Paris 7 am: a difficult book to finish with a disappointing story

Paris 7 am by Liza Wieland is the fictionalized story of the missing time in American poet, Elizabeth Bishop’s diary as she travels in France at the beginning of World War II. Bishop was a prolific journal keeper who wrote extensively about her life and activities. So, the missing time has intrigued scholars and biographers for years. The story opens with a dream. Elizabeth dreams of babies, babies attached to her like buttons and zippers. Then story then moves to 1930, Elizabeth is in college at Vassar with her roommate Margaret. In June 1937, Elizabeth Bishop arrives in France with her college roommates. They seek adventure and excitement away from the demands to find a husband and live quietly. But the world is changing with the growing threat of fascism and war on the horizon. They meet a group who pulls them into the underground world of rebellion and danger as they try to save child from the evils of the time. 

Paris 7 am is, unfortunately, a book that was hard to finish. I hate when I must force myself to finish a book. However, I lost interest in this story and only finished for the purpose of this review. First, I cannot stand books which do not use quotation marks to indicate speech. It is very distracting and makes it hard to read. Second, the book takes way too long to get to why the time is missing from her journals and when it does, it’s over way too quickly. Third, according to the book’s official description: “Poignant and captivating, Liza Wieland’s Paris, 7 A.M. is a beautifully rendered take on the formative years of one of America’s most celebrated—and mythologized—female poets.” I have been reading poetry since college and I had never heard of Elizabeth Bishop. I had to look her up to check if she was even real. “One of America’s most celebrated female poet”? I’m not sure about that. I do not recommend Paris 7 am. The book’s description does not match the story at all.

Paris 7 am

is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review