Capturing Paris: A Novel

by Katharine Davis

After twenty five years of marriage, Annie and Wesley are living the type of elegant, sophisticated life in Paris that many Americans dream about. Their apartment in the Marais district is filled with wonderful food, accomplished friends, and good wine. All of this changes when Wesley loses his job and an attractive, magnetic woman enters their lives. Suddenly, in Katharine Davis' atmospheric first novel Capturing Paris , the sights, smells and sounds of Paris are cast in a different light, and may never be the same.

"... [R]eaders with a soft spot for the city of lights will want to give this a look." - Publishers Weekly

Genres: Fiction, France

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2006

About the author

KATHARINE DAVIS

Katharine Davis began writing fiction in 1999. Capturing Paris (St. Martin’s Press, 2006) was her first novel. Recommended in Real Simple Spring Travel 2007, the novel was also included in the New York Times suggestions for fiction set in Paris. Her second novel, East Hope, published by New American Library in 2009, won the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance 2010 Award for Fiction. A Slender Thread, her third novel, will be published by New American Library in August, 2010. She is an Associate Editor at The Potomac Review. Her website is www.katharinedavis.com. and she can be reached at Katharine@katharinedavis.com

Reviews

[Paul Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Novel –Perfectly Captured

This is an almost perfectly told tale of middle-aged marital ennui set against a backdrop of American upper-middle-class angst in the world of contemporary expatriate Paris. The characters are all exquisitely drawn archetypes except for Daphne, the amourouse errant who is so strikingly different and whose presence is easily seen as a discordant note. Her entrance into the other characters’ lives sends these lives off onto new trajectories.
One can imagine a spicier ending, of the heroine making a more daring choice. But then this would become a novel about middle-age breakup. But I think this a beautiful novel about a couple finding themselves again, about the exotic pulling people away from the mundane and then the coming together again as the foundations of the relationship reassert themselves. Possibly this dimension could have been made more poignant, more dramatic—but it does have a high degree of verisimilitude

[Carmen Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devour anything about Paris because of my French roots and dream of one day living in Paris. I enjoyed this novel about an expatriot couple and the issues in their marriage with Paris is the backdrop. Annie Reed is finally finding her voice as a poet, but her husband Wesley dismisses her artistic endeavors. He's an attorney who recently lost work (the Paris office closed) so he's hoping to find work back in the states again. In walks a beautiful, exotic stranger to stir up an already boiling pot and the plot thickens. Davis's writing is beautifully descriptive and it flows. A must read!

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ordinarily, I love novels set in Paris. This had some of the elements of such novels that I enjoy ... the references to Parisian places, the French words and phrases here and there in the narrative, and the evocation of the French lifestyle. This book, however, was disappointing on a number of levels. There is a central coincidence that I found difficult to believe ... that the protagonist sees in a metro station a woman who will soon enter her life and throw her orderly existence into some confusion. What are the chances? The protagonist is a poet, yet we barely see her poems (3 relatively short stanzas in all), including one crucial one at the end of the book, although they are a central element of the novel's plot and the character's motivation. My guess is that the author couldn't write poems credible enough to warrant the book contract her heroine is conveniently and rather gratuitously given. I also found the ending unsatisfying on several levels and not entirely believable. Badly manipulated by another character, she still goes to visit the woman. That just didn't make sense to me. I won't go into detail in case you want to read the book. I wanted to like this book, but in the end, I found it timid.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie and Wesley are 50-ish and living the good life in Paris. Annie is a poet and part-time administrator in a small office. Wesley was a successful attorney working for the Paris office of an American firm until he was laid off, damaging his self-esteem and putting a strain on the couple's finances and lifestyle.

One day Annie observes a striking woman in a blue cape waiting for a train on the opposite platform of a Metro station. Soon, through an unexpected coincidence, Daphne, the woman on the platform, will come into their lives with unexpected consequences...

A highly evocative novel that gets most of its appeal from the settings, descriptions of food, clothing, and the people involved.

Okay, but a somewhat cliched read...

[Jordan Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novel! It's not just for lovers of Paris. I have already recommended this to several friends.

[JMcDade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the sort of book I typically read; but, I think I really liked it because of the wonderful descriptions of Paris. It may be my favorite city. It's a nice summer read.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite verbiage…I savored every moment reading this book…I highly recommended!

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a nice read. I'm usually one to try and predict upcoming events in books, but I was, for the most part, unable to do so with this one. Pretty woman enters the scene, so I think one thing, then certain events occur between her and the main character which causes me to believe something else. You don't stop asking why, also. I also adjusted to the thought of forgiveness regarding infidelity in relationships. At first, I was pretty pissed off that Annie was considering returning to Wesley after he got too friendly with Daphne, and I knew instantly that that was going to be the direction in which the story would turn. After all, she had embraced the thought of independence, she had enjoyed it; she had been, the entire story, the wife of a grumpy husband in a worn-out relationship, an incredibly passionate, talented woman who just fell silent underneath the pressure of time, and it didn't make sense to me that she'd want to come back after wanting to break free. But she was, indeed, still in love with Wesley regardless, and so love triumphed.

Probably what I liked the most, and it sounds minute, was the fact that Katharine Davis was crafting an easier way for us to explore French culture. For example, the way her characters would say something in French, and then repeat the statement in English. That's very, very helpful for those who are flimsy with the French language/worry that the entire book will consist of foreign phrases they won't comprehend. Added to the vocabulary.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was almost a one-star book. It gets a second star for the vivid descriptions of Parisian life and food that appear in the first chapters, which I enjoyed, despite a rather flat tone and little character development. I didn't make it through the book, which is unusual for me. I just didn't care about any of the two-dimensional characters, or the story, which didn't know what it was about. It had potential: an empty-nester ex-pat American couple in Paris, undergoing changes in their relationships to each other, their friends, and the city; a mysterious, trickster woman, a great old country house;--All the ingredients would seem to be there, but it just didn't work. Maybe it needed a few more drafts.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel when I was living in Paris, and I loved it. Katharine Davis creates well-drawn and memorable characters -- including Annie Reed, American expatriate poet and wife, and a likeable and mature heroine -- with the City of Lights as a backdrop. I thought the tension in the storyline was well developed, and I loved the way the story ended; very satisfying overall, especially for readers living in or planning a visit to Paris.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book and had to stop reading it halfway. It was so depressing and also filled with annoying, negative characters. Not to mention how completely unbelievable this book was... there isn't a woman in the world who would befriend a much younger woman that her increasingly distant husband had already showed an interest in. Ugh!!!

[Diane Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did not like one of the characters in this book and at first I was really annoyed with the main character because she let everyone around her affect her feelings. But, then I realized as an artist, this is the way artists are. They are very sensitive and get their feelings hurt very easily. Loved the descriptions of Paris. Hope to go back someday !!

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because it involved a couple at mid-life. And I wanted to like it, but found it tedious. Long paragraphs of description--over written, I thought. More description than action. The best developed character seemed to be Daphne--a woman who had a hand in causing trouble. She seemed complex, but ended up being a petty sort.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love France so that is why I picked this book. I enjoyed reading it and looking at my Paris map to find locations in the book. It was a nice little story that left you feeling warm at times and sad as well.

[Tami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being a francophile, the title caught my interest... But the story was a mediocre and predictable human drama, even if the writing itself was decent. Paris is a beautiful, living, breathing entity, and I don't feel that the tale 'captured' it even a fraction.

[Ket Lamb · Rating 2 out of 5]

A married ex-pat couple's life unravels in Paris when he loses his high-powered job and her creative career starts to soar. I only read this capably written melodrama because it's set in one of my favorite cities.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful book...first-draft writing, characters stolen straight from a romance novel. Only redeeming quality was the book's setting in France. I kept reading only because I was away from home and had absolutely nothing else to read.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beginning of the novel appealed to me just because of imagining what life in Paris is like. But I never expected some of the twists, and I enjoyed watching her wrestling with the decision to follow her husband or stay in the city that made her creative juices flow.

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very pleasant book. The characters are real and everybody can identify with their feelings and actions

[Arline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not spectacular but interesting nevertheless. Characters are believable and some are quite complex. Good beach or vacation read.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved all the food and setting imagry.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It did not really "capture" Paris, as the title would have you believe. But, it is an interesting story of a couple in Paris.

[Eli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm tired of whiney, selfish, silly lead characters.

[Beatrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because it takes place in Paris. I almost put it down due to a serious error in the French in the title of the first chapter but decided to give it a chance. It was entertaining.

[Patricia Dsupin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle-aged lady getting cheated-on in Paris, lovely drama.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I'm in the mood for Paris!

[Annalinda Ragazzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, but a pleasant read. Excellent descriptions of Paris.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

readable, fun, good Paris stuff