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  • Paris by the Book

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Liam Callanan
  • Narrated by: Kim Bubbs
  • Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

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Paris by the Book

Written by: Liam Callanan
Narrated by: Kim Bubbs
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Publisher's Summary

National Best Seller

A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris

Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband....

When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris.

Hoping to uncover clues - and her husband - Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, she discovers an unfinished manuscript, one Robert had been writing without her knowledge...and that he had set in Paris.

The Eady girls follow the path of the manuscript to a small, floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell. Leah finds herself accepting the offer on the spot.

As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping more clues arise. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to consider that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family - and the Paris she thought she knew.

Charming, haunting, and triumphant, Paris by the Book follows one woman's journey as she writes her own story, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book.

©2018 Liam Callanan (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“Sublime... Callanan has crafted a beautifully drawn portrait of a woman interrupted, set among the exquisite magic of Paris, where life frequently imitates art as the ghosts of the past linger just out of sight.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Callanan has woven a tale of grief, resentment, and the everyday madness of equivocating the unfathomable.... Callanan’s sweet and compulsively readable tale invites readers to fall in love with Paris, Leah, and her family.” (Booklist)

“Liam Callanan’s spirited Paris by the Book offers a near-irresistible package of twin glories, Paris and books (love of reading), delivering vibrant tours of each.... [A] witty mystery-adventure.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

What listeners say about Paris by the Book

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An Enjoyable Story for Those Who Love Paris

The main character’s reflections (on life’s choices, roads taken and not, being a wife and being a parent) enriches the story. The mystery of a missing husband and the fantasy of owning a Paris bookstore coming true draw the listening along, quirky characters enlivening the story.

My only criticism of the listening experience is not the narrator’s fault. Her voice was wonderful—but there were just too many jarring places in which a totally unnecessary “he said” or “she said” was tacked onto the sentence even though there could be no doubt as to who was speaking; irritating!

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