I enjoyed reading the historical aspects of the book and loved getting a look at life in Paris, past and present. However i never felt that I connected with the characters and felt their development wasn't all there/complete. Things felt somewhat surface to me and at times had me confused as to what was actually happening. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say that I absolutely loved it.

The new SF book is so disappointing. The character development is very surface, seems to be full of info dumps of WWII info. I loved Faulk"s other books--Charlotte Gray & Birdsong. Thus I really had high hopes & was sad to find this book so forgettable. I almost gave up on it but finished to see if it improved. It doesn't. Flat plot, thin characters & lack of narrative tension make this one a non-starter.

Two unlikely visitors to Paris become friends when Tariq, a young man from Morocco, and Hannah, a researcher from the US, become housemates. Both are seeking answers: Tariq hopes to learn about the mother who left him as a young child; and Hannah seeks oral histories of women of the Resistance. Each ends up with more questions, as well as more self-awareness. I particularly enjoyed the somewhat ethereal scenes of Tariq's encounters with the puppeteer Victor Hugo and the mysterious Clemence, and the serendipitous connections between Tariq's and Hannah's quests. as one would expect, the accounts of women's lives during the German Occupation of France were horrific and powerful.

really liked it

College student Tariq leaves his home in Morocco in search of a bigger life with little idea of the struggle ahead of him. His late mother was French, so he heads to Paris with some dream that he can somehow learn her history while she was in Paris. Tariq's journey luckily collides with an American researcher who has come to Paris on a grant to do some background studies on the French women in Paris during the Occupation. Hannah and Tariq both learn surprising new aspects of their own personalities while learning about the Occupied Paris of World War II, the city of Paris, and love.

My only hesitation about this novel is the fact that I question that an American woman would take in a homeless Morrocan teenager while knowing nothing about him. The world is just not that trusting anymore.

Breezy. It's a delightful way to travel to Paris (past and present) with people you'll learn to care about.

I couldn't pass up a new Sebastian Faulks novel. Narratives from the past enrich the unlikely relationship of an American researcher exploring the lives of women enduring the WWII German occupation and a young Morrocan man seeking a change from his middle class life in a city with unfamiliar history and milieu. This is low key story of the opening of heart and mind through developing friendship and trust.

I've read other books by this author but this one didn't seem to compare favorably to them. The 2 stories seemed to not mesh well and overall, I didn't like it.

First, thank you very much to Netgalley and Henry Holt and company for this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review!
This is the first novel I have ever read by Sebastian Faulks. The setting for me was perfect, as I always love reading about Paris and the history of that city. I also really love a good historical fiction novel. This book blends together two character's modern lives while touching on the past. Tariq and Hannah both have different goals for their lives, but throughout the novel we see both character's trying to do what any of us young kids try to do. Find out what we are here for and why. We are never told for how long. This book had a great message to me, that you have to take what you want out of life. Nothing will be handed over to you. 

The history of Paris is addressed very well, and the accuracy of locations is on point as well. There were a few parts where I had trouble discerning who was narrating at the beginning of a few chapters, and some of the writing was a little underwhelming for me, it left me wanting more. I wished at times I felt a little something more for Tariq or Hannah, a little more engagement was needed from them for me. Over all very nice ideas, but lacking in some plot points for me. I think only someone who really enjoyed historical fiction and very literary thinking type of books would enjoy this read. Thank you again to Netgalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for a review!

Paris Echo kept me reading until I finished it, and even then I hated to let go. The story of Hannah and Tariq, Julian and the French women during the Nazi occupation had me living in another world, even another time. I enjoyed the reach back to the Nazi occupation of Paris, not that I liked what happened. But like Tariq, I found myself ignorant of some things, such as the huge assault on Muslims in Paris, with bodies being thrown into the Seine, a river I have always thought of as romantic. So I came away entertained,, enlightened , and hungry for more.
Good ob, Mr. Faulks. Thanks NetGalley and the [publisher for the ARC.

Well written, thoughtful and generally interesting-- but not something too many will put on their must read and recommend iist

REVIEW
Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks is an engaging story about two unlikely friends - Hannah (an American historian) and Tariq (a Moroccan teenager). They meet in Paris, where they are both outsiders searching for something. Hannah is exploring the lives of women during WWII as a post-doc, and Tariq runs away to Paris and looks to learn about his deceased mother. Both of these individuals are searching for something, and Faulks tells their individual and joint stories, as well as the stories of others, with rich detail.

PRAISE
"Wonderful. . . filled with scenes of genuine power." —USA Today

"A profoundly moving novel." —The Independent (UK)

AUTHOR
Sebastian Faulks is the internationally bestselling author of 11 novels, including Charlotte Gray, which was made into a film starring Cate Blanchett, and the #1 international bestseller and classic Birdsong, which has sold more than 3 million copies and has been adapted for the stage, for television (starring Eddie Redmayne), and is now in development as a feature film. He lives in London.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Echoes of the past embedded in the present…American researcher Hannah is focused on researching the work of women under German occupation during WW II and teenager Tariq has newly arrived from Morocco in search of a mother lost to him. They both connect and Tariq ends up as a lodger in Hannah’s apartment as she goes about earnestly tracking down the women she’s researching while her relationship with the older Julian is sort of kept at bay. Hannah and Tariq both in their own ways delve into echoes of Paris’ past - German occupation of France and France’s indiscriminate and harsh treatment of Algerians. The storyline didn’t hold as well together as it could have. Besides, this was a first person narration and since the chapters weren’t annotated well and the story moved between Hannah and Tariq it was a bit disconcerting not knowing whose voice it was until a few sentences into the chapter. I was underwhelmed a bit by the language - for some reason I expected Sebastian Faulks’ writing to be masterful - I’m not sure why, except I’ve heard great things about Birdsong, which I haven’t yet read - this is my first Faulks. Overall, it was an okay read, but not quite what I expected - so a tad disappointed that it wasn’t a more brilliant read. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillian USA for the opportunity to review Paris Echo.

Interesting Book and history. This was actually recommended to be and although it got off to a slow start, I ended up really enjoying it and would do the same to someone else.

I read an advanced reading copy from Henry Holt & Company via NetGalley. Thanks!

This was a lovely read. The story switches between a scholar who is visiting Paris to study oral histories of women who lived in the city during the Occupation, and a young Morrocan man visiting the city to learn more about his own personal history. The paths of these two characters overlap, and each provides insight and knowledge the other lacks. The characters are well-drawn and engaging, and the historic elements told a story of life in Paris that I had not heard before.

I highly recommend this novel.

I am SO SO SO excited to talk about my most recent read, Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks! I have to admit, apparently I've been living under a rock for some time because I was completely unfamiliar with Faulks, an incredibly successful and gifted (not to mention internationally bestselling) British author. 

Paris Echo is about an American scholar named Hannah who has returned to Paris, a city which has rendered her heartbroken and defeated in the past,  in order to continue her research on World War II. A chance encounter brings Hannah and a teenage Muslim boy together, and she invited him in as a lodger. Tariq is new to Paris, a city to him which represents adventure, freedom, and a chance to meet girls to sleep with (he is a teenager afterall, lol). He is driven, hopeful, and so full of undiminished aspiration that I couldn't help bust feel fondness for him immediately.

The book switches back and forth between Tariq and Hannah's points of view, and I LOVED this because I felt like I was being a witness to two different Paris cities based on their encounters, opinions, and experiences. I also loved the history of women in German-occupied Paris and reading about their stories was deeply moving, and Hannah's quest to uncover a hidden piece of history was sooooooo good.

Such a beautiful story of two people, who could not be more different but also so alike, with dreams, hopes, and a hunger for uncovering truth and discovering truth and justice....this is a book NOT TO BE MISSED. I just finished it and already want to read it again!

5 out of 5 stars.

Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks will be published November 6th, 2018 so add it to your reading list today! Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful, fascinating novel.

Beautifully told, Paris Echo is a beautiful tale. I loved this book. I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

"Paris Echo offers a tough and poignant story of injustices and dreams." That it does, that it does. I don't think I was quite prepared for just how much this book touched me. I was surprised and just a little shaken, truth be told. It's a book that will stay with me.