Perestroika in Paris:A Novel by Jane Smiley- 2020

 Perestroika in Paris : A Novel by Jane Smiley - 2020 - 267 Pages- A Fable of a Horse, a Dog, a Raven and a Rat in Paris in 2004

This is part of my Participation in Paris in July 2023

https://wordsandpeace.com/

"captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals—and a young boy—whose lives intersect in Paris in this "feel-good escape” (The New York Times).

Paras, short for "Perestroika," is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and—she's a curious filly—wanders all the way to the City of Light. She's dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn't afraid.

Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city's lush green spaces, nourished by Frida's strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion.

As the cold weather nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself? Jane Smiley's beguiling new novel is itself an adventure that celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the desire of all creatures for true love and freedom" - from the Publisher

In April I read a short story by Jane Smiley, "The Hillside"

Here are a portion of my remarks:

The Hillside" is kind of like a post apocalyptic fairy tale in which humans have been reduced to an uncivilised states supervised by intelligent animals. The setting is far in the future."Many younger horses refused to believe that there had ever been all-knowing and all-powerful humans who could rule horses, or cats, or fly through the air or destroy everything around them. They laughed at the old believers.

When I saw that her best selling novel Perestroika in Paris, also a Fable focusing on animals was for sale for $2.95 I acquired it. (The sale is over, it is now $13.95)

I found this work entertaining and gave me a feel for Paris from an animals point of view. (Cat lovers like me will not like how cats are treated,ok we do see them from a rat's point of view.)

Some Parisians are nice to the dog, kind of the brains of the group, others are potentially dangerous. 

I enjoyed this book.  

Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and, most recently, The Last Hundred Years Trilogy: Some Luck, Early Warning, and Golden Age. She is also the author of several works of nonfiction and books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California 

Mel Ulm