Paris, France, late 1800s/early 1900s. Meet Octavio, his family runs the Notre-Dame Bakery and there is Isabeau, whose family who is in fashion. Reading this story felt like a bakery weaving an artisan bread together or an artist painting showing spotlights of each other's lives and how their life paths come to fruition. Love how the author describes colours and references to books throughout the story of searching for oneself, friendship, forgiveness and love.

This novel, moves between several characters and between time, but is all set in the city of light, Paris. I have read his first novel The End of the Alphabet, and enjoyed it, so made sure I bought this one when I learned he was going to be speaking at our library. This is a story of an illiterate baker, Octavio, one I suspect has a reading challenge like dyslexia, and of a woman who loves to read, Isabeau. It starts, however with their parents. Octavio's father Emile has similar reading challenges to him, and a reputation as the thinnest baker in Paris. The meeting between Emile and his wife has become a legend in their neighbourhood, repeated often. Octavio's arrival changed the dynamic between his parents, and Emile's war experience in the Great War changed that further. Isabeau's parents were also small business people, creating fashionable clothing for the middle class. After a childhood accident, Isabeau's mother became protective and limited her interaction with the outside world, but Isabeau found that her love of the pictures of the Louvre has led to her independent life. Self-conscious and shy, Isabeau lives a life of intelligence and imagination, and Octavio's storytelling draws her attention. Besides these main characters, there are several supporting characters who have a role bringing these two together. Each has their own story, tied to the city and their interaction with it. I loved the way this story moved around, giving hints and leading you further and further into the lives of the characters.

Good book although it did not quite live up to the publicity. Too many characters in such a short book.

I made the mistake of reading this book in bits and pieces until finally cracking down and inhaling the second half. I think this is why the book got so much better for me as I continued to read so my advice would be to take some time and allow yourself to engage with the book. The characters are vivid without slowing the pace of the narrative and the historical setting is nicely captured though not neccessary as The Emperor of Paris is a truly timeless tale.

This is a jewel of a book that weaves together the lives of many characters with small links and insights. You can see them getting closer and closer and you are holding your breath waiting for them to intersect. Wonderful.