''A Paris Apartment'' is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by Michelle Gable. Set in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the book follows a

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

auctioneer who discovers a wide range of antiques and collectibles in an apartment that had been locked for 70 years. It was first published by

Thomas Dunne Books Thomas Dunne Books was an imprint of St. Martin's Press, which is a division of Macmillan Publishers. From 1986 until April 2020, it published popular trade fiction and nonfiction. History The imprint signed David Irving, a scholar, for a Joseph ...

for

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

in 2014 and eventually appeared on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in 2016 and is a ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' bestseller.

Background

Gable began writing the novel in 2010 after her agent told her about a real-life apartment in Paris that had been locked up for 70 years. Although based on actual events, the story about the Sotheby's employee's involvement with the apartment is fictionalized. Prior to writing the novel, Gable spent four months researching the apartment, the time period, and the apartment's former owner, Marthe de Florian.

Summary

The main plot of the novel revolves around April Vogt, a Sotheby's auctioneer who is tasked with assessing and selling rare antiques and collectibles found in an apartment in Paris that had been locked and unoccupied for the previous 70 years. The apartment is only opened after an heir to Marthe de Florian, the former owner, passes away. The narrative alternates between modern day and the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries. The past storyline revolves around Marthe's diary entries while the present storyline follows April's quest to find the history behind the apartment's accoutrements. One particular item of interest for April is a portrait of Marthe painted by

Giovanni Boldini Giovanni Boldini (31 December 1842 – 11 January 1931) was an Italian genre and portrait painter who lived and worked in Paris for most of his career. According to a 1933 article in ''Time'' magazine, he was known as the "Master of Swish" beca ...

. As a result of her research, April becomes increasingly fascinated with Marthe, Boldini, and the contents of the apartment. She also re-evaluates her position in a disappointing marriage and considers staying in Paris with a potential love interest.

Historical figures

Throughout the novel, Vogt reads pages from de Florian's diaries that reference her life during the

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

, including her friendships, rivalries, and romances with various historical figures including

Jeanne Hugo Léopoldine Clémence Adèle Lucie Jeanne Hugo (; 29 September 1869 – 30 November 1941) was a Belgian-born French heiress and socialite during La Belle Époque. She was a granddaughter of French novelist, poet, and politician Victor Hugo. As an ...

Léon Daudet Léon Daudet (; 16 November 1867 – 2 July 1942) was a French journalist, writer, an active monarchist, and a member of the Académie Goncourt. Move to the right Daudet was born in Paris. His father was the novelist Alphonse Daudet, his m ...

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot, better known in France as Commandant Charcot, (15 July 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris – 16 September 1936 at sea (30 miles north-west of Reykjavik, Iceland), was a French scientist, medical doctor ...

Robert de Montesquiou The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

, and

Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria Duchess Sophie Charlotte Auguste in Bavaria (22 February 1847 – 4 May 1897) was a granddaughter-in-law of King Louis Philippe of France, the youngest sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and fiancée of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. L ...

Reception

The book received generally favorable reviews. The blog, MomAdvice.com, called it a "fun summer

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

escape to Paris." The

Historical Novel Society The Historical Novel Society (HNS) is a nonprofit international literary society devoted to promotion of and advocacy for the genre of historical fiction. Definition of historical fiction There are varying definitions as to what types of literat ...

noted that it was a "charming read about a fascinating history and the woman behind it." The ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' called it a "stunning and fascinating debut

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

will capture the interest of a wide audience." The book became a ''New York Times'' bestseller in January 2016 and is a ''USA Today'' bestseller.

References

External links

A Paris ApartmentMichelle Gable official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris Apartment, A 2014 American novels Novels set in Paris Thomas Dunne Books books