The Paris Express A Novel

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From Emma Donoghue, the soul-stirring author of Room, comes a breathtaking historical thriller that transforms a real-life catastrophe into an unforgettable literary journey. The Paris Express hurtles readers toward the infamous 1895 Montparnasse station disaster—a moment frozen in time through surreal, haunting photographs that still captivate us today.

Step aboard a train teeming with life: members of parliament racing to cast crucial votes, a medical student desperate to save a dying girl, an anarchist harboring dangerous plans, and travelers from Brittany to Cambodia, each carrying their own secrets and dreams. Donoghue weaves their stories together with her signature alchemy, creating a propulsive narrative that captures the speed, chaos, and electric possibility of the late 19th century.

This is historical fiction at its finest—meticulously researched yet utterly alive, where every passenger becomes a window into a vanishing world. The politics and glamour of Belle Époque Paris pulse through every page, while Donoghue’s masterful prose transforms what could have been a simple disaster story into a meditation on fate, connection, and the fragile threads that bind us.

Perfect for readers who loved The Midnight Library or All the Light We Cannot See, The Paris Express is both a page-turning thriller and a luminous work of literary art. Whether you’re curled up in our shop on a foggy Ogunquit morning or reading by the ocean, this is a journey you won’t want to miss.

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