Loved this book. A train journey to Paris steeped in 1895. So many references to the events of the time and a wonderful cast of characters. Extremely well written with an account that feels you are a fellow passenger. Absolutely compelling and a true masterpiece. This book is truly inspiring and Donoghue is a natural successor to Hilary Mantel for historical fiction.

There is so much in this book that I should have enjoyed it more than I did. There were so many characters and details about the train that I got lost at times. Donoghue had obviously done a lot of research but it didn't translate into interesting story. Unfortunately this one wasn't for me but I would be interested to read future books bu this author.

Sparkling writing and engaging characters being what was a real event back to life again.. each character is depicted fully.. I guess there are many , but each has their own plight and narrative trajectory .. yeah, sure, I had to look back sometimes...but by depicting these many train passengers we get full flavour of the times. And what was truly at stake for each and every one of them that this extraordinary, doomed voyage mattered for all. Truly brought it to life. Exciting.,propulsive journey .. wow ..

Emma Donahue has taken a historical event, a train crash in Paris in 1895, and woven a novel around it. As the train hurtles towards impending disaster, we're given an insight into the daily lives, thoughts and emotions of the many passengers.
Although this was an interesting read, for me, there were too many characters which meant that I didn't really empathise with/care about the characters other than perhaps the pregnant woman who was about to give birth. I did however enjoy the historical content.
I did enjoy the book but far preferred her earlier historical novel set in the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Emma Donoghue’s latest novel “The Paris Express”, left me cold. Based on an infamous 1895 Paris train accident known as ‘The Montparnasse derailment’, it tells the story of the trains journey from Granville in Brittany to Paris. As a result of driver error, the train ended up crossing the concourse and crashing on to the street below which was captured in a series of iconic photographs. On board are an eclectic mix of passengers, sitting in 1st, 2nd and 3rd class carriages. It was difficult to follow who was who, such was the variety of characters and back stories and nine of them were particularly inspiring or interesting. This was just an OK read.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @picadorbooks for this advance copy in return for my honest review. 3 ⭐️

Ever since I read Agatha Christie and the Orient Express, I've loved the romance of trains. And this is set in 1865 on a steam train in France, and written by the author of 'Room' and 'The Pull of Stars', so I couldn't wait to read it.

The Granville to Paris express train is ready to leave. Passengers all have their reasons for travelling, the lives they're leaving behind, the places they're planning to go to, the things they want to do.

One of these passengers this morning is an anarchist determined to make her mark on history.

There's also a little boy travelling alone for the first time, an artist, a statesman and his invalid wife, the railway crew.

How will they all be affected by this journey? How will they be changed by the time they reach their destination?

The journey is doomed. They are all heading to potential disaster.

This book is inspired by a real life rail disaster and there is a sense of foreboding throughout. You turn the pages with an increasing sense of dread and expectation.

Emma Donaghue never fails to surprise and impress me. Her ability to write about different times and cultures is astounding and I am once more in awe. The Paris Express is set in northern France at the tail end of the 19th Century. It is set on a train over the course of just one journey to Paris. Who knew the idea could be so engaging and so beautifully portrayed.
The diverse characters, who provide so many interesting and well written points of view, make the book. (The research was stunning.) From the train engineers and porters, the politicians and families joining the train to attend parliament in Paris, the third-class characters dealing with a woman in labour, I loved them all. The female characters were particularly well received, as they were given a real voice at a time in history when they were often overlooked.
An easy 5 stars from me. Book clubs are going to love this.

This was an interesting book with lots of different characters and sub plots. I found it a little bit hard to settle into, but once I was further in I was drawn in to find out what was going to happen. I especially liked the historical notes at the end which showed how much was based on real people and events.

In ‘The Paris Express’ Emma Donoghue takes a real life rail crash and fictionally explores the event and the lives of the rail workers and passangers. Drawing on records from the time and her own imagination, she brings a large number of characters to life, providing snapshots of each of them along the journey.

Initially, I found the array of characters and names confusing, but as the novel went on I felt this ensemble piece worked extremely well. The drama and uncertainty over the crash built up, and as a reader I truly cared about what happened and how it happened. Donoghue brings the characters brilliantly to life, with all their drives and motivations. I also enjoyed being able to look up the mentioned artists and see their work, as well as the real reports of the crash. After reading one or two novels of Donoghue’s I was less keen on, this one really hit the spot.

This was such a thrilling ride from the beginning to the end. I was devastated by the end and my heart broke for the tragedy that took place in real life. The book is really well written, with multiple pov.

Based on the true story of the Montparnasse derailment in 1895 this is a beautifully written story with multiple characters. Precisely researched, I was fascinated by the exploration of the French society of the time. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A very slow burn with lots of fascinating historical detail about the politics of the time, the poverty of the masses and the operation of the Paris Express. There's a large cast of characters with intriguing vignettes but not enough to get really engrossed. Slow at times but beautifully written.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue is a historical novel set on an express train traveling from Grenville to Paris in 1895, on the fateful day of its tragic crash. The story unfolds through a diverse cast of characters, including a young boy, an anarchist with a sinister agenda, and many others. For the first 50 pages, the author sets the stage, introducing us to the characters. I found the start very slow-burn, but I was glad I pushed through.

One of the novel's strengths is its vibrant cast, with each character possessing distinct personalities and agendas. As the train inches closer to Paris, the tension steadily escalates, leading to a compelling end. The author also includes a detailed historical afterword, shedding light on the real-life events that inspired the story, which highlights the meticulous research that she has done.

Overall, my reading experience was mixed. While I appreciated the strong writing, the large cast made it difficult for me to fully connect with any single character. That said, The writing was really good, making me want to read more from the author.

I enjoyed this book and it kept me gripped until the end. I liked the setting, that was on a train traveling to Paris in 1895. This novel was inspired by a real train disaster and that made it more 'authentic'. The characters were beautifully engaging. This book was atmospheric, the pace often reflected the train journey itself. Is it a mystery, a love story or a historical novel? I think all three at different times. I do like the books by this author and I eagerly await more.

This is a fun historical read, filled with a vast array of characters who all add depth and interest to the narrative. Examining the political and social unrest of the time, the Paris Express manages to encapsulate the hopes and desires of a disparate group of travellers. Although a work of fiction, the research into the actual eventful journey is woven nicely through to provide a sense of reality and suspense.

The differing narrative threads are well managed and interwined with ease, providing you with a sense of being on the train. beautifully written and well paced.

I can still feel the train rocking! Emma Donoghue takes us on a journey in more ways than one as we follow the Paris Express from Normandy to well, Paris. The focus is on Mado, an angry young budding anarchist and the contents of her lunch pail but we get to know so many more of the passengers and crew intimately, and that is the author’s art. As with her other novels, you are transported completely in terms of time and place by way of the lives of the characters. So many themes are touched upon - racism, homosexuality, the advent of film, industry, transport, liberal France, engineering, medicine - so much was happening at the end of the 1800s and this book and its relatively short train journey manages to encapsulate it all. I did not realise until the end that the basis of the story was a real event (and not one that you are expecting at that!) and that some of the characters are based upon real people. The pace gathers speed as the journey progresses, much like the train itself and I found it hard to put down. Having got to know everyone so well, it is a cruel awakening to remember that at the end of the journey they will all go their separate ways and much like any book (or train journey) you are left pondering ‘I wonder what they are doing now?’. The beauty here is that in the epilogue we do learn what became of some of them, or at least a version of them.

'The Paris Express' is centred on a (real-life) train journey from Granville to Paris on 22 October 1895. The author Emma Donaghue peoples her novel with the actual train staff, as well as several of the passengers, plus other real people alive at the time ("plausible guests" she terms them).
She has certainly done her background research, but never lets this overwhelm the narrative.
The author is skilled in bringing each person to life, and imbuing them with their own characteristics and motivations for their behaviour - including a young female anarchist who is determined to blow up the train and cause death and destruction...
Whether she succeeds is played out in the midst of other passengers' trials and tribulations, as this gripping and readable novel steams ever onward to its dramatic dénouement.
A very enjoyable read.

I asked for this title as I enjoyed 'Room' so much. I didn't think this was as good, mainly because there were far too many characters, so it was impossible to get to know any of them enough to engage with them. I found that I frequently forgot who people were and why they were travelling and think it would have been better to concentrate on a few in more detail. Interesting that it was based on a real event, which must have been astonishing at the time.

This book took a few chapters to set the scene of all the characters on the train. I really didn't know what to expect. The author slowly reels you into the story expanding and elaborating to paint the whole picture. Then wham!, the horror of the bomb on the train with a human detonator. Unbeknown to the passengers, there are 2 problems, the bomb and the train itself. It was a thrilling book and the author kept me guessing of the final outcome right until the very end. I researched the story and a steam train did burst off the tracks in Paris with one fatality. A brilliant idea for a story.

*The Paris Express* by Emma Donoghue is a compelling and atmospheric novella that takes readers on a tense, intimate journey through a single night in Paris, navigating themes of loss, identity, and the unexpected ways our lives intersect. Though relatively short, the story leaves a lasting impression thanks to Donoghue's trademark skill in capturing complex emotions in confined spaces.

The novella is set entirely on the Paris Métro, specifically the Paris Express (Line 4), which becomes the stage for an unlikely encounter between two women from very different walks of life. The narrative is structured in a way that combines both suspense and emotional depth, as the women are thrown together in a confined, somewhat claustrophobic space—a metaphor for their emotional and psychological states.

**Plot and Characters**
The story revolves around two primary characters: **Olivia**, an English tourist on her way to a memorial service for her recently-deceased husband, and **Maud**, a Parisian woman of a certain age who is struggling with her own personal crises. Their lives intersect in the course of a tense, brief conversation during the train ride, and the connection they form becomes the heart of the story.

What makes this encounter especially riveting is the complex layers of both women's lives, revealed slowly through dialogue and internal monologue. The poignancy of their brief interaction is heightened by the unspoken bond that forms between them, as both are dealing with loss—Olivia’s more immediate, and Maud’s more lingering. The way Donoghue weaves their backstories and emotional states into the train ride creates a powerful sense of intimacy and urgency.

**Themes**
One of the central themes of *The Paris Express* is the idea of fleeting connections between strangers. It captures that moment when two people, whether by accident or design, touch each other's lives in a way that leaves a lasting impact. The setting of the subway—the ordinary, often impersonal environment—is an interesting choice, as it emphasizes the contrast between the mundane surroundings and the depth of the emotional encounter.

Another major theme is the idea of grief and the way it manifests differently in people. Olivia's grief is fresh, raw, and public, whereas Maud's grief is more internalized and complex, the kind that builds over years. Donoghue explores the ways that people carry loss with them, how it changes them, and how the presence of another person—even a fleeting encounter—can alter one's emotional course.

**Writing Style**
Donoghue’s writing is as precise and evocative as ever. She has an extraordinary ability to take seemingly ordinary moments and imbue them with significance. The confined space of the train, the muted background noises of the city, and the pulse of the train’s movement all serve as metaphors for the inner turbulence the characters experience. There's a quiet, almost hypnotic quality to the writing that builds tension without ever feeling rushed or forced.

**Final Thoughts**
*The Paris Express* is a beautiful, melancholic meditation on grief, connection, and the small yet significant moments that can change our lives. Donoghue’s ability to create an emotional arc within the span of such a brief time frame is impressive, and the novella is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. Though it's a short read, it’s one that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. Fans of Donoghue’s other works, particularly her knack for writing characters in emotionally complex situations, will find much to admire here.

In summary, *The Paris Express* is a poignant and atmospheric novella that explores the delicate ways people navigate personal pain and unexpected moments of connection. Emma Donoghue excels at bringing depth to the briefest encounters, and this story is no exception.