fear, the general populations faced during German occupations, the characters behaviors were unrealistic for the period.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was a well written book on the occupation of Paris by the Germans. I hadn't read historical fiction from that viewpoint before and got a better feel for what Parisians were likely going through. The main character was well developed and there were several good twists and turns in his journey. I read a lot of Nazi Germany historical fiction - while this one didn't have the impact as some I have read about those in the concentration camps, it was still worth the read!
    • 4/5
      Paris Architect. Charles Belfoure. 2013. Yet another great book! (Boy, have I read some super books this summer!!!!). It is 1942. The Nazis are in full control of Paris and are hell bent on finding every French Jew there especially those who have money and/or art and art collections. Lucien Bernard an architect who has remained in Paris is juggling a wife and a demanding mistress and trying to live under the radar of the Nazis and also earn enough money to take care of himself and his wife and provide the occasional treat his mistress. He is contacted by a well-to-do business man who asked if he’d like to get a commission to build a Nazi munitions plant. When Lucien agrees he is told he must design hiding places for Jews in an apartment. Lucien doesn’t want to, but wants the German commission. This begins a pattern of designing places to hid Jews and drawing up plans for the Germans. Suspense builds as we watch Lucien began to care about the people he is saving and become more determined to beat the Germans, and watch the Gestapo moving closer to Lucien. I love Lucien’s description of the Bibliotech Nationale! There is some violence and some sex scenes but it fits into the plot.
    • 4/5
      I’m in a quandary about The Paris Architect by Charles Balfoure. It is a well written book with a great premise…but…the description of Gestapo brutality to Jews, collaborators, those helping Jews or collaborators, while the truth, was just too much for me to read about. My brutality threshold is very low. Low enough that I couldn’t finish the book. On top of that, the thought of a character you like going through that brutality was enough to make me bag the book. parisarchitect houseofthieves I first heard of Charles Belfoure at Librarian’s Day of Dialog at Book Expo several years ago. His book, House of Thieves, was just coming out and it had a great premise. An architect by background, Belfoure’s books combine a love of buildings with an interesting premise, making them quite different from the ‘run of the mill’ books we constantly read.In The Paris Architect, Belfoure transported a historical occurrence from the reign of Elizabeth I into World War II. According to the Author Q & A at the back of the book, “During the reign of Elizabeth I, Catholicism was repressed and the saying of Mass was outlawed. But priests…refused to obey and continued to worship in secret in manor houses. As a precaution, carpenters designed and constructed “priest holes” for them to hide in if the house was discovered.In The Paris Architect, Lucien Barnard, an out of work architect is reluctantly recruited by Auguste Manet to build hiding places that would be undetected by Gestapo searching homes. The promise of bigger jobs through which Lucien can showcase his talent has an allure that he can’t refuse. He has no particular love of the Jews; just the opposite. He considers them worthless. However, as time goes on, the challenge of building more sophisticated hiding places, takes hold.That’s enough of the plot. Belfoure’s love of architecture and buildings is apparent throughout the book…which is a part of what I enjoyed with House of Thieves. Belfoure flushes out his characters well. Some are likeable and some totally not. He builds a good foundation (pun intended) for a plot that keeps you riveted. And while I would like to see what happens to certain characters, when I start skipping chapters because of brutality, it’s time to put the book down.In conclusion, if you have a high threshold for brutality and pain and if you like a well written book with a well crafted plot (who doesn’t) then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Paris Architect.
    • 5/5
      I have read many World War 2 books, but this book was riveting and gripping till the end. The book took me to that time and period with its narration and the narrator’s way of changing his tone and pace with each character was phenomenal. I was transported to that time and period and was entwined with the story , so much, that there was a sense of loss of having finished this book and wanting to hear some more.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Absolutely intense! The world of Nazi-occupied Paris comes to vivid life in this novel. From the torture chambers of Gestapo prison to the glitter of ritzy Parisian fashion shows to the fear of impromptu police searches, Charles Belfoure brings this world to vivid life in all its horror, suspense, and finally hope. I especially enjoyed the author's specialty, architecture, in the novel. He's able to describe the details of the homes and halls of the novel in a way that transports the readers right there into the rooms with the characters. The ways the author uses architecture as well in Lucien's hiding schemes was clever as heck. I was fascinated to see how many different ways Lucien was able to find to transform a simple architectural detail into a life-saving device.The place where this book really shines, however, are the characters. Lucien stole my heart from how real and three dimensional he felt. His growth from a callous individual only concentrating on his own survival and self interests to a man who starts to see the larger world and wanting to take action against the harshness blew my mind. He's one of the more complex individuals I've read about recently and I loved him for it. The secondary characters didn't suffer from lack of characterization either. Everybody had their own foibles, complexities, and personalities. I adored Bette and her sexy and caring persona; there was a lot hiding behind that lovely exterior. Pierre surprised me more than once with his actions, developing into a man so early in life to deal with the horrors of his times and taking some very adult actions to protect those he loves. Herzog was not your typical German. His love of architecture, his friendship with Lucien, and his surprising actions towards the end of the novel made me love to read his character. I only wish the novel had ended on such a strong note as the rest of the book. I was left wanting so much more than I was given. I felt like the book needed more resolution than I got, and I had some unanswered questions that I really wanted answers for. This book really stands as a wonderful example of Holocaust and WWII fiction. It's got a suspenseful story, a vivid setting, and characters that you'll love. Despite some issues with the sudden ending, I devoured this bad boy in only a day. And that to me says how much I ultimately came to like this book.
    • 3/5
      In 1942, Lucien Bernard, a promising (but out of work) architect receives an interesting proposition from a French industrialist. He is to design secret hiding places for wealthy Parisian Jews. In exchange, Lucien will receive a great deal of money, plus work designing factories that the industrialist will be building to supply the German War machine with needed armaments for the war. If found out by the Germans, Lucien could be killed. He will also be regarded as a collaborationist by the French people, also with dire consequences if the Germans lose the war.Lucien's desire to work (plus his pride in being able to design clever hiding places) win the day and he builds one clever hiding spot after another. However, when one of his efforts goes horribly wrong, Lucien begins to rethink just what is at stake and he begins to move from neutral bystander to being a patriot. This book gives an accurate portrayal of life in Paris during the German occupation. Some of the descriptions of Gestapo torture were too gratuitously violent, and the ending was a little too pat, but all in all, this was a good read.
    • 5/5
      This book is fantastic!! Loved every second of it.
      Besides the book, the reader is amazing. Read clearly, and has a different voice to every character which helped a lot following the story line.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a well written tale for a debut author. It depicts what it was like in German occupied France during World War II. I found this story to be very believable. I wanted it to be true. Lucien is involved in a terrible game. The stakes are high. If he is discovered he will become a victim like the Jews in his hiding place. Money is what has been driving him. It allows him to purchase food on the black market. When a Jew that was in his designed hiding space dies, Lucien feels responsible. What effect will this turn of events have for Lucien? How will he deal with the day-to-day fear of being caught? Will he be arrested and killed? A fascinating and fast paced book. The portrayal of events and the history make this story entirely believable. I would be interested to see more from this writer. I feel that his style is developing and that the story line was a great one. I liked the ending! I give this book 5 out of 5 stars
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable WWII historical fiction about a reluctant architect building “priest holes” to hide Jews in Paris France.
    • 1/5
      I'd hoped to learn more about architecture, but what's there is mostly superficial. Belfoure evidently is qualified to provide more detailed discussions on architectural history, design, and technical challenges but chooses to focus on the plot and characters.Belfoure has the germ of an interesting idea but does not write about it well. I prefer Alan Furst's novels: a similar sensibility with more intriguing structure, plotting, dialogue and characterization -- and simply better at the sentence level. Furst also grapples more significantly with the existential meaning of war, of how to be human in such circumstances.
    • 4/5
      Lucien is a young architect in Nazi-occupied Paris, growing desperate for a way to show his talent and, of course, to eat. He considers himself an atheist and was raised to hate Jews. So when a wealthy aristocrat who has turned to business offers him a commission with a potentially fatal catch, he wars with himself. Monsieur Manet is collaborating with the Nazis, refitting his automotive engine plants into war machinery plants, and helping the Nazis to build more. The pay for these fabulous opportunities is small, but the buildings will stand as testament to Lucien's skill. But to get these commissions, a price must be paid - clever hiding places built for the Jews Manet is helping to save. These commissions must be done before Lucien will be awarded the plant designs. They come with staggeringly generous fees, but if he is discovered, he will be tortured and killed by the Nazis.The story is a study of how Lucien works through and grows in this moral thicket, and how it changes him over time. The architectural descriptions were compelling, the views of war-time Paris readable, and the characters worth knowing. It's inevitable that the reader ends with soul-searching. How would I have behaved in similar circumstances?