I started this ARC in (digital) print but wasn‘t drawn in so switched to audio. The audio was much better, although there were too many characters so it was difficult to get to know / care about some of them.

The storyline had me gripped though, and I was desperate to find out the ending.

However, I‘m also slightly disappointed as I expected more (something quirky, unusual or clever) from this author and this felt like a fairly standard HF.

3.5 stars

Wonderful Emma does it again! Never disappoints and always with such relatable and genuine characters! I loved the pace and the thrills thanks for sharing!!

The Parisian setting the evocative era of dramatic change and the turmoil of the clashing classes… amazing

There's a really famous photo of a train accident at Paris Montparnasse station in 1895 - in it, the steam engine of the train has overshot the end of the line and is hanging out of the station through the giant glass windows. It's an arresting image and one that Emma Donoghue has taken as the inspiration for her new book. Who was on that train, speeding unknowingly towards the derailment?

The book is very fragmented, skipping between lots of characters on the train across all the classes, including the railway staff. At first, I found this quite hard to follow, especially remembering who everyone was and how they all fitted together. However, after a while, it all came together and I started to find the characters engaging. It's a true slice of late 19th century French life, from the train guards and stokers to high-ranking political figures, from the wealthy invalid in her own carriage to the young terrorist, from the schoolboy to the pregnant woman nearing her due date, the coffee seller to the woman aspiring to be a doctor. As is Donoghue's tendency, there is a feminist slant to some of the stories - and it is the women who are often the strongest or the most visionary (something I like about her writing).

As well as basing the events on a real incident, Donoghue's cast includes real people too - and this is all explained in the author's note at the end. Fans of historical fiction will find a lot to enjoy here - the historical detail is pin-sharp and vivid, from the heat and steam of the engine footplate to the claustrophobic quiet of the private carriage for the sick woman.

It's an immersive book if you can allow yourself to go with the narrative, switching between people and carriages frequently. I definitely enjoyed learning about the people, the time period and the incident itself and would recommend it to anyone who likes thought-provoking and intense reads. There's certainly a lot of tension as the train hurtles towards its final destination with the passengers unaware of what's coming.

This story takes place on board the Granville - Paris express train in the 1890s. Based on a true story and featuring some real characters, the book takes us through the trains journey and its tragic end.
There is a plethora of characters here and in its different class divisions gives us an insight into society at that time and maybe indeed to this day.
It is well written and characters well developed for the most part, however I found there was just too many people and carriages and with an emphasis on the negative aspects of their characters I found myself wishing the train would just crash and be done with it.

Worth a read but not this author’s best work.

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk for this DRC in exchange for this honest review.

The Paris Express is based on the true incident of the 1895 Paris rail derailment. The novel follows a cast of characters as they make their fateful journey to Paris not knowing the tragedy that awaits them.

This was a really interesting novel with the mix of fact and fiction. I really enjoyed learning about the cast of characters before the horror of the derailment. I hadn't heard a about this incident before so it was fascinating to learn more about this incident.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this book. Very slow pace and lots of different characters. Yes, the build up to the climax was hood but , I did find it a little too slow. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This title is a very interesting take on a railway disaster that occurred in Paris in the 1890s. The author inserts characters into the story in a way that builds a very complete picture of the scene, and manages to portray a lot despite the relative confinements of a railway carriage.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue offers an evocative setting and rich historical detail, but for me faltered in narrative cohesion and emotional depth, making it a struggle to keep track of the many characters. Donogue’s prose is characteristically elegant, and I like that she tethered the narrative to actual people and events. However, the plot meanders, occasionally losing momentum, and key character motivations felt underdeveloped. While the novel attempts to grapple with themes of loyalty, identity, and survival, it doesn’t quite achieve the emotional resonance I’ve come to expect from Donoghue. Still, fans of historical fiction may find value in its vivid setting and glimpses of resilience amidst chaos, even if the story lacks lasting impact.

This story is a fictional account of a real event that centres around a train journey from Granville to Paris in 1895. Some of the characters were actually on that journey, whilst others are purely fictional. Many characters are brought to life in this excellent novel - including the train crew, an artist, politicians, a young boy travelling alone but most importantly a young women who carries a bomb on to the train. As the train goes on its journey the characters are developed and the story moves along at a good pace.
An enjoyable novel that had me hooked.

Set aboard the Granville - Paris express train on the poignant day of October 22, 1895, this heartfelt story unfolds within the elegant confines of a train journeying toward Paris. Among the passengers are a diverse array of characters, each with their own hopes and dreams: a tight-knit crew bonded by shared experiences, dignified politicians accompanied by their stylish partners, prosperous industrialists reveling in their successes, and artists searching for inspiration as the train hums along its route. While the atmosphere is lively and vibrant, a young woman sits quietly among the crowd, carrying a heavy secret. She is a troubled soul with a dangerous mission, seeking to create chaos in the lives of those blissfully aboard.

As the story gracefully unfolds in the moments leading up to the tragic disaster, it poignantly captures the heartaches and fears surrounding the train’s eventual derailment. Readers are introduced to various social classes, each enjoying their own forms of comfort and happiness, yet completely unaware of the looming peril. The risks associated with train travel during this era are brought to life, adding a palpable tension to the serene setting.

Drawing inspiration from a true event, the author meticulously weaves in mostly real-life characters, some of whom genuinely journeyed on that ill-fated train, while others are compassionate creations that enhance the narrative’s richness. As I delved into the lives of these individuals, I found myself deeply moved by their stories, supported by the author’s thoughtful notes that illuminated their historical relevance and brought their struggles to light.

This takes place on board the Granville - Paris express train on 22nd October 1895. On board are, amongst others, the crew who have built a life together riding the tracks, several politicians and their partners, industrialists, artists, children, a young woman with a secret, and an anarchist who means to cause harm to the train and those on board. The book counts down to the tragic end of their journey and the train's derailment, along with the causes of the tragedy. It also tells some of the story of those on board, in their separate social, and train, classes travelling to Paris and unaware of the danger that they're in, and the perils of train travel at that time.

This book was based on a real event, with mostly real-life characters. Some of them really were on that train, and others could conceivably have been on that journey. I really enjoyed finding out about this event and some of the people, as I looked them up as I read along, as well as from the author's note which provides additional information about them.

I did find the book slow to start with, along with a lot of characters in different compartments to try and keep track of. I think the book would've benefitted from a map of the compartments on the train, and who was in them. However this was definitely a story-driven book, and it picked up pace as the book and the journey progressed, and I found myself enjoying it and completely hooked by the end. I would recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction, or books set on trains.

Emma Donoghue puts you on a train full of strangers, secrets, and slow-burning dread... If you like your historical fiction claustrophobic, character-driven, and quietly feral, 'The Paris Express' is the perfect choice. If 'Room' and 'The Pull of Stars' gutted you, 'The Paris Express' wraps that same emotional tension in smoke, steel, and 1895 politics. Donoghue's writing is restrained but piercing - she never wastes a word but manages to make every moment thrum with dread and intimacy. This is a historical ride with hidden hearts and quiet rebellion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me the ARC in exchange for this review, I rated this book 4 stars.

There is a feeling of tension that is brought by the way each chapter is a new stop and we know something bad is going to happen but the passangers are not aware of this, their obliviousness raising the stakes. What I think Emma Donoghue does really well is build characters in a really short space of time. Each of her characters represents something to do with class, gender or science and art in the fin de siecle, the cultural and social mores and the rapid changing of the world at this time period, but none of them feel like just stand ins, they are all fleshed out and idiosyncratic. I also like the tone of this book, there is the tension but there is also a tongue in cheek, rye take on things, the tone feels like it is affectionately mocking most of the people in the book, kind of reminding me of Agatha Christie, which makes this a fun read.

A mixed bag that is based on the 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station. Emma weaved together fiction and fact in a way that made me very curious as to the going ons in society during this time period.

While the plot was slow at times, the characters who were difficult to keep up with initially, kept me going with all their quirks and conversations.

While this wasn’t my favourite historical fiction, I learnt something new as I had never heard of this train crash before.

An ill fated train and its raft of passengers and crew are the centrepiece of this novel - based on a true train crash and with a lot of feasible real people who weren’t necessarily on the real train but are inserted here for plausible extra storylines - I didn’t keep track but we read from the perspectives of circa twenty different people, I would say - as well as briefly hearing from the train itself. I was honestly pretty bored by this book for most of the way through, there was too much hopping about to get emotionally invested in anything, but by the end I had just about become sufficiently engaged with the motley crew of characters to enjoy the ending. It’s a strange one though because you are literally reading about one day in their lives, and for most of the characters it amounts to nothing more than a momentary excitement, as it was also to the newspapers of the world; but doesn’t have too much in the way of profound effect, with a couple of exceptions, one being the character of Mado. What I found more profound was reading the endnote and finding out how short lived many of the characters real lives were after the crash - it’s quite an assemblage. I’m not really sure this novel worked for me.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Pan Macmillan, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Emma Donoghue’s book Room and was excited to read her new book The Paris Express. I didn’t realise this was a historical thriller so was very different to her previous book I had read.

It took me a while to get into the book but I enjoyed it in the end- it follows a train derailment from 1985 in France. I found the characters interesting although there was a lot of characters to get my head around but the authors note at the end made it make a lot of sense.

I'm a massive fan of Emma's books and The Pull of the Stars was one of my top 10 favourites from last year so I can't even tell you how excited I was to receive this to read!

Intrigued? Here's what the book is about ⬇️

It is 1895, and Paris is as chaotic as it is glamorous. Industry and invention have created ever greater wealth and terrible poverty. One autumn morning, an anarchist boards the Granville to Paris express train, determined to make her mark on history.

Aboard the train are others from across the globe: the railway crew who have built a life together away from their wives, a little boy travelling alone for the first time, an artist far from home, a wealthy statesman and his invalid wife, and a young woman with a secret hidden under her dress.

All their fates are bound together as the train speeds towards the City of Light . . .

Inspired by a famous rail disaster, The Paris Express is a thrilling ride and a literary masterpiece that evokes an era not so different from our own.

Absolutely loved! Full of mystery, heartbreak and humanity. We already know what to expect but I still found myself shocked all the way through and hooked. Definitely recommend!

Many thanks to the author, Emma Donoghue, Netgalley, and Pan Macmillan for a digital ARC of The Paris Express, which was published on 20 March.
Based on a real incident in 1895, the story follows the train from its first stop in Brittany through to the terminus point in Montparnasse station, delving into the lives of the passengers on the train. The ensemble cast is skilfully handled, and as a reader, you get a sense of everyone’s characters and the key concerns of their lives at that time. The author weaves in real-life figures with invented characters, and they represent a cross-section of society too. We follow deputies returning to Paris for the new parliamentary section; a young girl who is afflicted with a mysterious illness; the Irish writer, JM Synge; a schoolboy who is travelling by himself for the first time...and an anarchist who dreams of inciting a new revolution. The pacing of the story is very clever and follows the train’s movements, beginning slowly and building an unstoppable momentum towards its climax.
While the book was very enjoyable and I found myself swept up in the story, I also expected more from the author in terms of style (it’s pretty nondescript), particularly as she’s marketed as being a literary writer. However, I would still recommend it, especially if you’re travelling yourself, or just looking for a story in which you can get wrapped up in for a few hours.

This book was such a joy - charming, transportive, moving and immersive. Set across a mere 6 hours on a train journey to Paris in 1895, this reliably well-crafted novel introduces the reader to a rich cast of intriguing characters, as well as a country (and world) on the precipice of immense change. Poignant and masterfully told, this is a total triumph.

A historical novel that follows the journey of the Paris Monparnasse express and its fateful journal from Granville Normandy in 1895. The story takes place on the train and explores the lives of the passengers as they embark on their journey. The characters were wide ranging and from all walks of life and I found their stories fascinating. However the story did jump around a bit and with so many characters I sometimes found it a little confusing, but overall a really enjoyable novel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.