The Paris Architect: A Novel
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Description
Sunday, November 15, 2015, 2:00-3:30pm
The Paris Architect: A Novel, by Charles Belfoure
Facilitated by Dr. Veronique Flambard-Weisbart, Professor, Department of Modern Languages & Literatures
How far would you go to help a stranger? What would you risk? Would you trade your life for another's in the name of what is right? Belfoure explores these questions and others in this debut novel set in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Lucien Bernard—who, like the book's author, is an architect—is offered a large sum of money to outsmart the Gestapo by devising unique hiding places for Jews, though he knows that anyone caught helping them will be tortured and killed by the Germans. Danger is everywhere: Lucien's mistress, Adele, a successful fashion designer, has an affair with a Gestapo colonel. Lucien's new assistant will betray him in a heartbeat. Offered a juicy German factory commission that involves working with a Nazi officer who admires architecture and art, Lucien's web weaves more complexly. And when he falls in love with Adele's assistant, rescues a child, and contacts some of the individuals he's saved, the stakes grow higher and Lucien's thoughts turn from money to vengeance. Seamlessly integrated architectural details add to the excitement. Belfoure's characters are well-rounded and intricate. Heart, reluctant heroism, and art blend together in this spine-chilling page-turner.
ISBN
978-1402294150
Publication Date
Fall 11-15-2015
Keywords
Jewish, Paris, Nazi occupation
Disciplines
Architecture | History | Jewish Studies
Recommended Citation
Belfoure, Charles, "The Paris Architect: A Novel" (2015). Jewish Studies Sunday Book & Discussion Group. 58.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/jewishbookgroup/58
