Cover Image: The Strays of Paris

The Strays of Paris

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Member Reviews

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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This is such a lovely book. The story of a racehorse who runs away and befriends a stray dog, a raven, two ducks and, eventually, some humans - in the centre of Paris! - it's gentle and witty and sometimes magical. I found it a bit slow going in the middle and I almost gave up (which is why I've only given it four stars) but I'm so glad I didn't because the ending is one of the sweetest and most satisfying I've read for a while.

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My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Strays of Paris’ by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley. This was published in the USA as ‘Perestroika in Paris’ last December.

Perestroika (Paras) is a spirited young racehorse that has just won the last race of the season at the Auteuil Racecourse in Paris. While waiting for the van to return her to the stable in the French countryside, she nudges her stall door and it opens! Being a curious filly she wanders away and makes her way to the Place du Trocadéro.

There she meets Frida, a German shorthaired pointer, whose homeless owner has passed away, Sid and Nancy, two irrepressible ducks, and Raoul, an opinionated raven. The animals continue to live secretly in the park. Frida is especially streetwise. One day Paras meets Étienne, an eight-year-old orphaned boy who lives quietly in a secluded, ivy-walled house with his nearly one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother. An unlikely friendship develops between these humans and animals.

While this might seem a strange subject for an author of literary fiction, Smiley has over the years written a number of books about horses, both fiction and nonfiction, and describes herself as being infatuated with horses. That love and respect for horses is very evident throughout the novel and indeed for all the animals.

This is a whimsical tale about love and friendship that was such a pleasure to read. Having brought a number of strays into my life, it certainly warmed my heart. It also beautifully evokes Paris through the seasons.

I am pleased that the publishers changed the title for the U.K. as although Perestroika/Paras is important to the novel, it really is about all the strays. The cover art is quite adorable.

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This is one of those books that I just didn't want to come to an end as I was enjoying the company of all the characters so much. When Paras (Perestroika) a racehorse wanders out of his stableyard on the outskirts of Paris he makes his way into the city where he links up with a group of animals who become his friends and support group. They're all strays in a way, different from the others of their kind, as are the humans who appear in this book and they all have hopes and dreams of their own. It's a lovely read.

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When I read the blurb and saw the cover I was hoping for something light and charming, but instead I found this book to be quite hard work to finish.
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Paras, a naive and curious horse wanders out of her stables and into Paris where she meets Frida (a streetwise dog), Raoul (a pompous raven) and through the novel interacts with other animals, and kind-hearted humans.
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This had the potential to be brilliant, but it was overly detailed, and I felt it meandered aimlessly to the point where I still couldn’t articulate very much of a plot.
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I felt it needed more enchantment and magic, and there was a missed opportunity to do so through the relationships between the animals and humans. I didn’t engage with any of the characters, of which there were probably too many.
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Without giving any spoilers, I will say that there is one particular passage in the book that describes a sadness, and is sensitively and beautifully written. I just wish that I had been able to enjoy more than just a glimpse of this style of writing, and that I hadn’t had to wait so long to see it.
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I hope that I’m missing something and others love this book...but I’m afraid this one just was not my cup of tea.
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I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an eARC of this book.

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💕 This is the sweet and heartwarming story of Paras, a young racehorse living in a stable in the French countryside. At least until when she opens the gate of her stall and ends up in Paris. There she meets Frida, a German shorthaired pointer, two ducks and a crow. The animals live together in the city for a while, but all changes when Étienne, an 8-year-old boy, befriends them, bringing them into the big old house he lives in with his grandmother.

♥️ I liked:⁠
💌 Friendship. This book is all about friends and friendship. It's about accepting who is around you, even if different (very different in this case). It's about tolerating flaws, even in very self-centred crows or in incredibly noisy ducks. It's about not feeling alone, sharing and caring.
🐴 🐶 The animals. This is the reason why I chose this book: animals are the main characters. I had amazing experiences in the past with other stories told by zebras, cats... and this book didn't disappoint. I loved the animal observations, for example, Paras thinking that “Dogs, evidently, saw humans as friends, whereas horses saw them as coworkers.”
✍️ The writing. It's really easy to read. It flows quickly, the descriptions are amazing - not too lyrical, but still, full of colour - and it leaves a smile on your face.
👨‍👩‍👦 It can be read by kids and adults. Kids will appreciate the animals talking to each other, but adults are really the ones that should read this book. It would open their minds and help to understand that we are not the only ones in this world, that there are different point of views, and that friendship is incredibly important.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 A sweet and heartwarming book, perfect to cheer you up and make you think about what's going on in the world.

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A beautifully written story about friendship and having the freedom to choose the life you want to live.
I completely fell in love with the idea that a horse could live in the centre of Paris and no one would notice. Well, people did notice… Anais the baker who fed Paras early each morning was bewitched by the calm presence of the horse and Jerome the grocer was happy to give provisions to Frida the dog in exchange for the crumpled notes she presented in her shopping bag. Pierre the park keeper also knew about that they were living in the park, he had seen the animals prints in the snow, but he was happy to observe them.
An inquisitive racehorse Paras and dog Frida, team up with Raoul an ageing raven, who is particularly concerned with the prime location of his nest and the ducks Sid and Nancy. All their lives change forever through a chance encounter with Etienne, a lonely boy who lives with his deaf and blind Great Grandmother in an extensive house in Paris.
As the cold winter weather begins to take hold, the unusual friendships develop and they become increasingly reliant upon each other, but will their happiness last come the spring?

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I was lucky enough to get this through NetGalley for review. This is such a charming book, so different from the books that I normally read. The subject was wonderfully engaging. I loved the premise that all strays - those of the bird, animal or human world can find their place. This book left me with such a warm, peaceful feeling. I think it'll be one that I reread frequently, as it is easy to devour, and to believe. I really appreciated the minimal settings too - such a small area within a huge city, but that gave the story so much more reality. I loved this book, and will be buying a copy for my bookshelf. The joy of this book is that it is so considerate of all of its characters, allowing the reader to understand them. I can't wait to snuggle up and reread - hopefully whilst sat on the Champ de Mars!

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The Strays of Paris is very cute, but it’s too slow and not really going anywhere.

In The Strays of Paris we meet a gang of animals (a horse, dog, two ducks, a raven and a rat) and a young boy, who befriend each other and spend their days on the streets of Paris.

The premise of this book was very cute, I loved the idea of a young boy befriending all these animals and spending time with them in beautiful Paris. But the book is incredibly slow and it takes absolutely forever before even the tiniest thing happens.

The way it was written didn’t help much either. I get why this writing style was chosen - we’re in the minds of animals, and every animal has it’s own way of thinking and experiencing the world - but combined with the slow pacing, the book become a bit tedious to get through at times.

The language itself, though, was beautiful. The characters were lovable, and I enjoyed reading about Paris - a gorgeous city, and a character on its own.

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I absolutely loved this book. Such a lovely book to read in times like these. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

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When first meeting Paras the horse, there is a great sense that this filly is more than what is considered as being a normal animal. But rather she is curious, intelligent and shown time and time again that she has a lot of kindness in her heart. However, it seems that this is not just exclusive behaviour just for Paras, rather it is presented throughout all the characters. Whether that is the dog, rat, or young boy, it is clear that family can come in many forms and why does it have to be species exclusive? There is a great focus on how important it is to realise that all animals have a great deal of sentience.

Even though there is a great focal point on animals and how they go about living as strays and being independent creatures, what is paramount is the stories about people. How these animals, stray that they are, have an effect on people going about their daily lives. For instance, the baker who waits for Paras and believes her to be some spiritual animal, the greengrocer who gives Frida the dog fruit and vegetables to take back to her friends and the young boy who can't believe his luck when he sees a horse. All of us are connected and it shows that community and friendship are the most important things in this life.

This is a book which I have found different to others that I have read. There has been this overwhelming feelings of emotion and how it has changed throughout. There has been moments of annoyance, hatred, sadness and joy. I was truly able to get lost in the story, which was nice for a change.

I really did think that this was a great book even though it did take me a little while to get into it properly. But this is a book of how we should all live and how we should all look out of each other and it should be a must read for everyone.

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Really different from my normal choice of book but I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A heartwarming tale of friendship and adventure. I enjoyed the different narrative of this book- the story is told through the eyes of the creatures, animals and birds, giving a really different viewpoint on a story. Fantastic

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I loved this magical novel, which feels like the perfect paean for kindness in the current moment. It was funny, sweet, filled with entertaining characters and, despite the childlike innocence of the story, very profound.

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This is the best book I’ve read in ages! Just what I needed! I was immediately drawn to the cover, such a beautiful simplistic design in the three colours of the French flag.
Paras the inquisitive racehorse, discovers that the gate isn’t fastened and wanders off into champs de mars, there she meets Frida the dog, Raoul the raven, Sid and Nancy the mallard ducks. They meet and make other friends along their journey. A pair of rats, an 8 year old boy called Etienne who is sole carer for his 97 year old grandma, and a few stray grown up humans too.
It’s a heart-warming tale about adventure, friendship, belonging, caring for others and survival. The communication between the animals is so adorable and we get a good insight into their different behaviours and feelings.
I was completely immersed in this magical fairy tale for adults. With everything else that’s going on in the world it was a much needed respite. I love to read about Paris so this was another bonus for me.
A wonderfully written unique book with a happy ending all round! Its left me feeling all fuzzy and warm!
#netgalley #thestraysofparis #janesmiley

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Perestroika (nicknamed Paras) takes advantage of the opportunity to explore away from home when his stable door is left unbolted. This is when his adventures begin! This is a delightful, heartwarming book, a story for children and adults alike, and I loved the theme of friendship that runs all the way through. The story is cleverly told by the different birds and animals, as well as adults and gives it an unusual slant. The very striking cover illustration drew me in before I'd read blurb. Thank you to Jane Smiley, Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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The best book i have read for quite some time!!! I adore books through the eyes of animals. Beautiful story.

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No matter how I tried, I couldn't like the story or the characters. I thought it would be wonderful with all the animals and Paris as the setting, but something was missing. I think it was because the writing was a bit mechanical and there as no magic at all.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Jane Smiley for this ARC. An absolutely beautifully written story. A welcome and much needed change for me as I've read a lot of thrillers of late. Stunning tale told from the animals points of view. I'll certainly never look at a crow the same way again.

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I love a book that steps out of conventional structures. The use of animals to tell the tale is so cleverly done. I think it’s called Anthropomorphism - it’s such an unusual narrative voice, but controlled beautifully, to tell this wonderful tale.

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Jane Smiley is an American Pulitzer prize winning writer and this is a big departure from her normal style of writing. Written through the eyes of a stray dog, a horse and the two ducks and raven they come into contact with, this is a beautiful book about the meaning of love and friendship. Étienne is an 8 year old boy who lives with and cares for his 97 year old blind and deaf great grandmother after the death of his parents. He befriends these Strays of Paris and brings them into the big old rambling house he lives in, (along with a rather adventurous rat!) but how long can they live like that before the real world intrudes? The perfect hopeful book to end a tumultuous year of uncertainty and protests.

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