ARTFUL READERS REVIEW
"THE PARIS ARCHITECT" by Charles Belfoure
September 23, 2016
Hello Dear Ones,
I've been so negligent in keeping up my blog entries...I've missed the time to create some art for different challenges, but I DO keep reading. Building a new house takes lots of time, meetings and decisions but we're nearing the end...or should I say, a new beginning? I'm hoping you're all OK.
What
an interesting and fast-moving book this is... Lucien is a young
architect in 1942 Paris, France. He's struggling, along with so many
others, during his city's Nazi occupation. His marriage is childless and
crumbling, when into his life walks a wealthy French industrialist
(who's sympathetic to the plight of the Jews.) He's got a profitable
offer for this out-of-work architect who's anxious to advance his
career. He commissions Lucien to build huge, important factories to help
France with its war effort...(and help the German army as a byproduct!)
Driven by his need to make a living as well as to prove himself a
clever architect and gain a successful reputation, he additionally
agrees to help the industrialist by designing expertly concealed hiding
places in apartments for persecuted Jews... behind a painting in a wall,
within a support column, inside a drainpipe, under some enclosed
stairs...places invisible to the average eye. Some of these Jews are
friends of the industrialist, some are not. Taking life-threatening
risks, at first it was to challenge his design imagination and outwit
the unrelenting Nazis. But after one of his hiding places fails, he
becomes personally involved in the effort to do all he can to help these
suffering, hunted people.
"THE
PARIS ARCHITECT " is a powerful portrayal of a people under occupation.
Many of the French people struggled to save themselves while others
added saving the hunted to their personal struggle. There's much
darkness in this book as in any book written about this horror-filled
period of history, but Belfoure balances it with a sense of hope and
salvation. If you're a fan of historical fiction, this book presents an
unusual twist on a familiar WWII theme. Highly recommended!!
Wishing you the best days and a peaceful, happy heart...
Big Hugs,
abbyj 
