Wrong Train to Paris

September 28, 2020
As improbable as its plot may be, this leisurely, rose-colored romance from Moore (Solving Sophronia) makes for delightfully soothing reading. France at the turn of the 20th century is still a very undeveloped place, and when 18-year-old British expat Julia Weston boards the wrong train en route to Paris, her detour leaves her stranded for days in a rural hamlet without even a working telegraph. Her only resource is brusque Luc Paquet, a local she meets at the train station. Luc offers her shelter, and, because he assures her that his aunt will play chaperone, Julia agrees. What follows is pleasantly predictable, as the cosmopolitan urbanite bumbles her way into the locals’ hearts—Luc’s most of all. Provence takes center stage with descriptions of its gorgeous landscapes, delicious food, and charming inhabitants commanding nearly as much narrative attention as Julia’s sweetly growing feelings for her taciturn rescuer. The stakes never rise higher than some misplanted olive seedlings or a sick goat—but they don’t need to. All this sweet story requires is for readers to sit back and allow it to gently whisk them away.