Burning Paris

by nicholas-blincoe

Nicholas Blincoe's breakout a rich dramatic feast of love and war in 19th-century France - which finds its reflection in 21st-century Paris and Palestine..When James Beddoes, a former financial journalist, moves to Paris, it is ostensibly to write a novel based on the diaries of Paul-Antoine Brunel, a French lieutenant who became a leader of the Paris Commune during the Siege of Paris in 1870. But James is also in Paris to pursue a Frenchwoman, Flavie, whom he met at a party and with whom he has become infatuated. Although it soon becomes clear that Flavie is gay, James nonetheless becomes drawn into her volatile emotional relationships, all the while secretly hoping that he can change her mind. And in parallel, amid the political struggles and the battles of the Paris Siege, another love story is unfolding - between Brunel and Babette, a married restaurateur. But when James follows Flavie to Palestine, and as the Paris Siege intensifies, all four protagonists are brought face to face with the brutal reality of civil war.

345 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2004

Reviews

[Abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hum. It was OK. I've studied the Paris Commune of 1871 and I know what an exciting, dark and passionate story this could have been, but somehow Blincoe just never really made it come alive. I also think that if I had not studied the Paris Commune I might well have been lost at times - Blincoe's depiction of what was actually going on was sketchy. I appreciate that perhaps he was trying to show the confusion of the time but, apart from a sense that there might not be enough milk and it's a bit cold, I would not understand at all from this novel why the Commune sparked. The narrative appears detached from the subject. The Debacle by Zola, which is admittedly not one of his best, does a much better job of capturing the tensions and the fervour, the swooping despair and euphoria. Blincoe's narrative, in comparison, to me felt detached and superficial. Or maybe I've been conditioned to interpret the Commune in a 'Zolaesque' way and it really was quite a sterile process. Only a few of the Communards appear, it is uncertain why they are fighting, what the Prussians are doing, what the Versaillais are doing... actually the more I think about what he left out the more inadequate I believe this novel is. I know you can't include everything, but Blincoe is so sparing with what he tells you about the actual events of the siege and Commune as to be obscure.
As far as the actual writing goes, the prose was a little... flat. I can't think of another way to put it - it was perfectly competent but wholly underwhelming. The novel was caught awkwardly between trying to be a war story and a love story, and didn't really manage to be either with any success. I did not engage with the characters on a very deep level, and I was not moved. I was not frightened, excited, saddened, amused, curious, or anything (apart from the elephant killing scene - that was the best bit in the whole thing). I am forced to conclude that Blincoe's writing simply does not connect with me.
I think I see what he was trying to do with the split narrative thing, and the comments he was trying to make about interpreting and imagining history, and he definitely wasn't completely unsuccessful. There are some little flourishes of detail that are really quite clever (the connections between the characters in the past and the present strands) and I get the sense that Blincoe is somewhat under-achieving with this novel. It feels like Burning Paris had a lot of potential, but sorry, could do better.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read "The Dope Priest" and found it so-so, mildly amusing. If I had realised that "Burning Paris" was written by the same author, I probably would not have bought it.

This book did nothing for me. I found the style boring, the historical background of the siege on Paris sketchy and unclear and the whole episode in Palestine does not tie in with the rest of the book at all and feels as if it was stuck on as an afterthought.

As to the romance - someone give this man a good tear jerker, so he understands what romance is supposed to be like. His characters had about as much romantic feeling in them as a piece of wood.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

One one level I was disappointed with this book. As a piece of story-telling based on two parallel love affairs one hundred years or so apart, it compares unfavourably with Danny Scheinmmann's "Random Acts of Heroic Love" in my view in spite of, or perhaps because of, its greater literary pretension. However, once the earlier narrative finally grinds to the Paris Commune period, and the latter to the Ramallah and Bethlehem sieges, it's hard not to be gripped by the unfolding events.

[Martinxo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I liked it. Useful insight into the Paris Commune...

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was ok but v weak in places. No likeable characters. Ending was awful.