The Paris Architect discussion

I had a long car ride for spring break, so I picked up this book from Barnes and Noble. I was drawn to its interesting cover and the fact that it was set during World War II. The book takes place in Nazi-occupied Paris, and the protagonist, Lucien, is a talented architect who takes a job designing ingenious hiding places for Jewish families. I was a little worried at first because it seemed like Lucien was only doing these jobs for the money, but I ended up enjoying watching his character develop into a much more compassionate and heroic person. The book was beautifully written, and I felt like I was fully submerged in the story. I had to set the book down at one point because I could feel the immense anxiety Lucien was feeling when he was watching Nazi officers tear up an apartment looking for the Jewish family that Lucien had hidden. Another thing that the author does with The Paris Architect is bringing attention to Nazi-occupied Paris. I did not know a lot about this aspect of Paris’s history, so it was very interesting to see the dynamics of Paris during this time period, since it is so different than Paris during any other time period. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a historical fiction with a high stakes feel. The book is not geared towards any certain audience, so I think anyone would be drawn into the story.