Hachette Livre

Hachette Reading Group Guides

Welcome to our Reading Group guide for April in Paris by Michael Wallner. We invite you to consider and discuss the following questions when reading this book:

  1. At the start of the novel, Roth absolves himself of responsibility in the Nazi occupation of France. In what ways is this shown? How conflicted is he by his allegiance to the Nazis?
    2. What do you make of the techniques used by Roth’s fellow Nazis to extract information from Resistance fighters? Why do you think he avoids using them himself? Although Roth is helping the Nazis interrogation of Resistance fighters, he detaches himself from their actions. Does he not consider himself a true German? Why does Roth want to blend in amongst the French people in Paris? What is he trying to escape from? As Roth becomes involved with Chantal and her French accomplices, he faces huge challenges to his identity. How does he respond? How does Roth’s character evolve as he deals with these experiences? / Roth’s involvement with Chantal becomes central to him; he continues to think about her whenever they are apart. Why does Chantal mean so much to him? As a French Resistance fighter, what does she represent to Roth? What do you make of the representation of women in Turachevsky’s? How do the Nazi officers treat them? Do you see a link between their treatment of women and the exploitation of French people in general? How would you describe Roth as a protagonist? Do you think he is heroic in his involvement with Chantal and the booksellers? Or do you think he could have done more to help them? How do you think Roth’s position dramatises the political tensions occurring in France? Where do our sympathies lie at the end of the novel? Is it so one sided? As the novel progresses, Roth’s actions reveal a longing to break away from the Nazis. What holds him back? Is he is too weak, or does he have no choice but to comply? Do you agree with Roth’s actions? How could he have changed his outcome by acting differently? How do you think you would act in his position? What did you learn about the Resistance movement in France during this time? Do you think the novel has wider political implications?
  2. What do you make of Roth’s feelings towards the end of the novel? Do you sympathise with him? What do you think he will do after? What is about to happen in France?

Current Reading Group Titles

  1. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce by Paul Torday
  2. The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
  3. The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin
  4. Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
  5. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
  6. Testimony by Anita Shreve
  7. Home by Marilynne Robinson
  8. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
  9. City of Thieves by David Benioff
  10. Remembering The Bones by Frances Itani
  11. The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
  12. Lies by Enrique de Heriz
  13. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaardner
  14. Sorrows of an American by Siri Hustvedt
  15. Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
  16. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
  17. The Sisterhood by Emily Barr
  18. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
  19. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie
  20. The Return by Victoria Hislop
  21. A Small Part of History by Peggy Elliott
  22. A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
  23. Scapegallows by Carol Birch
  24. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
  25. Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
  26. Radiance by Shaena Lambert
  27. Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon
  28. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
  29. Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
  30. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
  31. Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
  32. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
  33. The Keep by Jennifer Egan
  34. The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
  35. Pirate’s Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
  36. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
  37. April in Paris by Michael Wallner
  38. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
  39. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
  40. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
  41. Red River by Lalita Tademy
  42. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
  43. Rosetta by Barbara Ewing
  44. The Mathematics of Love by Emma Darwin
  45. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
  46. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell