Book Review: 13 rue Thérèse, by Elena Mauli Shapiro

Elena Mauli Shapiro, born and raised in Paris, has written a novel with a wonderfully colorfully Parisian setting. When American academic Trevor Stratton arrives in Paris, he finds a small, checkered plastic box tucked away in the back of a filing cabinet in his new office. Bewitched by both his clerk and the artifacts he finds within the box, he follows the life and story of Louise Brunet, recreating her story through the collection of items she's left behind - a white lace glove, a postcard, a datebook, a letter.

13 rue Thérèse in one word: unexpected. I did not expect the galley to show up on my front stoop. I did not expect the novel to twist and turn the way it did. I did not expect to piece together an entire history from the clues scattering the pages. I did not expect color photographs, handwritten notes, or passages in French. I did not expect it to end the way it did. I did not expect it, in fact, to be so unexpected.

Nor did I expect to write one of the shortest reviews to be found on this blog, but sometimes it's good to be unexpected.

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Thoughts from other bookworms:

Rundpinne
Devourer of Books
Book Diary
Reading on a Rainy Day

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Thanks to Reagan Arthur of Reagan Arthur Books for sending me a copy of this book for review.