3.5***

Paris 1927. Home to Josephine Baker, Maurice Ravel, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Marcel Proust, among others. But in addition to the many famous “lost generation” members, the City of Light was also home to many who led much quieter lives. George tells the story of four such souls, whose stories converge over the course of one day and night in Paris.

These four people are working hard but not succeeding at what they most want. One is a survivor of the Armenian genocide and suffers great guilt that his family perished. A painter and a writer struggle to produce the kind of work that will fully express their thoughts, hopes, disappointments, and dreams (and achieve financial success as well). And a woman is consumed by her job and the devotion she shows to her employer. They all mourn what they have lost and struggle to find a way forward. Some scenes are difficult to read about. Oh, how my heart aches for them!

I’ve read many a book with multiple perspectives, but this felt fresh and new. George deftly handled these different storylines to produce a cohesive tale. Despite the constant change in point of view and some long reminiscences that took me farther into the past of each character, I never lost interest in where it was going. The connections between the characters really didn’t gel until the last couple of chapters, and the ending was a nice surprise.

George used the setting of 1920s Paris to full advantage. The characters have interactions with the famous, sometimes just a small touch (one character hears a pianist playing the same piece every day in the apartment downstairs … it is Ravel), others enjoy a significant relationship (another character is Proust’s trusted maid). ( )

It's a miss for me and a DNF.

Maybe I didn't give this book enough time to get together but I didn't want to waste my time waiting for it to do so. ( )

Paris in the 1920s through the stories of several French citizens--a journalist, a painter, the housemaid to Marcel Proust--and an Armenian puppet master who had escaped the Massacres in Turkey, with American expatriates making appearances, also a not-yet-famous composer. Separate stories but most of the characters meet in the exciting conclusion. Unputdownable. The action takes place in one day [hence "hours" in the title] with various backstories. ( )

The overall story was good and included a few surprises. There were some intertwining stories that I kept getting confused. The narrator was ok. ( )

Paris 1927 with Gertrude Stein who buys art and Ernestine Hemingway who buys rare books. It's a great combination but didn't keep my interest very well. However, I appreciate the quotes: "Facing the fact of death is something that we desperately need to do. It's good for the soul. Facing death clarifies life." ... "Time is short. Use it well." ... And, "Make the most of what you have by first accepting that it will end." ( )