Book review: The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

Genre: Historical fiction

Release date: March 18, 2025

Goodreads rating: 3.57

My rating: 3.5

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I have been looking forward to delving into The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue since learning is was expected. I had never heard of the 1895 Montparnasse train derailment so was curious to go into this story blind and learn about it through these fictional characters. For this reason, I was expecting the story to revolve mostly around the crash and its repercussions but in reality, I think it’s important for readers to know that the story focusses primarily on the lead-up to the incident.

Throughout the pages, Donoghue introduces us to a wide cast of character through whom she does an excellent job of capturing the time period. She immerses the reader into the politics, social conditions, technological discoveries, and human rights issues of the day. The amount of research that must have gone into writing this book is phenomenal, and I think readers who want to learn more about France during this timeframe will adore this book.

Because the story is inspired by some of the real people who were on the train in 1895, I was surprised to realize—in the afterword—the number of historically-significant people who were onboard… influencers who left their mark on the arts, the transportation industry, cinema, scientific research and more. Because the cast of characters is so large (and a bit hard to keep track of at times) I think I would have enjoyed this being highlighted in some way early in the book, to help me hone in on the key characters earlier in the story. I really enjoyed the afterword, in which I learned more about their real life outcomes and achievements, so would have loved for the book to include a bit more of how the characters experienced the tragic accident, and the ‘after’.

I always wait impatiently for Emma Donoghue books and am very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.