This novel opens on the Normandy coast in 1895, with Mado Pelletier boarding a train under mysterious circumstances. What follows is a brilliantly researched and suspenseful ride, enriched by fascinating historical details—like why station clocks run fast—and characters drawn with real emotional depth. The story blends real and imagined figures, from a closeted industrialist to a pioneering female filmmaker and an artist confronting prejudice. As secrets unravel and we learn Mado’s chilling mission, the tension quietly builds. It’s a slow-burn read with heart, history, and humanity at its core.

Unusual read for me but very compelling.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e- copy of The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue in exchange for a honest review. This is an action packed, historical fiction fiction piece set in France in Oct of 1895 aboard The Paris Express. Many passengers are aboard the train headed to Paris not knowing what fate awaits them . There is a lady bomber onboard who wants to blow the train up , a pregnant woman fleeing her family , politicians and many characters that are trying to navigate their lives . Lots of drama and intrigue that leaves you guessing until the end about what fate will await the passengers.

In 1895, The Paris Express train derailed and crashed into Montparnasse station.in Paris. During the 7 hour train ride, we meet a multitude of characters, each with an interesting story. The book is based on the actual event, with the Engine itself as a character. Donoghue populates the train with both people who were on the train and others that could have been on the train. Interesting look at people, society and the changing times at the end of the century.

More a collection of character sketches than anything else. The book lacked any sort of plot and only got interesting in the last chapter when the train finally crashed.

3.5 /5.0 stars

This was rather an interesting premise for a book based on an actual event in history.

Over the years, I would come across this famous dramatic photo of the Montparnasse accident from time to time and ponder as to what the story behind it might be:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895.jpg)

I need wonder no more as author Emma Donoghue has written an intriguing story divulging what led up to that Paris accident of October 22, 1895. Through her Herculean research, she has crafted that day in the life of Engine No. 721 departing Granville at 8:45 am and arriving late at Gare de Montparnasse at 4:05 p.m.

The story begins in Granville as folks embark on their seven hour journey to Paris. This is the express train with fewer stops than the all-milk-stops run. It costs a bit more but to 130 passengers who chose to ride upon it that day, it was believed to be worth the expense. The passengers are from all walks of life, political bent, economics, and race. The reader is led to eavesdrop on conversations as well as the private thoughts of the individuals aboard, including the railmen. None (but perhaps one) had an inkling of what would meet them at their final destination.

Ms. Donoghue writes well, imaginatively. A number of the book's characters were actually on the train that day. Where the details may be wanting, she has deftly imagined the lives of the riders. She has augmented the passenger list with other well known folk who could have been on the train as they are from the area, thus providing a believable and perhaps more interesting story. Her scene settings are well described and her characters well developed. All in all, it was an interesting read.

I am grateful to Emma Donoghue and her publisher, Summit Books, for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Summit Books (March 18, 2025)
Publication Date: March 18, 2025
Number of Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-1668082799

Based on an actual train derailment in France in1895, The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue is filled with multiple characters who are traveling to Paris. Perhaps too many characters as I found it difficult to keep track of and to develop an interest in many of them.
Emma Donoghue is a favorite author of mine so I was anxious to read her latest historical novel. Unfortunately, I found this story to be rather bland and I had to struggle to finish the book. The ending chapter held my interest and the author’s note about the actual passengers and the derailment allowed me to give this book a three stars rating.

The various POVs of the Paris Express added to the depth of the story. Despite covering only a few hours, a rich background was related by including the thoughts and dialogues of several passengers aboard the train. Not having known of this event, I was unsure how the events would unfold. I will admit that I often got lost in the story as there were so many people and their backstories so it was hard to keep it straight. But overall a well-researched and well-written novel.

I liked the way the characters were fleshed out and the way their stories came together. I did not like the writing. It was too formal, hard for me to read and way too many prolonged descriptions. One of those books that used 5-10 words when one would have been enough. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complementary digital copy. This review is my own thoughts and have not been coerced in any way.

What separates a good historical novel from a mediocre one is often the author's attention to details, and Emma Donoghue delivers! As we ride along on a nineteenth century train we know is heading for trouble, you can almost smell, see, and hear all that the author describes. Wanting to know what happened to the train and its passengers, I found myself unable to put the book down. This book was a great way to learn about a real-life experience in France and imagine what it felt like to live it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review. There’s no denying that Emma Donoghue’s writing is as visceral as it is smart – her characters nearly jump off the page. In this fictionalized retelling of events leading up to an 1895 train disaster in Paris, Donoghue’s focus is on several dissimilar passengers, the train’s crewmen, and, in a particularly clever passage, the train itself. The end of the century is a shifting and violent time in Paris history, and each character is touched by this in some way. But there are many (too many?) characters to keep track of, and as the story jumps from third class to second class to first class train car (and back again) it’s hard to deeply connect with any. I give this four stars for the incredible detail the author has researched.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue is a captivating, tightly-woven novella that explores the intricacies of human connection in an unexpected setting. Set aboard a train traveling from Paris to the French countryside, the story unfolds in real-time, allowing readers to witness the unfolding of a brief but significant encounter between two women.

Donoghue’s writing is precise and immersive, capturing the emotional weight of the characters’ inner lives despite the limited space and time. The tension between the two women gradually builds, touching on themes of secrecy, desire, and the complexity of relationships. Through subtle yet powerful moments, Donoghue deftly examines how a fleeting connection can change a person’s life.

Though short, The Paris Express leaves a lasting impact, offering a profound look at identity, love, and the unexpected turns that life can take. It’s a beautifully crafted and poignant read, perfect for fans of Donoghue’s earlier works and anyone looking for a compelling, emotional journey in a limited but rich setting.

The Irish author Emma Donoghue is best known for her 2010 novel 'Room.' That story is told from the perspective of a five-year-old boy being held captive in a small room along with his mom. It was adapted into a movie in 2015, starring Brie Larson. She won a slew of awards for her portrayal of the mom, including the BAFTA, the Golden Globe, and the Oscar.

But when I think of Emma Donoghue, I remember the book 'The Pull of the Stars.' I recommended it in our Ireland episode. That one is historical fiction set in Dublin, at a special pregnancy ward for women afflicted with the Spanish flu. The story focuses on amazing women. Brave, funny, smart, flawed. It's historical fiction that reads like a thriller — I didn't expect a story about flu and pregnant ladies to be an emotional page-turner, but I loved it.

Emma Donoghue has a new book out, and it's set on a train! 'The Paris Express' is based on a real-life train disaster. In 1895, the Granville-Paris Express train derailed and crashed through Montparnasse station. [DAVE] This book tells the story of that day through the voices of a handful of passengers from all over the world. There are members of Parliament, a medical student, a secretary trying to convince her boss that moving pictures are the future, train crew members, and — this is the best part — the train engine itself.

The other thing I find appealing is that the entire story takes place in just one day. The chapters are named for times and stops along the route, counting down to the crash. So the first chapter is '8:30 a.m. Embark Granville.' Then later, '11:10 a.m. [unscheduled] Halt Briouze.' The penultimate chapter is called '4:00 p.m. Arrive Paris-Montparnasse,' and the last is simply '4:01 p.m.' Just typing that made me feel a little tense. I love it.

On her website, Donoghue said: 'This novel was written with great pleasure over the course of a year in Montparnasse, and I've put into it everything I love about the multicultural dazzle that is Paris... For a long time I've been wanting to write a story about a disaster - dozens of strangers brought together by the fluke of being at a certain spot at the wrong moment... I've tried to give the novel both the social range and the unstoppable momentum of a runaway train.'

I recommended this book on the March 21, 2025 episode of my podcast The Library of Lost Time. https://strongsenseofplace.com/lolts/lolt-2025-03-21/

There's an inherently romantic aspect to train stories--you come into them with the expectation that something atmospheric is going to happen, whether it's a murder, a love connection, or some other dramatic or catastrophic event. In this case it's the latter, but in an unexpected way. This story is a mix of historical fact and invention--even more so than just the fictionalization of documented history. In this case, Donoghue took a fair amount of liberty with the occupants of the train. I say this up front because I spent the entire book thinking, "wow, there are a lot of really interesting people on this train," only to discover in the author's notes that a number of them are "they could have been" passengers rather than "they were." There's also an anthropomorphic take on the train itself which I found initially startling but settled into as an acceptable poetic device.
Overall, I think it effectively accomplishes the primary goal of historical fiction--to immerse you in a time and place and teach you a little bit along the way. We get a comprehensive look at the operation of turn of the century railroads, and we get glimpses into the lives of a variety of first, second, and third class passengers. I also learned a bit about the French anarchist movement. The dramatic pacing was effective from start to finish, with a bit of a twist at the end made even more interesting because it's based on actual events.

This work of historical fiction is based on a real life disaster that occurred at a Paris train station in 1895. The work begins jumping between characters - many, many characters. I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters, and I think this is because there are so many of them introduced in such a short time, and not much time is spent providing depth to them. Less characters with more time spent making them feel like real people would have made this work much stronger.

The plot of this pace is quite slow, maybe even mostly nonexistent. The last half of the book is more interesting as there are more actions occurring and less time introducing characters. I enjoyed the historical details that were incorporated throughout, including details that were introduced related to people's jobs and everyday lives.

Overall, this is an okay historical fiction but wasn't strong enough in any area to really make it excel. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Did you ever read a story by an author whose previous book you adored, only to discover that you were woefully disappointed?

No wonder it took so long to finish reading…the story was never fascinating enough for me to reach for it eagerly.

The only redeeming quality was that I learned a bit about the late nineteenth century in France — additional factual details were also provided in the author’s note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC, anyway.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue is based on a true event that took place in 1895. There are photographs that show that despite an averted disaster the train was almost destroyed.
The train held an assorted cast of characters heralding from all over the world including an anarchist who has a scary plan for the train and the people in it.
The author has created fascinating stories about some of these characters. She takes you on a terrifying ride

The Paris Express is a well balanced mix of history and fiction. Emma Donoghue obviously did a lot of research to bring together both people who were on the fated train and people who would have been on the train in the time of the accident. Overall, the book is perfectly timed to spotlight the entitlement of the rich and those who are the victims of their actions.

The Paris Express was an excellent novel! I loved the train setting and the structure as well kept the storytelling tight. I loved Donaghue's reflections on class, gender, radicalism, and race. It was fun but I felt that it had amazing character study.

I always enjoy Emma Donoghue's writing and am always impressed with the wide range of topics and styles incorporated in her writing. The Paris Express is an interesting story of a train trip going from the French countryside to Paris in the last decade of the 19th century. We meet a variety of the crew and passengers, and as Donoghue bounces among all the key characters, we develop interest in their individual stories and also in the fate of the train and everyone on it. I really enjoyed the way the book built in issues of that time period and details about technology, medicine, history, art, and more - all without losing sight of the human struggles facing each passenger. The relatively short length of the book suited the nature of the plot. I wouldn't call this an utterly propulsive read, but it did have momentum that kept me reading, and the author's note at the end provided interesting facts and context about the event depicted in the novel.

What a fascinating story. And the author’s notes were excellent background to the inspiration behind this book. I had never heard of this event until now and and this historical fiction account was well done.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheParisExpress for advanced digital copy.