The sounds of the surf and the feel of the soft, warm sand of vacation are now just a memory and I am back home to a cherry tree in full bloom and the bulbs I planted in the fall, beginning to emerge from the cold winter ground.

New life is also the topic of Jane Smiley’s new book Perestroika in Paris. This is a lovely book-almost a novella at just 270 pages, but she packs in so many thoughts and ideas in those pages that it feels much longer.

Perestroika, Paras for short, is a race horse. One evening, when she finds the door to her stall open, she decides to explore the grassy verge just past the fence of the racecourse where she has lived her most of her life. She nibbles her way past the lush grass on the verge and then smells something intriguing and hears a rustle in the woods, finds a stream and with one thing and another, she finally finds herself in the city of Paris!

Paras eventually finds a lovely “pasture” in the middle of the city where a large metal structure towers above the grounds. With the help of an opinionated raven and a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who is wise and knowledgeable about the ways of the city, Paras finds a safe place to stay in the park right next to a pair of nesting ducks.

During the early hours of the morning Paras often finds her way into the nearby cobbled streets and explores the city while it is sleeping, until she meets a young boy named Etienne who lives with his 100 year old grandmother in an all but forgotten house with a walled yard. There Paras and Etienne learn and discover from each other what it means to be free and how sometimes new life can begin under the strangest of circumstances.

Smiley is a master of the understated description, giving you just enough to create that picture in your mind without overwhelming with distracting details. Simply, and without any rush, she lets the the story unfold and its themes of love, goodness and hope just wash over you. Given the circumstances of our world right now, Perestroika is exactly the antidote we need!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Everyone!

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in  format.