Part of La Comédie Humaine, book 9
First published 2002
The story unfolds along the Rue du Tourniquet-Saint-Jean, one of Paris's most winding and shadowed thoroughfares near the Hotel de Ville. This narrow street curves around the small gardens belonging to the Paris Prefecture before reaching its terminus at Rue Martroi, where it meets the corner of an ancient wall that would later be demolished. The street takes its name from the turnstile that stood at this very spot until authorities removed it in 1823. Balzac draws readers into this labyrinthine corner of the city, where the old Paris reveals itself through its crooked pathways and forgotten structures. The physical geography becomes a character itself, shaping the lives of those who navigate its twists and shadows. Through this particular street, the larger story of urban transformation emerges.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, urban, 19th-century, architecture, cities
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, setting-as-character
Setting: Paris, Rue du Tourniquet-Saint-Jean
Period: 19th-Century
112 pages · Paperback · Indypublish.Com