Book review: The Secret Paris Cinema Club - Nicolas Barreau

Alain Bonnard, the owner of a small art cinema in Paris, is a dyed-in-the-wool nostalgic. In his Cinema Paradis there are no buckets of popcorn, no XXL colas, no Hollywood blockbusters. Alain holds firm to his principles of quality - to show films that bring dreams to life, make people fall in love. And Alain would do anything for his clientele - particularly the mysterious woman in the red coat who, for some time now, has turned up every Wednesday and always sits in row seventeen. What could her story be? Finally one evening Alain plucks up courage to invite the unknown beauty to dinner. But just as the most tender of love stories is getting under way, something happens that turns Alain's life upside down, shoving his little cinema unexpectedly into the public eye. So when the woman in the red coat suddenly vanishes from his life, the cinema owner can't help but wonder if it is more than a coincidence. Taking matters into his own hands, Alain sets off in search of the stranger he has come to love - roll the opening credits for a timeless cinematic romance worthy of the Parisian silver screen!

My opinion.

This is such a wonderful novel. The Secret Paris Cinema Club is a lovely, timeless romance. It reads and feels like an old movie and I loved every page of it. Nicolas Barreau's writing is simply amazing. He takes you to Paris on a wonderful journey along with his main character Alain; an old soul, a dreamer, a romantic.

Everything about this novel is brilliant. The cinema theme, the characters, the writing, the cover... Just marvelous.

Nicolas Barreau makes you believe in love at first sight, in fate and love-meant-to-be. I couldn't help but to sigh dreamily and picture Marion Cotillard in a gorgeous red coat in the city of love.

I highly recommend The Secret Paris Cinema Club to every romantic out there.

 

Big thank you to Quercus for sending me a review copy.

I loved reading The Secret Paris Cinema Club - thank you!!