*A big thank-you to Stef Penney, Quercus Books, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Gripping and captivating, this novel takes a reader to Paris just before the outbreak of the war of 1870. There are reminiscents throughout the novel referring to the main characters who appear gradually and who bond in many different ways. The theme in the background is the Paris Menagerie with animals become casualties of the war and greed as well.
As for characters, they are beautifully developed, each having their own story to tell and dreams to come true. I especially became attached to Anne who has lived a tragic life and whose love for one of the animals kept in capitivity is beautifully presented.
The novel kept surprising me with every page and was hard to put down. The period details regarding the life in Paris, especially under the siege, are superbly presented. Historical fiction at its best!

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Beasts of Paris’ by Stef Penney.

I had read and enjoyed her ‘The Tenderness of Wolves’ in 2010 and was also drawn by the striking cover art of this novel.

Opening in Paris, May 1870, this work of literary historical fiction follows the fortunes of three wandering souls, who find themselves in a city about to descend into war and revolution.

Anne Petitjean had formerly been a patient at a women's asylum and is now trying to carve out a new life for herself. Lawrence Harper has come to Paris from Canada and is desperate to develop his talent as a photographer and to escape the restrictions of his puritanical upbringing. Finally, army medic Ellis Butterfield, the nephew of the American Ambassador, has aspirations to be a poet. Yet having lived through the trauma of one civil war, he is now about to face another.

Each are drawn to the beasts of Paris' Menagerie, where they had first met. As the siege of the city by the Prussian forces begins, they all will face challenges. Even after the French forces surrender, there is still danger as revolution breaks out and the radical Paris Commune takes control of the city for several months.

This certainly was an epic novel in its scope. I feel that Stef Penney was wise in focusing on her three protagonists with a strong supporting cast that allowed for a number of personal stories against the backdrop of events. She made the effective point that in the midst of war people were seeking not only to survive but to find their paths to the future.

I found that I related to Anne the most given her experiences at the Salpêtrière Hospital as well as her sense of connection to the animals of the Jardin des Plantes Menagerie. Her special devotion is for Marguerite, the Caspian tigress.

I will caution that there were some upsetting themes in the novel, including the fate of the animals when the keepers could no longer feed them due to food shortages. Then there were the unscrupulous individuals who sold the exotic meat to the affluent. However, I appreciated that Penney didn’t include any graphic details on page even though the inference was there.

Overall, I found ‘The Beasts of Paris’ a powerful novel that combined beautiful writing, strong characterisation, and an immersive sense of time and place. I consider Stef Penney an excellent storyteller and I would expect this novel to be nominated for this year’s literary prizes.

Set in Paris 1871, the Franco- Prussian war is raging and Paris is rioting, and under siege. All farm animals have been brought into the city for protection from the enemy and put into the lush, green parks, but they are soon used up. Then follows a diet of cats, dogs, horses and rats, until the idea is suggested that to prevent starvation of the people , the animals in the city Zoo be sacrificed for the greater good of mankind.
Indeed! The Beasts of Paris could be either two or four legged, in either case, there are awkward questions to be asked about survival and preservation of the species. Only the best beasts will be kept, Marguerite, the Caspian Tiger, Tancur the majestic, but slightly moth eaten lion, Nero the panther and a Lynx. People soon become accustomed to a richer diet of Camel, Elephant and Ostrich, but it only partially solves the problem, rich people continue to eat far better than those on the front line fighting on the barricades, and food stores and butchers are targeted for thefts.
Anne Pettijean visits the big cats regularly, she was an inpatient at the Salpetriere insane asylum, she now works there as a ward orderly.
Ellis Butterfield is a qualified Doctor, but has dreams of being a writer or poet. His Uncle, Emphraim Quine is the American Ambassador to France, he believes that Ellis is wasting his talents.
Lawrence Harper is a Canadian citizen, working in Paris as a photographer.
As the war continues, all these three people become connected by their war work. It is a rousing and terrible read, the medical details are gruesome but well described, the panic and incompetence of the Generals in charge and the contrast between them and the poorly equipped and badly fed soldiers is remarkable in the extreme.
Anne is a mystery throughout this book, you never manage to get under her reserved demeanour.
Lawrence is by turns optimistic and frantic, he tries to keep spirits up amongst his friends, but does tend to lose his temper when he drinks too much, he is loyal to friends and acquaintances. When he and Ellis find themselves in a clandestine relationship, the intensity and the need for secrecy play upon his mind greatly.
The ending was unexpected for me, Anne being inscrutable to the end. The French people continue to be impulsive, argumentative and highly demonstrative, ( June 2023) so no real change over the decades there! I appreciated the inclusion of relevant photographs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books publishers, for my advance digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. A five star rating. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

Set in 19th century Paris, it’s the story of Anne, Lawrence and Ellis and their struggles and how they survive in the city of Paris in the build up to Franco-Prussian war.
Loved how the book alternated between the three main characters until we see how their lives gradually become interwoven, creating bonds across the class boundaries.
Epic and heart-wrenching - had vibes of Les Miserables
A beautifully written and well researched book - thanks #stefpenney @quercusbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

A lovely, magical book with a world that is at once familiar and full of wonder. A delight to read and would highly recommend. Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for this early access copy.

***I had issues reading the book on Kindle due to the formatting so will give the novel 4* by can't review the full story at this point. ***

An immersive historical novel with a rich setting, layered and diverse characters, and an interesting plot. The writing is very readable, and I enjoyed the story.

I felt that this book was well researched, I don’t know much about this period in French history, so found myself googling things along the way. I was impressed. It took a little while to get into, but once I did I was fully immersed.

An expertly crafted novel set in Late 19th century Paris on the brink of the Franco Prussian war that would wreak havoc on the city. The storyline centres round three individuals with their own demons to face . Ann a Haitian who had a bad start in life, Ellis a US war surgeon with PTSD and Lawrence a photographer’s assistant struggling with his sexuality. The war has caused mayhem to all and Penney parallels this to the chaos abounding in the menagerie due to the oppression. A weighty novel tackling many issues alive then and still current today

The award winning Stef Penney's latest offering showcases her historically well researched, atmospheric picture of the Franco-Prussian war, a Paris under siege and its aftermath in 1870-71, through the creation and experiences of her diverse and complex group of characters. She captures the ordinary everyday human relationships and passions, the personal links with the menagerie (zoo) and its 'beasts', where Victor is assistant veterinarian, he has taken care of the majestic Marguerite, a Caspian tigress that has inspired the devotion of Anne. Anne resides at the women's Salpetriere asylum, many of the women there have nowhere else to go. The asylum is run by Dr Jospin who is interested in women's diseases but not in what they have to say, and has no qualms in using them to provide entertainment for other Parisians.

Ellis is a traumatised American medic moving in bohemian circles trying to recast himself as a poet, his uncle is the American ambassador to Paris, we follow the development of his relationship with Lawrence, a Canadian photographer. There is a strong supporting cast that includes Fanny, model and maid, Ernestine who gets engaged to a wealthy widowed butcher because she feels she has no other options, and Papin, the Chief Vetinarian of the Zoo. Outlined are the horrors, stresses and strains of war, the fear, paranoia, the rising tensions, shortages, rising unemployment, the destruction of the woods, the hunger, the freezing cold, deaths and casualties, and the tedium. Needless to say, the animals are not left unaffected, despite efforts to ensure their survival, they are at the mercy of people who can be cruel, try to steal or poison them, and more, raising the question who actually are the 'beasts' of Paris?

Penney's character development is stellar as she highlights the ingenuity of desperation, people at their best trying to support each other, whilst at the other end of the scale is the worst of humanity. At the same time, she skilfully raises issues of animal abuse, race, gender and class inequalities, power, sexual identity, other abuse, a turbulent war whose horrific aftermath leads to a ruthless French government intent on carrying out a war of terror against its own citizens, having no qualms about carrying out non-stop executions. I was completely gripped by the inclusion of animals and the monstrous impact of the war on them, along with the growth and changing perspectives experienced by the likes of Anne and Fanny. A brilliant historical novel that is informative and so engaging that I have no hesitation in recommending it highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

An intestine a compelling read. I knew little about the siege of Paris and this was a graceful meander through the time.

This is a fascinating novel set in Paris in 1870 just as the Franco-Prussian war was beginning. We follow three main characters as they live out their lives in increasingly difficult conditions. I assumed that the title referred to the animals in the zoo which is where the story begins and is a continued thread throughout the novel. However, as I read, it becomes clear that the beasts don’t only live in the zoo.
I found all three of the main characters to be engaging and was eager to follow their story line. As well as these three, there are a host of other characters from the director of the zoo, to the American Ambassador and Fanny, a photographer’s model. I think Fanny was actually my favourite character. I loved her spirit and cheerfulness and at the end, her determination.
The setting of the story was brilliantly realised. The story moves effortlessly from the caged animals in Jardin des Plantes to Parisian bars and the siege is described in all of its horror. The author’s historical research really brings the city to life.
The story is quite a slow burn and takes a while to get going. I also found the frequent switching between characters made it difficult to really engage with any of them until I was quite a few chapters in.
My one complaint would be that in places the ARC was difficult to read as there were issues with words running together without spaces and other words being misplaced. This made it difficult to read initially. As I became more engrossed in the story, I noticed this less.
Thank you to Net Galley and Quercus Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Despite a slow start, 'Beasts of Paris' comes alive in the second half and is very compelling at the very end. The story is set in 1970s Paris, at a time of great unrest in the city and country. First France fights an unsuccessful war against Prussia, resulting in Paris being under siege. Then the unhappy peace is shattered by revolution as demobbed working class soldiers try to bring about a better, socialist society. And finally that short lived revolution - the Paris Commune - is brutally ended by government troops. Throughout it all, Parisians try to get on with their lives without losing them, as their home is turned into a battle ground.

The story focuses on a number of characters, some of whom are connected with the Paris Menagerie (zoo), although the family at the centre of the story are only tangentially linked - they own a photographic studio and are commissioned to take pictures of the animals before war puts a stop to it. Whilst the book's own blurb talks about three characters only, there are lots of characters with their own separate stories and viewpoints. Some perhaps get more page time than others but all play their part.

It was a turbulent and shocking period of history, about which I'd known nothing at all. Mention of revolution in France makes me think of 'Les Miserables', but this is a different uprising some thirty years later. The title might be considered to refer to the zoo animals, or more likely to the humans whose behaviour is more bestial than anything the tigers and panthers come up with. The violence and behaviour of the government towards its own people is shocking.

The book has many strengths, including an interesting historical backdrop, some good characters, and an exciting later part. There are some really complex and fascinating characters - I particularly liked and sympathised with Ellis, a young American doctor haunted by his experiences during the civil war in the USA. He seemed a very real character and someone you could imagine meeting. I found the relationship between him and Laurence - a young photographer - the most compelling storyline and it was that one which really hooked me in, more than any of the war-related ones.

The first half is a bit of hard work to read through - not badly written, but overlong. However it is worth it for the pay off once the story finally gets going. I did find some storylines less compelling than others, but that's often the case with an epic-style novel with multiple threads. Overall Penney has done a great job of writing a historical novel with strong characters and a powerful ending.

I would recommend to readers who enjoy historical novels and general literary fiction, particularly if they have an interest in France, the 19th century, or armed conflict. It is not much about animals, so don't read for that reason alone.

This historical novel is told through the eyes of several individuals from different strata of society and is rich in detail of the atrocities. For the full review, please go to https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/719642070908862464/the-beasts-of-paris-by-stef-penney-set-in-paris-in?source=share

A completely entrancing and extensive deep dive into a fascinating episode in Paris history, with a panoramic range of characters and plots woven carefully together with great skill.

From Anne, recent inhabitant of the madhouse to Ellis, running away from his own self in drink and denial, each character is deeply drawn and also used to present a tapestry of life and conditions in the people who find themselves trapped in Paris during the siege of 1870 and the subsequent rise of the Communards.

The beasts of the title area not confined to the ailing menagerie, as we are shown all manner of cruelty and unkindnesses, but also great tenderness and care of people for each other.

An exquisite, relevant and immersive novel of humanity and beasts, self-discovery and survival set amid a Paris in flames. The characters' powerful narratives are interwoven so deftly that, as with all the best novels, you can't see the stitches but are just carried away with the story.

This was a very interesting novel, set during the period of the Franco-Prussian War, the Siege of Paris, and the short-lived government of Paris by a Commune of Workers which was overthrown by a bloody counter-attack by Versailles Government forces
It features a range of main characters: a veterinarian in the Paris Menagerie who is particularly affectionate towards the Big Cats in his charge, especially Elsa, a Siberian tigress; Anne, a former inmate of the Salpietre Asylum, where she has been one of the subjects of Charot's famous-or notorious- displays of his female patients acting out their manias under hypnosis for the entertainment of the Parisian Beau Monde; a young artist's model who is married to a violent young man, but who follows him onto the barricades during the Commune and ends up imprisoned as a result; and two young homosexual men, one American, one Canadian, who play out their love affair amidst the horrors of the Siege and its even more dreadful aftermath.
The pace was good, and the characters were all engaging and believable.
It was also interesting to discover that the animals in the Zoo were killed to provide meat for the starving citizens during the Siege, and how brutally the citizens who supported the Commune were suppressed after their brief spell in Government. Goodreads Rating 4 stars.

The Beasts of Paris is an extremely interesting story full of unexpected details about nineteenth century Paris. As I've done a lot of research about historical Paris, I was surprised at not having encountered some of the details in the book. I had to go digging in historical texts to find out. This is something that only happens with a rare novel that makes you wonder about the reality of the time period.

The book is set in 1870, when a lot of things were going on in Paris. I’d never really studied this period and it’s quite fascinating. There’s an odd shift that happens in a real war set in a time before modern warfare. Not that this book is primarily about war, but still it lends the time period an otherworldly feel.

The underground zoo charmed me right away. Then there’s a love story, a lot of twists and turns, adventure, tension, suspense. How could I not love it?

My one difficulty with the book is that it’s in present terse, which I know a lot of people love, but for me it has to be done in such a way that I don’t notice or I find it difficult to suspend my disbelief. It’s for this reason I’ve only given it four stars instead of five. Still, it’s very well written and there’s a lot to love about it. Read it, especially if you’re curious about Paris of old.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC opportunity.
As it was a pre-publication draft there were difficulties in reading as elements were misplaced. This did not detract unduly from the enjoyment of the read. Penney is an excellent storyteller and has researched her subject well.
The story is set in the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the subsequent Commune and its brutal suppression by the Versaille based government.
We experience the privations of the population and how the managers of the Menagerie plan to enable as many animals as possibly to survive.
As to the humans, there are three main characters who are each misfits in various ways, but the real heroes are the working people of Paris who fight, suffer and survive - or die.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC release of this book in return for an honest review.

The Beasts of Paris is an intriguing historical fiction story covering an interesting era of European history. It’s a nice story with a lot of characters that at some point I wasn’t sure how to focus on their adventures. It is obvious that the author has researched very well and the book contains very good and informative details. But what stopped me from finishing reading the book wasn’t just the number of characters and their different storylines; it was the fault in the print. I know it was just an ARC and not the finalized and published manuscript. But the font in NetGalley’s app was even smaller than a dictionary and in Kindle, it was a problem of several words typing together without any space between them and it made it really difficult to focus and read.
If given a more readable manuscript, I found the book intriguing enough to definitely finish reading it.
I don’t know if anyone else experienced the same issue with the font and typos or it was only the copy I received.