Paris In July: The Paris Key

If I had to sum up "The Paris Key" by Juliet Blackwell in one sentence it would be "It was a good book to read while suffering with a moderate concussion and cut up face."

The Gargoyles of Notre Dame

Which may be damning with faint praise.

This is a novel set in Paris, which is why I chose it for Paris in July. It is like dozens of other novels -- young woman decides to divorce her husband and move to Paris to find herself and take over the locksmith shop of her recently deceased uncle. Young woman meets interesting Parisian people, becomes enchanted with the city, deals with Parisian bureaucracy and then discovers a life-changing secret about her own past. Will she stay in Paris or return to California and her unfulfilled life?

A street in the Marais

I think you know the answer. 

Sacre Coeur

If often judge books by how soon I figure out the ending. In this case, it was on page 101 (of 358 pages). In a mystery, I feel a tad cheated but also rather clever. In this case, I've just read this plot too many times, maybe not in Paris (or maybe so). 

The Clock in Musee d'Orsay with Montmartre in the distance

So, what's redeeming about it? Well, I learned a LOT about locks -- the old, beautiful kinds of locks you will see on many Parisian doors, locks from another time. That was interesting. And the sections describing sections of Paris that are familiar to me were delightful, like another visit.

Galleries Lafayette

You'll see some of those spots in the photos in this post -- Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, Musee d'Orsay, the Marais, Musee Carnavalet, and Galeries Lafayette, and the Catacombs, among others. 

The exterior garden of Carnavalet

I suppose I could describe it as "not deep but pretty and occasionally interesting." And a fast read.

 

Paris in July is a month-long blog event celebrating the City of Light through books, music, film, food, photography, and travel. 

 

It's hosted by Tamara at Thyme for Tea and Deb at Readerbuzz. Visit each week to join in with your Paris posts or to check out other participants' links. 

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