Where there is myth-busting in the pages of Paris 1944, it is subtle. Bishop’s story remains a celebration of a historical moment when individual gusto and gumption, from within and without, overcame authoritarian might.
The story of Paris during the Second World War has been told many times, but Bishop is such a skilful writer, with a fine sense of nuance and an eye for memorable anecdotes, that even readers familiar with the story will enjoy his book enormously ... History, like life, is complicated, and Bishop’s admirable book treats it with the respect and care it deserves.
The book resembles some epic thriller, with vividly evoked characters all somewhere on the spectrum between collaboration and resistance, shame and glory ... That Bishop can break off from war for some literary reflections is testament to his relaxed confidence as a writer, and Paris ’44 is a wonderful book: droll, moving, with a cinematic eye and not a boring line in it.
