Deep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby. Into their midst comes Jean-Baptiste Baratte, a young, provincial engineer charged by the king with demolishing it. At first Baratte sees this as a chance to clear the burden of history, a fitting task for a modern man of reason. But before long, he begins to suspect that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own.
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"This is a book that took me a while to slog through, but when I finally did, I really liked its messages. Part of the trouble was that it felt like a translation -- it was definitely originally written in English, though -- because of some weirdness in the language (a flatness, maybe?). But overall, the story of how an engineer and his colleagues -- miners, an organist, a sexton, and others -- dismantles the cemetery of Les Innocents is oddly inspiring (and a little bit of a nail-biter)."
— Travis (4 out of 5 stars)
" Accomplished, unusual, arresting and well written. An impressive and confident work. "
— Nick, 2/15/2014" This was an interesting concept. I especially appreciated the attention to the changes in France's society, on the cusp of the Revolution. "
— Cait, 1/29/2014" I was just about to give into the dictum of "Whenever you're tempted to read a new book, read an old one instead" and then (relatively) new writer Andrew Miller comes along and delivers a masterpiece. "
— Dave, 1/6/2014" Dark and grim but brilliantly atmospheric and moving. Highly recommended. "
— Lucy, 1/4/2014" Okay, so, while I was reading this my life kind of exploded and so it took me a LONG time to finish it. I've been so busy I've barely read at all in the past, like, month :-( And somehow, this wasn't *quite* absorbing enough to make me want to pick it up in the midst of all the awfulness - it was good, certainly, and I liked the characters a lot and found the setting extremely interesting, but I do wish there had been something a little *more* to it. "
— Persephone, 1/4/2014" Loved this book. It gives a good view of the period. You are transported into Paris of 1785.. the world is changing, When you visit Paris the area of Les Halles will never be the same. "
— Hilde, 1/2/2014" An enjoyable romp through a series of mass graves in Paris on the cusp of the revolution. Also rape, suicide and a serious head injury. A nice take on enlightenment, patronage and being modern. "
— Brendan, 12/14/2013" Somewhat disappointed. Thought this was headed a much different way than what played out. So much unearthed potential. "
— Prongs, 12/7/2013" Strangely lacking any dramatic tension despite the dramatic subject matter. "
— Esther, 11/27/2013" A macabre but sensuous exploration of Paris in 1785--a story of bones, dirt, cobwebs, and mortality. "
— Alex, 9/30/2013" This is a remarkable book, fiction, set in 18th century Paris, an usual story with a background of historical fact. "
— John, 9/29/2013" Very nicely constructed historical fiction. Could have done with a little more character development early on, but a great finish. "
— Jason, 8/12/2013" Better than a 3, not quite as good as a 4 in my book. I must admit that I could not put it down, though. "
— Ginni, 4/13/2013" many parts of the book were lucidly narrated, the characters well defined but the plot never leads anywhere and the ending is almost an anticlimax.... "
— Santosh, 4/13/2013" OMG boring. "
— Liz, 3/25/2013" Interesting story but it didn't have great flow or use of language. "
— Caramac, 2/17/2013" It's a good book. Well written. Really unique setting and situation-moreso that it's based on a real situation. Great detail of the place, costume, and period right before the French revolution. I just felt the author might have taken the story further. "
— Maureen, 11/16/2012" very stilted language got in the way of enjoying this book. did not vet the ending at all. "
— Vmacd, 10/22/2012" I absolutely loved this and cannot believe the few readers who did not. Each to his own, but this man is very clever, insightful & human. Wonderful, thrilling book I could not put it down. It is SOOO good. Will definitely read his other books. "
— Barbara, 10/8/2012" Very good book - unusual but a great read "
— Tasmin, 8/23/2012" One of the most unusual but enticing books I have read in a long time. Loved it. "
— Helen, 8/13/2012" Very disappointing considering the rave reviews quoted on the book's cover. I don't think I even finished it, so little did I care for the characters or their fate. "
— Sally, 7/5/2012Andrew Miller’s first novel, Ingenious Pain, won the James Tate Memorial Prize for Fiction. He has since written five novels including Casanova and Oxygen, which was a finalist for the Whitbread Award and the Booker Prize in 2001. He lives in Somerset England.
Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) was a stage actor and an award-winning narrator. He recorded more than 100 audiobooks in his lifetime and won the prestigious Audio Award for Best Narration and several AudioFile Earphones Awards.