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Parapluie: A Fable
In the rain-washed streets of Belle Époque Paris, a magical umbrella passes from hand to hand, transforming every life it touches.
When a mysterious stranger brings Guillaume, a master craftsman, an exquisite parrot-headed handle, he forges it into an umbrella unlike any other. But the gift comes with three unbreakable Pas à vendre. Pas à garder. Pour un cœur vrai. Not to be sold. Not to be kept. For a true heart.
From the crooked shop on Rue des Martyrs, the umbrella begins its journey—sheltering a timid clerk who discovers his voice, a grieving widow who finds her song, and an orphan boy who learns his name. In each pair of hands, it becomes something more than shelter from a catalyst for grace, a mirror for the soul, a quiet magic woven into the fabric of everyday life.
But not every heart is true. When greed, cruelty, and pride claim the umbrella, the city itself seems to darken, and Paris—luminous, fickle, ever-watching—demands an accounting.
Spanning decades and lives, Parapluie is a love letter to Paris and a meditation on what we owe one another. Told by a mysterious storyteller on a stormy night, it's a novel about the beauty hidden in ordinary things, the power of kindness passed forward, and the truth that some gifts are never meant to be kept.
When a mysterious stranger brings Guillaume, a master craftsman, an exquisite parrot-headed handle, he forges it into an umbrella unlike any other. But the gift comes with three unbreakable Pas à vendre. Pas à garder. Pour un cœur vrai. Not to be sold. Not to be kept. For a true heart.
From the crooked shop on Rue des Martyrs, the umbrella begins its journey—sheltering a timid clerk who discovers his voice, a grieving widow who finds her song, and an orphan boy who learns his name. In each pair of hands, it becomes something more than shelter from a catalyst for grace, a mirror for the soul, a quiet magic woven into the fabric of everyday life.
But not every heart is true. When greed, cruelty, and pride claim the umbrella, the city itself seems to darken, and Paris—luminous, fickle, ever-watching—demands an accounting.
Spanning decades and lives, Parapluie is a love letter to Paris and a meditation on what we owe one another. Told by a mysterious storyteller on a stormy night, it's a novel about the beauty hidden in ordinary things, the power of kindness passed forward, and the truth that some gifts are never meant to be kept.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2026
3 people are currently reading
About the author
wb Arnaud
1 book2 followersWB Arnaud writes literary fiction and fables where weather, work, and conscience shape the story as much as plot. His work explores endurance, moral proportion, and the quiet magic found in ordinary lives.
Drawing on a disciplined, understated style, he favors atmosphere and consequence over explanation. His stories take their time, allowing meaning to emerge through labor, silence, and restraint.
He's drawn to the places he writes about. He walks the same streets, watches how the light falls at different hours, pays attention to what people do with their hands. For him, a story set in a place should smell like that place.
He lives in the Florida Keys.
Author image is a representative, non-identifying portrait used for the WB Arnaud pen name.
Drawing on a disciplined, understated style, he favors atmosphere and consequence over explanation. His stories take their time, allowing meaning to emerge through labor, silence, and restraint.
He's drawn to the places he writes about. He walks the same streets, watches how the light falls at different hours, pays attention to what people do with their hands. For him, a story set in a place should smell like that place.
He lives in the Florida Keys.
Author image is a representative, non-identifying portrait used for the WB Arnaud pen name.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 3, 2026
Parapluie: A Fable is the first novella by author WB Arnaud, and what an explosive way to join the writing scene. Parapluie focuses on a strange umbrella, crafted with a beautiful parrot head handle and midnight black silk,which is featured on the cover (and would probably not look out of place hooked over Mary Poppin’s arm!). The umbrella’s presence changes the lives of those around it, for better or for worse depending on the owner's intentions, using a strange and unexplained power. The only rules being: Pas à vendre, Pas à garder, Pour un cœur vrai. Not to be sold, Not to be kept, For a true heart. The book follows the lives of six of these owners, starting with the man who created the piece in the first place, then following on to a desk clerk, a widow, a market seller, a policeman, and lastly, an orphan.
The story starts with a narrator, welcoming the reader in and asking them to come close to listen to a tale, and the writing really lends itself to the idea that the story is being told to the reader around a fire and huddled away from a storm. Parapluie, as the name might suggest, is based in Paris, France. There are some nice additions of French throughout and lovely descriptions of cobbled streets that really brings the imagery to life! The subtle addition of an artifact that holds its own magic was fun to read, and this book would not look out of place in Felicia Davin’s French Letters series. Although the book is only 200 pages long, it is gripping, and makes the reader want to draw the time out so they can spend longer in the world Arnaud created, his story portraying a wonderful interconnectedness that makes the reader want to read again– just to see the background subtleties that they missed first time round.
The only criticism would be that the cover and illustrations were generated with AI. I appreciate that this isn’t a criticism for some readers/reviewers, but I do believe that the book would be elevated slightly more with a professional artist employed to create these pieces instead.
The story starts with a narrator, welcoming the reader in and asking them to come close to listen to a tale, and the writing really lends itself to the idea that the story is being told to the reader around a fire and huddled away from a storm. Parapluie, as the name might suggest, is based in Paris, France. There are some nice additions of French throughout and lovely descriptions of cobbled streets that really brings the imagery to life! The subtle addition of an artifact that holds its own magic was fun to read, and this book would not look out of place in Felicia Davin’s French Letters series. Although the book is only 200 pages long, it is gripping, and makes the reader want to draw the time out so they can spend longer in the world Arnaud created, his story portraying a wonderful interconnectedness that makes the reader want to read again– just to see the background subtleties that they missed first time round.
The only criticism would be that the cover and illustrations were generated with AI. I appreciate that this isn’t a criticism for some readers/reviewers, but I do believe that the book would be elevated slightly more with a professional artist employed to create these pieces instead.
Review of advance copy
Parapluie A Fable
By wb Arnaud
Pub date Feb. 1
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for providing an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Parapluie A Fable is a gentle story about kindness, encouragement, and giving of yourself to lift up others. The story is set in Paris, usually a rainy, stormy Paris, before electricity and social services. One stormy night an unusual stranger enters the shop of Guillaume De Saint-Aubin, an umbrella maker. This stranger leaves an intricately carved handle to be placed upon one of Guillaume’s umbrellas. It’s a gorgeous handle, shaped like a parrot head. The wood reflects tones of gold and green. The eyes are stones that glow with captured lamplight. But this is more than a mere handle. Underneath the expert craftsmanship, Guillaume intuits a magic within the wood. The stranger gives three commands about the new umbrella before he leaves the shop: It is not to be sold. It is not to be kept. It is for a true heart.
Told by (an initially) anonymous narrator entertaining a stranger with stories on a stormy Paris night, Parapluie follows the journey of the umbrella as it passes through the hands of a humble, insecure clerk, a widow struggling with grief, and an orphan on the streets. The story winds back in on itself, demonstrating how small acts of kindness radiate outward and also circle back, connecting and healing with its touch.
5/5 stars.
By wb Arnaud
Pub date Feb. 1
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for providing an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Parapluie A Fable is a gentle story about kindness, encouragement, and giving of yourself to lift up others. The story is set in Paris, usually a rainy, stormy Paris, before electricity and social services. One stormy night an unusual stranger enters the shop of Guillaume De Saint-Aubin, an umbrella maker. This stranger leaves an intricately carved handle to be placed upon one of Guillaume’s umbrellas. It’s a gorgeous handle, shaped like a parrot head. The wood reflects tones of gold and green. The eyes are stones that glow with captured lamplight. But this is more than a mere handle. Underneath the expert craftsmanship, Guillaume intuits a magic within the wood. The stranger gives three commands about the new umbrella before he leaves the shop: It is not to be sold. It is not to be kept. It is for a true heart.
Told by (an initially) anonymous narrator entertaining a stranger with stories on a stormy Paris night, Parapluie follows the journey of the umbrella as it passes through the hands of a humble, insecure clerk, a widow struggling with grief, and an orphan on the streets. The story winds back in on itself, demonstrating how small acts of kindness radiate outward and also circle back, connecting and healing with its touch.
5/5 stars.
February 2, 2026
Parapluie was such a lovely surprise! A book full of imagery and prose, I felt like I really was in Paris as the Storyteller led the reader through the lives of seven very different people, traveling through the trials and triumphs of their lived experiences. They are unexpectedly linked by a parrot umbrella, with a touch of mystique behind it. Is the umbrella actually magical, or is it the transferance from one person to another, the courage they need to progress in life, the narrator captures in such a fantastical way that the reader is swept up in the excitement as we watch each individual come to who they should be in the city of Paris. I found myself crying with the orphan and the widow and celebrating the freedom of the clerk and officer, to celebrating karama bestowed upon the merchant. No matter which individual the umbrella connects with, the story brings hope to humankind, and one that will linger with me long after I finish the book. I highly recommend this story and will absolutely be waiting for another by this author!
Review of advance copy
“When Paris’s storms turned others inside out, Guillaume’s creations held their shape such that the rain itself paused to admire his work.” From this line unfolds a tender story centered on Guillaume’s crafted umbrella following the mysterious gift of a parrot-headed handle. The novel, Parapluie: A Fable, by wb Arnaud, brings with it three requirements of initial confusion: “Not to be sold. Not to be kept. For a true heart.” Through delightful language that presents in true fable form, such as the personification of the rain and her admiration of true artistry, we are reminded of the ongoing necessity of kindness and the profound impact of keeping such kindness in one’s heart through internal compassion and external benevolence. Parapluie is a richly imagined and quietly mesmerizing novel that reminds readers that small acts of grace often ripple and reshape lives.
I received an advance complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I received an advance complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
February 3, 2026
A good Fantasy read
A love letter to Paris in the rain and to the quiet magic of human kindness. Framed as a fireside confession during a storm, the novel unfolds like a whispered myth—elegant, intimate, and timeless. At its heart is a small, mysterious object that moves from life to life, changing people not through spectacle, but through grace. The prose is lush without excess, steeped in atmosphere, scent, and sound. This is not a fast-paced fantasy, but a gentle, soulful tale about loss, courage, and what it means to pass light forward. A book to savor slowly, preferably while listening to rain.
A love letter to Paris in the rain and to the quiet magic of human kindness. Framed as a fireside confession during a storm, the novel unfolds like a whispered myth—elegant, intimate, and timeless. At its heart is a small, mysterious object that moves from life to life, changing people not through spectacle, but through grace. The prose is lush without excess, steeped in atmosphere, scent, and sound. This is not a fast-paced fantasy, but a gentle, soulful tale about loss, courage, and what it means to pass light forward. A book to savor slowly, preferably while listening to rain.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Parapluie is an excellently written story that really immerses you in wonderful Paris. The characters were well written, and I loved how intertwined they all were. It shows how small the world can be and how small acts of kindness really do pay off. There were many quotes from this book that I loved but my favourite was “order and kindness need not oppose each other”. This book felt magical in the best ways. Beautiful story!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
Parapluie is such a charming little book—perfect for a cozy evening read. Arnaud really captures Paris with warmth and just the right touch of whimsy. It's uplifting without getting too sweet, and honestly, the message about kindness cutting through chaos feels especially needed right now. If you're into magical realism or just want something hopeful and beautifully written, this is worth your time.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a new genre for me, but I must say I very much enjoyed this book. The story stayed with me long after I finished it, and the characters felt real and relatable. The story was thoughtfully written and immersive. A great read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this book. It was engaging from start to finish and very well written. I did not want to put it down and would absolutely recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews