The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley
Synopsis
Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building on the Left Bank. To the residents, she is is honest, reliable and uncultivated – an ideal concierge.
But Renée has a secret. Beneath this conventional façade, she is passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her self-important employers.
Down in her lodge, Renée is resigned to living a lie; meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid a predictably bourgeois future, and plans to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday.
But the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will bring dramatic change to number 7 Rue du Grenelle, altering the course of both their lives forever.
Review by Laura
The Paris Apartment is no literary masterpiece but it’s nicely entertaining. It’s a classic ‘whodunnit’ with 5 potential perpetrators; full of secrecy, lies and underhandedness.
Although it touches on some dark themes, it’s an easy read and never goes into too much gory detail.
Jess, the main character, has to navigate not only the unfamiliar French city, but also the unfamiliar language and customs… sound familiar?
