13, rue Thérèse: A Novel

I only finished this book because it was so short.

The story itself seems straightforward: a visiting professor at a Paris university find a box of mementos in his office from a woman's life between the world wars. He attempts to understand her by delving into the letters and trinkets contained in the box, weaving together a story of her life, while simultaneously falling for his secretary, the woman responsible for placing the box in his office.

So why did I dislike this book so much?

The biggest reason is that it was confusing. Without giving too much away, I would describe 13, rue Thérèse (author: Elena Mauli Shapiro) as The Time Traveler's Wife meets The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society meets The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. A little time travel, a little correspondence, and high-quality photos of letters, postcards, and photographs. Your standard novel, right? It just didn't mesh for me and, worse, it felt gimmicky. None of the characters - from either the present or the past - seemed well-developed to me (which meant I cared not a whit what happened to any of them) and 1920s Paris made hardly even a cameo appearance. A number of relationships, such as the one between Louise and her piano student, Garance, could have been developed in a way that would at least engage the reader. Instead, we know (barely) that these people existed, then in one way or another that they disappeared.

To whom would I recommend this book? Sorry, but no one. If you want 1920s Paris, The Paris Wife (one of my favorite reads last year) is the way to go. If it's purely fiction you're after, I'd suggest the aforementioned Guernsey. In any case, I just can't recommend this book.