In 1895, a train bound for Paris is also headed for disaster. Unfortunately this novel is on a similar track. The story showed promise but a huge cast of characters made connecting with the story impossible for me. I appreciated the history of the time and the social mores observed by rich and poor alike. Also, the follow-up at the end listing what happened to some of the real life passengers after the crash was interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Summit Books/Simon & Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”The Paris Express ” in exchange for my honest opinion. I went into this book knowing nothing about it, and it took a while for me to figure out what was going on. So many different characters were introduced that I had a really hard time keeping track of who was who, and it only gave us a little bit on each one before moving on. It would’ve been very helpful to have character names above each section that was about them to try to keep theirstories separate. Once you finally figure out the main part driving the plot, the story moves along a little faster, but again still a lot of confusion with all of the characters. 2.5 rounded up to three because while I didn’t want abandon the book, I was ready to move onto a new one by the end.

I was thrilled for a chance to read and review Emma Donoghue’s “The Paris Express.” Set in 1895, the story focuses on a derailment of a train headed from Granville to Paris and the people who were on those train. The reader meets a variety of characters sitting in different sections of the train, while giving the reader a slice of lesser known history.

While “The Paris Express” is based on true events, Donoghue includes a mixture of real and fictional characters. I thought the different passenger perspectives were intriguing, but at the same time, I felt that the reader did not have an opportunity to particularly see growth or development of any individual. I also felt overwhelmed with getting to know any one particular person, though Donoghue created a mosaic of intriguing persons with compelling stories.

Thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read and review this book.

After reading the description, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I found it dull. There were too many characters for me to become invested in any of them, and the plot moved too slowly. The best part of the book was reading about the operation of the train.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. Although this was not a favorite, I am still looking forward to Emma Donoghue's next book.

Donoghue always does characters so well...but this plot fell flat. I am not sure why this story I trigger her so much?
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall I found this book to be rather dull. Some of the character's stories were interesting, but mostly I just wanted to get through it to hear about the climax, which was then very anti-climatic.

Author Emma Donoghue grabbed my attention by simply naming her latest novel "The Paris Express". I love Paris and I love traveling by train to/from Paris and throughout France. I knew "The Paris Express" would be interesting but it was beyond that - it was filled with suspense right up to the very end. "The Paris Express" is historical fiction - but based on a true event with some of the real people involved in the 1895 event featured as characters. I had not read anything about the real train, or any of the people, involved in the 1895 event, so I had no idea what was going to happen and was simply interested in reading about the lives of the many passengers on the train as well as the lives and job responsibilities of the men working on the train. Reading about lives of men and women riding in 1st Class, 2nd Class, and 3rd Class painted a fascinating picture of life in Paris at that time in history. It also gave a remarkably detailed look at how early trains were operated. While I felt that I came away with additional historical knowledge from this book, when I was actually reading it I kept wondering "what is going to happen to this person - to that person - to all the people?" - and simply "What is going to HAPPEN?" - it was that suspenseful - almost nerve-wracking - right to the end. I recommend this book to anyone interested in that time period, trains, or suspense. Due to the nature of a couple of graphic scenes, I would not recommend this to anyone younger than college age. I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

History has never felt so alive—or so full of chaos—as it does in The Paris Express! Donoghue turns a real-life 1800s train disaster into a heart-pounding, character-driven spectacle where every passenger has a story, and every moment crackles with tension. The novel moves at full speed, shifting between perspectives like flickering images on an early film reel—I loved how it never let up, layering historical detail with drama so seamlessly that I barely realized I was learning something new.

The Paris Express is Emma Donoghue’s newest historical novel, set during one day in 1895 during a train ride from Granville to Paris. In the book we move throughout the train getting to know some of the different characters; from the First Class carriage, to Third Class, and from the engine to Rear Baggage. The story had me pausing to look up a photo of the train crash, the paintings of the artist, and the biography of the young scientist. I loved the way real history was woven into the story.

"A railway carriage is as intimate as a dinner party, but one with no host and guests assembled at random."

I find that Emma Donoghue is excellent at really transporting the reader to a place in time. I felt that with the three of her books that I’ve read (The Wonder, Akin, and The Pull of the Stars, all excellent). In Paris Express I could hear the train whistles, feel the bumps of the tracks, and see so clearly in my mind what she is describing.

Though the pacing is slow and the story is quiet there is an underlying tension that builds through the book. The slightly late train and the measures the crew go to try to make up time. The conversations happening in the different carriages.

Overall I really liked this book and think it would best enjoyed by readers who appreciate slower paced historical fiction and fans of her books like The Pull of the Stars. I especially loved the Author’s Note at the end where she recounted history of the train crash and the biographies of the various characters. A caution for my fellow highly sensitive readers to consult the content warnings before deciding if this is right read for you.

Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster | S&S/Summit Books, author Emma Donoghue, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Set in Paris in 1895, this is based on a true story of a train, and the people who are on the train. How they interact with each other, at times, and the somewhat brief stories they would share with each other in order to pass the time, likely depending upon if they were in first, second or third-class carriages. There is a woman who is especially anxious to see how this trip ends.

This is based on the disastrous 1895 Montparnasse derailment, but the focus through most of the book is on one woman’s thoughts, what her plans are, and perhaps if this journey and those people around her will change her mind as the journey continues.

Pub Date: 18 Mar 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster / S&S Summit Books

First of all, I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight in this book— it just felt like there was so much going on. I appreciate the premise of the story and thought it was a great idea. Overall it was slow, but worth it.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. The book takes place in 1895 Paris, based off a true story involving one of the trains that derailed off of the tracks. There are a lot of characters to follow, but it lends a lot of layers and depth to this book that is otherwise short in length. I personally loved getting to know the various people of this time, all of whom came from various walks of life. I felt the author did a great job of depicting the timeframe through these characters. A lot was happening during the turn of the century, and it is all captured well within the pages. The author obviously did a lot of research, and that is easily obvious; the writing is also crisp and descriptive. This was an enjoyable trek back into time, and I enjoyed learning about another slice of history through the eyes of all sorts of different individuals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster/S&S/Summit Books for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating read! I enjoyed the 24 hour time frame and appreciate all the research the writer clearly did beforehand. Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

People love to watch others. What else are you going to do on a seven-hour train trip from Granville to Paris in 1895?

A strong engine 721 of steel and wood would be carrying over 100 passengers on first, second and third-class carriages along to the Montparnasse Station. The trip had four scheduled stops and one that was unplanned. The crew had financial incentives to get there on time. They were organized but the passengers could be slow it down.

In this long trip, there was a character study of what it would have been like in those days sitting for hours while the time passed. It wasn’t easy as there were no restrooms and the third-class area was tight with hardly any leg room. One person came with a large container selling coffee. And there was a comment about a woman that colored her hair. Others talked about politics and health issues.

The book was well-documented on the 1895 Montparnasse derailment. However, while the train was speeding along, it was slow-going for me. At the end, there’s a photo of the crash and a brief report of what actually happened to some of the crew members and passengers.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 18, 2025.

Emma Donoghue is my favorite author, what can I say. She weaves a tapestry of rich characters you absolutely love and then plunges them into disaster. Masterful!

Donoghue’s latest is a slow building drama based on the real 1895 train derailment at Montparnasse station in Paris, but it through that single event and its build up the reader is given tremendous insight into the social and economic issues facing the many travelers and workers that day and of the time. It’s remarkably timely, offering a view of a chaotic period in France’s relatively recent history that in some small way is echoed in our here and now.

Thank you to @netgalley and @SimonandSchuster for this ARC. 1895: The famous train derailment at the Paris Montparnasse station. This story starts at the very beginning of the trip, the passengers on the train and each chapter is every stop along the way until the derailment at the final station. She writes the background and story for many of the passengers and crew but since there were so many, I kept getting lost in the characters. I had so much hope for this book..... #TheParisExpress #EmmaDonoghue #SimonandSchuster #March2025

The Paris Express is one of those novels that leaves me questioning what was the purpose of writing such story.

The premise in a way is interesting. It is based on an infamous 1895 train derailment at the Paris Montparnasse train station.

The story begins at 8:30 am with embarkment at Granville station at Normandy cost. As the train stops at few stations, it reimagines the time with stations and people boarding the train and the dynamics happening among the people.

What I was expecting was a few memorable characters with their backstories that would evoke human emotions. Instead, the story feels scattered with a lot of characters and hardly any backstories. It rather feels as commotion around already many characters. Making it hard to keep track who is who and get attached to any character with brief stories among such large cast of characters.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>The Paris Express</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Donoghue's latest is an engaging read. One of the things I like best about her books is how dissimilar they are. I have previously read <i>Slammerkin</i>, <i>The Pull of the Stars</i>, and <i>Room/i>. In this novel, Donoghue takes readers on a train journey to Paris in 1895. We know disaster looms ahead, but the scope is unknown until the very end.

Donoghue populates the train with a wide variety of characters, both passengers and rail employees. Although the rail cars are segregated by class, there is some movement between cars as Engine 721 stops at various stations. With such a large cast of characters, readers will see snippets of the journey through numerous points of view. It took me a while to keep the characters straight.

One of the passengers is determined to bomb the train to express her dissatisfaction with everything status quo. Her impending act of terrorism serves as a ticking clock for the train and its passengers. Anarchism and terrorism are not new occurrences.

The train accident that serves as the kernel of this novel was widely reported with early photographs.

Thank you so much for the review copy of this wonderful novel. Emma Donoghue does it again! She is an amazing story teller and I am constantly impressed by how different all of her novels are. This is no lazy author. Her research is impeccable and her ability to base a fantastic plot on nuggets of real historical past events and people makes me enjoy her novels so much. The Paris Express continues this legacy. I knew nothing of this historical railway accident and would recomment you don't read about it. Don't google anything. Just sit back and enjoy the suspense, the characters, the mini plots, the possible romances, the beatiful writing and the knowledge bombs. You'll learn a lot! The author's note at the end will be even more enjoyable. Emma Donoghue remains as one of my top five authors. I eagerly await the next one before this is even published.