Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

Historical fiction is a genre that I read the most. Even though this is labeled historical fiction it is more the story of a poet named Elizabeth Bishop who spent a few weeks in Paris in the late 1930's. I just never connected with the story or Elizabeth. I had no idea where it was going and then realized I didn't care. The writing is fine but for a story about Elizabeth I don't feel I learned anything about her.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a digital copy.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Paris, 7 AM is the imagined story of real life poet Elizabeth Bishop, told mostly during 1936 and 1937, a year that she did not keep a journal as she normally did. Elizabeth has recently graduated from Vassar, and though she does not come from as much money as most of her friends do, she goes to Paris and lives a very privileged life during this time. It intertwines her discovering her sexuality and growing up. And the Nazi's are laying claim to much of Europe at this time, so that is also part of the story. It was an interesting read, good if you like historical fiction. #paris7am #elizabethbishop #elizabethbishoppoetry #lizawieland #bookstagram #reader #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #netgalley

The story is supposed to be concentrated on Elizabeth Bishop’s three weeks in Paris, but 15% through the story she is still in NY and there is very little substance to the story.

As the story starts it jumps from one place to another not making much sense, at some points, with a style of writing – trying to be poetic it makes even less sense.

This is not a book for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

I must admit I found this title difficult to relate to. I was interested in Elizabeth Bishop’s formative years and this speculation about three weeks missing from Bishop’s journal in 1937 looked intriguing. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to immerse myself into the storyline. Fortunately others obviously did.

Unfortunately I could not connect with the characters in this book. I would have loved if this book focused more on Bishop’s work. There certainly was potential there for more. I just could not connect.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy of Paris, 7 A..M.

This was an interesting "what happened" book investigating three weeks in the life of the celebrated American poet Elizabeth Bishop. A young woman who kept a detailed journal of most everything she did, there is scant record of her doings while in Paris in 1937. Yet, her resulting maturity seems to say that something life-changing occurred and Ms. Wieland gives us her rendition of what that possibly could be.

For those who love the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop and those that enjoy stories of Americans whose eyes are opened wide when they came to Europe and realized the dire straits that democratic countries were facing, this book will be most enjoyable. Ms. Wieland uses her vast imagination plus knowledge of what was actually happening to Jews in Paris in 1937 to involve the young Ms. Bishop in a passionate response to what she sees.

This book isn't for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Paris, 7 A.M. is an interesting take on what happened in the undocumented year of Elizabeth Bishop's journals. It's always such a nagging mystery to see that there are missing years in a diarist's life, so it makes sense that someone would eventually fill them in via fiction. Liza Wieland does an adequate job of doing so, but there are times when her writing feels tedious like it's playing at being poetic instead of actually being poetic. Overall, it's a good read, and I at least liked Wieland's style enough to be open to reading more from her in the future.

What a wonderfully poignant book about Elizabeth Bishop--who eventually became one of America's most celebrated female poets. While she goes to college and is hoping to find a husband and create a quiet life for herself, Bishop and her friends see that the world has begun to change--fascism and the occupation of war is coming, and nothing will ever be the same. She eventually becomes involved with a group who rescues Jewish "orphans." The children are taken to a Catholic church where they are baptized and hopefully kept from the same fate their parents will endure. Such a gutting, but beautiful, story.

In June of 1937, Elizabeth Bishop travels to France with her college roommates. She is not yet a famous poet--she is just a young woman looking for adventure. She misses her mother and looks for solace from her mentor Marianne Moore or at the bottom of a bottle. During her time abroad, Elizabeth will fall in love, discover her passion for poetry, and smuggle Jewish children to safety.

Elizabeth Bishop is a poet loved by many people, myself and the author included. As Liza Wieland looked through Bishop's letters and meticulous journals, she discovered that there was no record of 1937. In this book, she imagines what might have happened during that gap. Unfortunately, it fell very flat for me. Wieland seemed to focus on the feel of Bishop's writing, instead of crafting her character. I didn't get a sense of who Elizabeth was, in reality or as the author might have imagined her. The description of the book is also a bit misleading, since very little of the plot has to do with getting Jewish children out of the country. Elizabeth Bishop was an extraordinary poet, and I hope that readers will read multiple books to better understand both the writer and her work.

Paris, 7 A.M.
By Liza Wieland
Simon Schuster June 2019
353 pages
Read via Netgalley

I had a hard time getting into Paris, 7am, for a few reasons. Firstly, historical fiction isn’t one of my favorite genres. Knowing this led me to keep going with the book in the hopes that I came around & enjoyed it...but that didn’t happen.
The book not having quotations made things a bit harder for me to follow. Also, I wish the author would have given a bit more information on the real life/background of the book’s main character, poet Elizabeth Bishop.

I loved this story but the way it's written was challenging to me. There's a lot of prose but I'm glad I pushed through.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook to review.

I will not be able to review this book. I found that I couldn't connect with the characters or the plot, and though I tried really hard, it just didn't work for me. I am hoping that I will be able to try again at another time.

DNF at 50% I could no longer sludge through this novel. A subject that should be fascinating was rendered so mind numbingly boring that I simply cannot continue. Prose written as poetry does not work for me and the absolute lack of punctuation of dialogue was most problematic. I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this writing was just way too poetic, and the sentences went on and on. I enjoy WWII historical fiction, but it didn't even get to that time period until the middle of the book. It just didn't work for me.

I chose this book because I thought the premise was terrific — poet Elizabeth Bishop, who painstakingly chronicled her life in journals, omitted three weeks she spent in Paris after graduating from Vassar. But why the gap? With Paris on the brink of war, Wieland—a poet herself—offers her own theory in this evocative book. Though the book is well-researched, the writing drew me in with its ethereal quality, setting it apart from most historical fiction I’ve read. Recommended for anyone interested in interesting viewpoints on World War II, or Elizabeth Bishop, before she became one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century.

I really hate to DNF ARC's, but I had to with this one. I couldn't deal with the writing style. There were no quotation marks, so it was hard for me to know who was talking to whom. The story was also a bit boring. I didn't DNF until 23% or so and nothing had really happened. There was no sense of plot, no sense of urgency. I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get through it.

Paris, 7 A.M has been described as a beautiful and eloquent novel. Although, it might be beautifully written it's not the style that appeals to me. The book did have great writing that initially captivated me, but great writing doesn't always lead to great story, plot, or book. What is this now a days with authors writing without quotation marks? It's annoying, gimmicky, and grammatically incorrect. It only makes the read that much more difficult. I don't want to guess if someone is speaking or thinking or the author is describing. It sets the tone of the reading really off and almost makes everything in our heads monotone. I hope this is just a gimmick that will pass and we can look back at it and laugh.

I find it hard to concentrate on a book that jumps from time to time and doesn't give us a reason for jumping from one timeline to another. It again, just makes reading a hassle and a chore as opposed to an enjoyable book.

I may not be the intended person for this book. I read to be captivated and enjoyment, not to look at each page and decipher art in them. There might be those who are into it, I however am not. If you like poetry, mystical plots and writing styles then this might be the book for you. But, this is for a very specific reader, I may not be it.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this ARC