Loosely based on Eugene Onegin by Pushkin, IN PARIS WITH YOU by Clementine Beauvais
(translated from French by Sam Taylor) is a second-chance love story
of sorts, with a heartbreaking and enlightening meeting between two
people who knew each other long ago... Will this chance encounter
lead to something more?
Ten years ago, Eugene and Tatiana met when Eugene was visiting his
friends, Lensky and Olga. Olga's younger sister, Tatiana, is immediately
smitten with Eugene, who is a few years older, incredibly cool, and very
handsome. Eugene initially finds Tatiana annoying and too young. Even
when a tragedy affects both of them, Eugene is still cold and unfeeling
toward Tatiana, and she never forgets his cruel behavior...
So when Eugene and Tatiana see each other on the metro in Paris ten
years later, they are both surprised and intrigued by each other.
Tatiana, now studying to get her Ph.D. in art history, has grown into an
interesting and quirky young woman. Eugene is still slow to reveal his
feelings, but he has matured, and he's immediately taken with Tatiana.
But will the tragic events of their past prevent them from finally being
together?
IN PARIS WITH YOU by
Clementine Beauvais is a unique second-chance love story. Told
completely in verse, it took me a while to fully get into the story. Once I
was used to it, I enjoyed the cadence and writing style, which made it a
quick read. Tatiana was an eccentric and fun character, but at times it
felt like she was still a teenager, even in the present-day storyline.
Eugene was a tough character to become fully invested in - his harsh
actions as a teenager were difficult to understand, and when he's an
adult, he becomes almost obsessed with Tatiana. These things aside, I
did like the overall story as well as reading in a form I normally do not. I
found that I wanted to know what happened, and while the ending was
unexpected and will no doubt be polarizing, I thought it made sense
and was well done.
For fans of Eleanor & Park and Emergency Contact comes a sweeping romance about the love that got away. Eugene and Tatiana could have fallen in love, if things had gone differently. If they had tried to really know each other, if it had just been them, and not the others. But that was years ago and time has found them far apart, leading separate lives. Until they meet again in Paris. What really happened back then? And now? Could they ever be together again, after everything?
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