Synopses & Reviews
After twenty five years of marriage, Annie and Wesley are living the type of elegant, sophisticated life in Paris that many Americans dream about. Their apartment in the Marais district is filled with wonderful food, accomplished friends, and good wine. All of this changes when Wesley loses his job and an attractive, magnetic woman enters their lives. Suddenly the sights, smells and sounds of Paris are cast in a different light, and may never be the same. "In
Capturing Paris, we meet Annie Reed, poet and wife, navigating through a year of upheaval. Through it all, her adopted city of Paris glows, with its abundance of charm, quirks, and moods, all beautifully captured in Katharine Davis's sensitive observations."
--Leslie Pietrzyk, author of Pears on a Willow Tree and A Year and a Day,
"In this graceful and atmospheric first novel, Katharine Davis explores a question that fascinates us all: what if I had chosen differently, when I still had my choices to make? Through Annie's reinvention of herself in a time of flux, we see anew the consequences of deciding to be who we are, and the consequences of questioning all that we have been".
--Carolyn Parkhurst, author of The Dogs of Babel Born in Summit, New Jersey, KATHARINE DAVIS grew up in Europe. For the last thirty years, she has lived in Washington, DC where she has worked at the National Gallery of Art, taught French, written a cooking column for The York Weekly, and raised two children. This is her first novel.
Synopsis
After twenty five years of marriage, Annie and Wesley are living the type of elegant, sophisticated life in Paris that many Americans dream about. Their apartment in the Marais district is filled with wonderful food, accomplished friends, and good wine. All of this changes when Wesley loses his job and an attractive, magnetic woman enters their lives. Suddenly, in Katharine Davis' atmospheric first novel Capturing Paris, the sights, smells and sounds of Paris are cast in a different light, and may never be the same.
Synopsis
After twenty five years of marriage, Annie and Wesley are living the type of elegant, sophisticated life in Paris that many Americans dream about. Their apartment in the Marais district is filled with wonderful food, accomplished friends, and good wine. All of this changes when Wesley loses his job and an attractive, magnetic woman enters their lives. Suddenly, in Katharine Davis' atmospheric first novel Capturing Paris, the sights, smells and sounds of Paris are cast in a different light, and may never be the same.
About the Author
Born in Summit, New Jersey, KATHARINE DAVIS grew up in Europe. For the last thirty years, she has lived in Washington, DC where she has worked at the National Gallery of Art, taught French, written a cooking column for The York Weekly, and raised two children. This is her first novel.
Reading Group Guide
1. Why is Annie more inspired now by her work as a poet, and what factors might be contributing to her success atin mid-life? Is she selfish to want to put her artistic life first?2. Throughout the long, dreary Paris winter what does Annie fear most? What does she want most?
3. Hélène and Céleste, Annies friends, offer her advice when she is confronted with the apparent failure of her marriage. How does that advice influence Annies ultimate decision start a new life in the United States?
4. Is Daphne merely sexually manipulative, selfishly wanting to break up the Reeds marriage? How might her past experiences have contributed to her behavior? Does Daphne bring anything positive to Annie and Wesleys lives?
5. Paul Valmont recognizes Annies artistic potential and offers her a wonderful opportunity. Would Annie have succumbed to an affair with him if Wesley had remained faithful to her? What keeps her from continuing their affair? Why arent Valmont and the intoxicating city of Paris enough to keep her in Europe?
6. What makes Annie want to rebuild her marriage? Will her family and career suffer or prosper from her decision?
7. Annie returns to God House at the end of the book. Why is it important for Annie to see Daphne again?
8. François Naudin captures Paris in photographs and Annie captures the city in her poems. In giving up her life in Paris, what has Annie lost? What has she gained? Ultimately, did she compromise too much?