Paris Postcards: Short stories

by Guy Thomas Hibbert, Guy Hibbert

The unique sights, smells and sounds of the famous city of Light and Love are the luminous backdrop to these eleven tales.

A young waiter leaves the French countryside in search of fame and fortune. A single woman leaves her home country behind in a last chance search for meaning and love. In German occupied Paris an officer is lodged in the house of a defiant young Frenchwoman. The extravagance and glamour of café society masks the fate of a Texan heiress.

In a sweeping time-span from the Bohemian 1920s and 30s, through the traumatic war years, the new dawn of the 1950s and 60s, right up to current day; these are stories of yearning and longing where hopes and dreams are kindled by the powerful mystique of Paris. And within each story is a simple postcard which may have dramatic consequences.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, France

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Guy Thomas Hibbert a.ka. Guy Hibbert

I'm a publisher and travel journalist by profession. Now I have more time I have returned to my first love, creative writing.

In Paris Postcards I used the short story format to challenge myself, in order to fire up my imagination and try out some writing techniques.

After two years work my debut novel, The Château of Illusions is now published. It is a saga of two families and their ownership of a historic petit chateau in rural France. My main character is a strong, independent woman, a reluctant heroine of the French resistance movement. The novel is about her life and loves and her quest for redemption after some tragic events during the war. It is set in France and London from just before WW2 up to the 1980s.

I first visited France as a 17 year old, hitchhiking down the west coast, across the Pyrénées and around the Mediterranean coast. The following year I returned with three school friends and drove 3000 kms of French country roads in a Morris Thousand Traveller. I have never forgotten the hospitality of the French people we met on our travels, the glories of the open road and the fabulous scenery. Later in life I had the opportunity to live in France and to write about its diverse culture, history and destinations via my day job as Editor-in-Chief of BonjourParis.com and France Today magazine..

I grew up in India, Pakistan, Iran, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Italy and England. I divide my time these days between Bath,, UK and the south of France.

Goodreads is such a great site - I just wish I had more time to write reviews, but even so I really value the reviews and comments others have written.

Reviews

[Molly Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times realy captivating, at others completely boring. as he got closer to the modern era, characters seemed more basic and type based. I generaly enjoyed it in the begining. It was definatly the definition of OK. it was filled with grammatical errs scattered without however. My personal favorite being "He is to a talisman to him."

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of short stories some were related to each other in that they included one or more of the same characters. I am drawn to stories about Paris. I like stories from past centuries as well as current and this had stories of old and new. I like how the author had French words or phrases mixed in.

[Shirley Lerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every story. Hibbert is a brilliant writer. I have visited Paris many many times and he has captured the essence throughout many historical eras. Hope he writes another very very soon.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed that these stories were all set in Paris, but at different time periods. None of the characters really stood out, though. Some of them were rather boring. I did appreciate how some of their paths crossed in minor ways throughout the stories, though.

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Paris or short stories then this is the book for you. I liked that each story was set in a different decade.

[Patricia Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a flow that placed it in the "I can't put it down category". The stories taking place over many years and many lives was a plus.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic then current ~ covering times and emotions = a book to enjoy and think. A quote from Victor Hugo, included in one of the short stories: “Breathing Paris preserves the soul.”

[John Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching.

I rarely read short story anthologies but I hapily read the whole thing. (And yes, some stories are related to others.)