Perestroika in Paris

ByJane Smiley

Release Date: 2020-12-01
Genre: Literary Fiction

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 201 Ratings

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author: a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals—and a young boy—whose lives intersect in Paris in this "feel-good escape” (The New York Times).

Paras, short for "Perestroika," is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and—she's a curious filly—wanders all the way to the City of Light. She's dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn't afraid.

Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city's lush green spaces, nourished by Frida's strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion.

As the cold weather nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself? Jane Smiley's beguiling new novel is itself an adventure that celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the desire of all creatures for true love and freedom.

Reviews

Whimsical, lovely!
5
By toomuchtechnology
Enjoyable, uplifting, lonely read
The world I want to live in
5
By Loveparislovehorses
This is a simple book set in a world of untainted innocence - perspectives of humans and animals learned through each other’s straightforward observations of daily life and small acts of kindness. Look to her other books for more substance or excitement. This one is to charm grandchild to grandparent.
Absolutely Delightful
5
By Va.Moore
This is the most whimsical ,well written book that I’ve read since “Wind in the Willows”. I didn’t want it to end! What a joy!
Good game but the same way to keep you entertained
5
By com. Darlene
I have book Of TV show be of office because by book. We’re a review corona viruses city Think about book