What a charming story. It was such a wonderful read to put the reader into another world, and forget about the troubles all around us now. Perestroika is a very curious race horse. When her stall door somehow becomes unlatched, she steps out into a very different world than she is used to. Grazing her way through green areas, she wanders further and further away from her stall. She meets a streetwise dog, Frida, who has recently lost her master; Raoul, the Latin speaking raven, a pair of mallard ducks who go by Sid and Nancy. They form a sort of unity, and take in a young boy, Etienne and a baker who feeds Perestroika her oats each morning. A groundskeeper at one of the parks takes an interest in this odd group of characters. Etienne's grandmother has a part in the story as well.

Meanwhile, Perestroika's trainer is at a loss as to where that horse could have gone. How do you misplace a horse? After months of searching, to no avail, the story ends well. This whimsical story could probably only have been set in Paris.

Jane Smiley certainly doesn't disappoint with this wonderful allegory of friendship and family; filled with a "wild" assortment of animals - a curious race horse, a streetwise dog, a philosophical raven, and homebody ducks.. It's a marvelous tale where a discontented and curious racehorse leaves his stall, trotting off on an adventure to Paris. In Paris he makes friends with and is supported by his very diverse animal family. He also falls in with a very sheltered 8-year old boy who becomes a member of this ragtag group. The story is filled with charm, wonderful escapades, and love. Highly recommended for book groups. Highly recommended as a chapter goodnight book for older children. This will be one of those well-remembered books for years to come!

From the Pulitzer Prize winning author of One Thousand Acres comes an almost, but not quite quaintly whimsical story of a jumping/race horse that leaves her stable at the track for an adventure in Paris. She becomes fast friends with dog whose busker companion has died, a haughty aging raven, a lonely rat searching for love, and a mallard that needs therapy. Most importantly though she becomes friends with an 8-year-old boy whose is kept home by his great grandmother and very much needs the love of all the animals. This is the feel good book of 2020 for me, a must buy Christmas gift for book lovers.

Perestroika in Paris was heartwarming and I loved having the viewpoints of the animals as the main part of the story. It would appeal to readers who like to see the way all the members of a small community work together, and how they look out for each other, both human and animal.

I received an electronic ARC from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group through NetGalley.
A delightful cast of characters let readers into their world. The story begins with a race horse who escapes from her stall and ventures off - winding up in Paris. There, Perestroika (Paras) meets Frida, a dog, Raoul, a raven, Sid and Nancy, mallards, and eventually Kurt, a black rat. Along the way, they encounter various humans who provide food and unwittingly help them stay hidden. One young boy, Etienne, who opens his home to Paras.
It's an interesting novel about trust and survival and unusual bonds. The pace is relaxed but definitely not too slow. I appreciated this tender story that offers hope and comfort. Each animal has their own personality and goals in the relationships. It's refreshing to see how well they overcame their own fears and united to care for the whole group. This will be a wonderful holiday read.

I’m suspicious of adult novels written from an animal’s point of view, but I trust Jane Smiley, and I admit, I was charmed by the cover, so I gave Perestroika in Paris a try and loved it. It is the story of a curious filly named Paras, short for Perestroika, who slips out of her open stall one autumn afternoon after winning a race at Auteil Racecourse and ventures into Paris. She takes up residence in the Champs de Mars near the Eiffel Tower and makes friends with a stray German shorthair named Frida, a raven named Raoul, and a pair of mallards called Sid and Nancy.

This much you could guess from the cover, and I’ll try to explain why I liked it so much without giving away any more than that. Once I suspended my disbelief about animals being able to understand human speech and communicate with one another across species (though they have to find means other than language to communicate with humans), I loved being inside the minds of these remarkable characters, experiencing the City of Light in the way a horse or a dog or a bird might. What do they eat? Where do they sleep? Will Perestroika’s trainer find her? Can Frida avoid the dog pound? I will reveal just enough more about the plot to say that as the animals connect with human characters, the reader comes to care about them too, especially young Etienne, an orphan who lives alone with his very old great-grandmother in a big ivy-covered house on the Rue Marinoni.

Even as I wanted to linger in Paris with these endearing people and creatures, the book turned into a page-turner. Each character faces real risks as they try to balance the desire for freedom with the desire for love, but their concern for one another ultimately cushions them against the world’s dangers (and against uncomfortable suspense for the reader). In a time of national discord, the possibility of connecting with others quite different from oneself gave me hope.

Although Smiley is a fantastic writer and this is a delightful story, I'm not sure it's worthy of a novel-length treatment. If you're looking for a fun, escapist read, this is a perfect pick. It may appeal more to young adults than adult readers.

I loved this book and didn't want it to end. What a delight to read in the midst of a pandemic. Kudos to the author for this very unique story.

What an inventive, charming, heartwarming story. I loved it so much I didn't want it to end. Smiley imbues animals with traits and characteristics that are both appropriately to their species, but very human like. I cannot wait for more people to read this book!

When I was a girl I read the Marguerite Henry books. What a nice surprise to find this read alike treasure. I will be happy to introduce it to my nieces.

Such a sweet and tender story, this book reads like a fairy tale and you know it has to have a happy ending because every character has multiple redeeming characteristics and love in their hearts. The baker gives away oats and figs, the grocer finds the vest vegetables, and the groundskeeper cleans up and mulches secret deposits. Of course the dog has a leather purse with thousands of Euros, and the rat needs a mate. All is well in the early hours of the morning when Perestroika clip clops through the alleys to visit Sid and Nancy, the park ducks. This book belongs on every shelf for all ages. In the future I expect a perfect picture book for read aloud, and a fabulous Disney extravaganza film.

A wonderful story full of imagination and insight into how horses, dogs, and birds communicate. A fun read!

A marvelous, fantastical read, Perestroika in Paris needs to become an instant classic. This book has, by leaps and bounds, surpassed anything else I have read so far this year!

I've never read a Jane Smiley novel, but I am so glad I was able to get my hands on this one. A fun, magical, wholesome story about a very special bond between an old woman, a young boy, and the animals he befriends.

Perestroika - Paras, for short - is a young racing horse that, being the curious filly she is, slips out of her pen one night and ventures into Paris. There, she meets Frida, a stray German Shepard; Raoul, an opinionated and self-aggrandizing Raven; and Étienne, a young boy caring for his 97-year-old blind and deaf great-grandmama. As these four lives intersect, they affect several others, both human and animal, setting into motion events that alter perspectives and change lives.

I initially went into this a bit skeptical, as it's rare that I've found anthropomorphized animals done well for an adult audience. My uncertainty was quickly dispelled, however, as I immediately became enamored with the inner thoughts and social interactions of these very different animal personalities. I found myself enthralled as I discovered the world through the eyes of Paras, Frida, and Raoul.

Through the use of lyrical language and beautifully-written prose, the author paints an enchanting picture of Paris and its inhabitants. The characters are pure, and their motivations - both human and animal alike - are lead by curiosity, adventure, love, and respect. Reminiscent of Milo and Otis and Homeward Bound, Perestroika in Paris is a story that brings with it a sense of wonderment that can, and should be, loved by all ages.

An absolutely charming story of an unlikely group of animals who befriend a lonely boy. A curious racehorse, Perestroika, evades her keepers and sets out to see the world beyond the stables and racetrack. She ends up in the middle of Paris, taking up residence in a park. Although she goes unnoticed by the humans, she catches the attention of the other animal residents of the park, most especially a highly intelligent dog and an opinionated raven.
The characterizations are richly detailed and there is a poignant quality to the scenes of the boy and his aged great-grandmother. This unlikely story becomes believable in the hands of this gifted author.

Be in immersed in the City of Paris and be entertained by a rag tag anthropomorphic group of friends as they become a “family”. The filly, racehorse Perestroika, aka Paras, has fled the track upon winning with the purse of cash and settled in a park to figure out what’s next. Her trainer spent days looking for Paras when she disappears from the racetrack.
The other friends, [ a raven, a family of ducks, a brilliant dog named Frida and an 8 year old homeschooled lad ] create a life that suits Paras just fine. The boy, Etienne, is living with his great-grandmother in isolation. We also meet the shop owners in the neighborhood who are attentive and end up feeding Paras and Frida, while they continue to exist under the radar. Think of a horse living on it’s own in the center of Paris without being detected. Pierre, a local groundskeeper, who has been adding fresh manure to the plants, begins to investigate. The story is wonderful. The characters are whimsical and creative. Thank you Jane Smiley, for a story that delights.

Jane Smiley has a knack for expressing the feelings of animals, and "Perestroika in Paris" is a magical canter through Paris. It's not just the curious Perestroika, a filly living at a racetrack, but a dog, a raven, two ducks and a couple of handsome black rats who go along for the ride. Did I mention that Peres takes along a groom's purse as she leaves the stable? Her trainer, owner, and groom are all women and the filly has seen how they always carry these bags with them. This one turns out to be full of money, and you'll be delighted to see how animals figure out how to spend it.

The humans in the story are the sweetest kind, and their communication with the critters does not include language, as it wouldn't. The animals can communicate with each other, and what they think about other species is quite fun. The most outspoken of these is the raven, Raoul, who is old and has met a lot of other animals, whom he addresses by their Latin names. Perestroika is a young filly and has only met other horses and a Jack Russell terrier named Assassin. Her innocence makes a delightful foil for the others.

One of the most charming scenes has Perestroika's trainer consulting an animal psychic who says she sees the filly on a dark city street, window shopping. The trainer thinks she's thrown 100 euros away, but guess, what? The psychic is right on.

The story goes on a little long, but it is a charming, lovely tale for these rocky times. Following the animals along the streets of a Paris neighborhood was a delightful vicarious vacation.