Jane Smiley opened my mind about horses and their personalities. I continue to feel that her novel “Horse Heaven” is one of my all-time favorites. For me, that novel is a 10-star novel.So, upon seeing her newly released novel, “Perestroika in Paris” which is also about a horse, I immediately pre-purchased it. What Smiley does perfectly is write about the minds and personalities of horses, and in this case, many animals. For those of you who have noticed birds yapping away before they fly south f...

No long review here. The synopsis gives the gist of the story. Jane Smiley is one of my favorite authors. This novel is to be read slowly and savored like comfort food, a delight for passing the winter season.

Charming, but my heart still belongs to Justa Bob.

Delightful light fantasy-adventure of a curious filly footloose in Paris, and her animal (and human) friends. Read the publisher's blurb first, which will get you up to speed. The animals can talk to each other, but not to the humans. If you are feeling low and a bit blue, this is the perfect pickup. Nothing bad happens, the animals are all sweethearts, the people are kind. And the storytelling is first-rate.My favorite review here is Richard Seltzer's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."....

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.A marvelous, fantastical read, Perestroika in Paris needs to become an instant classic. This book has, by leaps and bounds, surpassed anything else I have read so far this year!I've never read a Jane Smiley novel, but I am so glad I was able to get my hands on this one. A fun, magical, wholesome story about a very special bond between an old woman, a young boy, and the animals he befriends.Perestroika - Paras, for s...

A horse, a dog, a raven, a pair of mallards, and a pair of rats survive and thrive on their own in downtown Paris. All of them can talk to and understand one another. All of them can understand what people say. But people can't understand them. Their view of the world is childlike and naive. They muddle along thanks to good luck and the sympathetic good will of the people they encounter, especially an eight-year-old boy. This isn't an allegory or a fable, like Aesop, Animal Farm, or Watership Do...

Talking animals book for adults? Okay... That was my initial thought. But because I have a friend who is an absolute horse-lover I got her this book. She also enjoys cozy, and whimsical reads so maybe Perestroika in Paris would be a good book ...Later I saw this on our library overdrive and decided to borrow it and yup, this is such a great story of friendship through differences. Charming with Paris setting and uplifting. It's a wonderful read especially during this time of year. I can see chil...

Perestroika (Paras for short) discovers an unlatched stall and ventures out to find out if the grass really is greener in other parts of Paris. She meanders into a park near the Eiffel Tower and her period of freedom begins. Along with her are Frida (a dog), Roux (a raven), and Sid and Nancy (the Mallard couple). Frida is smart enough to know what to do with the euros in the purse Paras brings along. Roux pontificates at length on a variety of subjects. Eventually they go home with a boy who liv...

Such a delightful book and such a pleasure to read something so positive and uplifting. I'm passing it on to my 10-year-old grandson as it's a book for all ages. Most highly recommended.

It's been many years since author Jane Smiley, whose 1991 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award bestseller "A Thousand Acres," has been in my book radar. What a Big Treat it was to discover that not only has Jane Smiley published a new novel to share with her fan base, she's written a story with delightfully unique voices who have a timely message to share with the world. From page one and through the last page, I found myself utterly hooked, falling head over heels in love with

Due to the characters being animals mixed with several people, it's heart warming but a bit flat. Following a thoroughbred mare, a dog, raven and ducks who speak with one another while making their way around Paris, it becomes repetitious at times. I'd hoped for something similar to the Art of Racing in the Rain, but failed to get it. She's a gifted writer with a great imagination, but the pace, plot and characters are a bit dull.

This novel made me feel like a child reading a fairy tale, in a good way. To enjoy it, you'll need to suspend all disbelief. It reminds me of Dr. Doolittle. If you're looking for some nice light reading where animals talk and 8-year-old boys can take care of themselves, this book is for you. If a dog carrying a purse with money into a grocer's and buying food seems too far-fetched, you're better off skipping this one.

This book needs to be a Hayao Miyazaki anime asap! It's a studio Ghibli movie in a book form.This is a very sweet story about friendship, found family and kindness.We have a titular very curious filly Paras, smart suspicious dog Frida, who is grieving the death of her human and pompous wise raven Raoul. There's also a young rat Kurt who just wants to find a mate. And we have also 8 year old boy Etienne, who lives with his blind and deaf great-grandmother. And every person around them is kind and...

I feel this fantasy is destined to become a classic. A French racehorse, Perestroika, aka Paras, curious to see the outside world, leaves her stall and escapes to Paris, where she lives for a time, becoming friends with critters [Frida, a dog who instructs the naïve horse about life in the outside world; a bossy though well-meaning raven, Raoul; a duck couple raising a family; Kurt, a rat pining for a mate;] and sympathetic humans, including Etienne, an 8- year-old boy and his nearly 100-year-ol...

This is the perfect book to help you escape the world today. Delightful story with lovable and charming characters-an adventurous racehorse, a lonely dog, a know-it-all raven, a pair of ducks, and a couple of rats as well. I loved how the animals interacted with each other and with the compassionate humans they encountered in Paris. I think of it as "Charlotte's Web" for grown ups, but no spiders die. Older children might enjoy the story as well. Definitely one of my favorites read in 2020. Than...

Perestroika is Paras, a curious filly who runs away from her life as a racing, jumping thoroughbred to Paris. She finds a meadow there in Champ de Mars, where she is able to live freely. Her found companions are a German short hair dog named Frida, a raven, a mallard duck pair and a rat. Before reading the book, I was curious about how the author could pull this off, writing about these animals in an interesting, believable way. Jane Smiley does this admirably - It is evident that she has a sens...

Yes, this is a talking animal book, but the animals only talk to each other; they communicate with humans through their gestures and soulful eyes. Kindly shopkeepers work out what Frida wants to buy based on what she stares at or points to with a paw; the baker whose window Paras passes on her early morning walks intuits that the horse is hungry; Etienne, who gives a couple of the stray animals a home during a chill winter, learns to understand when Paras needs to go out to relieve herself, afte...

I’m suspicious of adult novels written from an animal’s point of view, but I trust Jane Smiley, and I admit, I was charmed by the cover, so I gave Perestroika in Paris a try and loved it. It is the story of a curious filly named Paras, short for Perestroika, who slips out of her open stall one autumn afternoon after winning a race at Auteil Racecourse and ventures into Paris. She takes up residence in the Champs de Mars near the Eiffel Tower and makes friends with a stray German shorthair named