Summary of The House in Paris
“The House in Paris” is a psychological novel that unfolds over the course of a single day in the lives of two young children, Henrietta and Leopold, who meet by chance in a house in Paris shortly after the First World War. Henrietta is on her way to visit her grandmother on the French Riviera, while the sensitive little Leopold is about to meet his mother for the very first time. The novel recounts what happens in the house the day the children meet, and jumps back to the past, revealing the story of Leopold’s parents and their tense relationship with the owners of the house.
Reasons to read The House in Paris
“The House in Paris” is a compelling and intricately plotted novel about love, betrayal, motherhood, and the unreliability of memory, set within the confines of a Parisian house whose atmosphere feels unwelcoming to the children. Elizabeth Bowen was a celebrated Anglo-Irish novelist, though her work is often underappreciated today. Her best-known novels include “The Last September”, “The Heat of the Day”, “The House in Paris”, and “The Death of the Heart”.
Setting: Paris (France)
Original title: The House in Paris
Year of publication: 1935
Nr of pages: 228
