'Clever, ambitious . . . a smartly structured novel that ratchets up the pace until it's hurtling along as fast as the train itself' – Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam
'Captivating . . . an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller that I couldn't put down' – Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
It is 1895, and turn-of-the-century 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.
'Donoghue's talents are at such glorious heights in this novel' – Heather O'Neill, author of The Capital of Dreams