The Paris Architect Audiobook By Charles Belfoure cover art

The Paris Architect

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The Paris Architect

By: Charles Belfoure
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
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Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn't really believe in. Ultimately he can't resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces - behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe - detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality.

Written by an expert whose knowledge imbues every word, this story becomes more gripping with every life the architect tries to save.

©2013 Charles Belfoure (P)2013 Random House Audio 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Literary Fiction War & Military World Literature Scary Feel-Good Military Middle Ages War

Critic reviews

"Words like 'riveting' and 'compelling' aren't strong enough to describe this remarkable novel narrated by Mark Bramhall and set in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942." (AudioFile Magazine)
"A beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war." (Malcolm Gladwell)

"Belfoure writes like an up-and-coming Ken Follett... There's plenty of detail to interest architecture buffs, too." (Booklist)
Engaging Storyline • Complex Characters • Excellent Accents • Historical Authenticity • Suspenseful Plot
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I couldn't stop listening to the book. I've read and listened to many Nazi-era books and find this to be one of the best. In fact, anyone who likes Sarah's Key or Those Who Saved Us will also love this one.

The premise of the book--saving Jews in architecturally designed structures--is intriguing. The author somehow balanced the horrors of the era with happiness. His characters conveyed the best and worst parts of people. Paris and all its glory played a strong part in the book.

I found the author fabulous! He added to the quality of the book do I'm glad I listened to it rather than read it. He did a great job with different genders, ages, and nationalities.

I loved this book so much that I'm sad it has ended!

Absolutely Wonderful!!

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I loved the narrator and the plot got me on my toes! So happy I bought this book

Awesome book!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As an art, the narrator does many French and German voices and it was fascinating tohear one person distinguish characters not only by language, but tone, volume, pitch, pace...really fascinating and excellent for the story telling.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucien---he dared to help others

Have you listened to any of Mark Bramhall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is my first one.

Superb narration

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I really didnt know how it would end. I couldn't wait to get back to it each day.

Great story and great narrator!

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Story about an innocent man caught in WW2 Paris between the Nazi's and the French underground. A lot of suggestive sex and brutal graphic detail about Nazi torture made it hard to listen to but the story line was very good and the narrator was outstanding.

Great adventure

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Love this book. Got addicted and finished it in two days. Lol. I highly recommend this fantastic book!

Thrilling, sad I finished it.

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I had not known that the French didn't like Jews. even when they had lived there for generations.

Good story of Paris during war

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This book did a well job in using this story to demonstrate a common human flaw. The losing of ones morals in return for a selfish act.

stand for something

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This story is riveting with a great performance. The plot was spellbinding and unpredictable. The combination of characters was interesting, as was the premise.

Fascinating Historical Fiction

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I really enjoyed the story and the characters were fun to get to know, and kinda surprising when you really got to know them.

Great read!

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