I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the Afterlife [Hardcover]

Harry I. Freund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2007

On his way to a department store in Manhattan, 64-year-old businessman, Irving Caldman, is waiting at the intersection of Park Avenue with three other pedestrians, when a driver jumps the curb and runs them all over.

The next thing Irving knows, he is no longer preparing for a trip to Paris with his wife. Instead, he is watching four faces as they ascend to heaven, on their way to be greeted by the angel Malakh. Accompanying Irving are an attractive personal shopper in her early fifties; a grandmother who works as a housemaid nearby; a twentysomething man who is an interior decorator; and the driver, a candy store owner and widower.

Bound together for a week with Malakh, before their souls will be allowed to move on for judgment, Irving and his fellow victims must all tell the group their life stories, in order to evaluate and justify their earthly existence. As their insecurities and deepest secrets are exposed, they argue at length, and yet come to a strange peace, in this unexpected parable. I Never Saw Paris is a funny, moving, and thought-provoking look at the foibles and follies of an improbable group of New Yorkers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The delightful heart and soul of I Never Saw Paris is the gradual unburdening of each character of his or her prides, prejudices, illusions, bitter truths, good deeds and bad. These are people we come to care about, introduced to us by an author with a warm heart and a sprightly sense of humor. Author Harry Freund may kill the entire cast in the opening chapter but the new life he then gives them is worth every enjoyable word on the road to the heart-warming conclusion." -- The Advocate, 10/06/07

"This is an intriguing, light treatment of the importance of life." -- Deseret Morning News, 10/12/07

"An intriguing and imaginative speculation about the fate of five people who are suddenly and simultaneously killed in an auto accident...Eminently worthy of our attention...[Freund has] an unusually genial touch, defying the customary gravity that surrounds questions of death and dying." -- National Jewish Post & Opinion

"By turns funny, charming, thought-provoking and even occasionally philosophical. Like author Freund's debut work, 2005's Love, With Noodles, it lifts with a sweet and gentle wisdom while never hesitating to add a rich laugh." -- January Magazine

"This high-spirited and often appealing novel draws on some of the same subject matter as Mitch Albom's hugely popular The Five People You Meet in Heaven...Engagingly drawn...[A] broadly diverse cast of characters...This is a feisty and irreverent group, and Freund is especially good at exposing the comforting fictions we often tell ourselves about our lives...A potentially popular item in public libraries. Recommended." -- Library Journal

"Told...with gentle humor, the story is reassuring...A pleasant jaunt through death and judgment in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Because how you conduct yourself matters more than what you believe, many will find comfort in this vision. Perhaps the most profound notion here is that there is great strength in people coming together and supporting one another, and this principle is at work even after death." -- Blogcritics.org

"With humor and candor, Freund explores a perceived reality that many believe awaits us, and merges it with the human need for inquiry and verification...The novel progresses linearly and confronts real life issues in layers that are accessible to the layperson...Freund depicts the fallibility of human nature in almost home-movie like quality, creating a patchwork of scenes from characters' lives...He leads readers to a plateau of understanding through inciting the empathy that is arguably innate, that manifests when we've seen each other at our most naked and vulnerable." -- PopMatters.com

"[A] friendly little novella...[A] jaunty little novel." -- Magill Book Reviews

"[Freund's] ideas are creative and insightful and would likely be of interest to anyone curious about life after death...Leave[s] us with a warm and hopeful feeling about what the end may bring." -- Jerusalem Post

About the Author

Harry Freund lives in New York City with his wife. He has two grandchildren.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720549
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720545
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,994,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, a quick read and with a basic message, October 16, 2007

By 

Alan D. Hirsch "Entrepreneur and author" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the Afterlife (Hardcover)

We all have our secret worlds and Harry Freund seems to know them all. When a group of New Yorkers are suddenly killed by an out of control car they all end up in an afterlife of sorts. What follows is a conversation and reflection between and within the characters with of course a final judgement.

Although other authors have utilized the same format, Freund's conclusion is really that all of us are interconnected in the game of life...or as John Lennon put it," Life is what happans when you're making plans to do other things".

A quick, hilarious and enjoyable read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heavenly Read!!, September 1, 2007

By 

Ben Deer (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the Afterlife (Hardcover)

This is one of the most moving and intriguing books you will ever read. It is a gripping tale of life - and the afterlife - which examines the foibles and failings of human existence with wit, compassion and understanding. It will reshape the way you look at the world as well as your role in it. This is as an absolute MUST read - you won't regret it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Portrait of the Afterlife, January 24, 2008

By 

Papillon - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the Afterlife (Hardcover)

"I Never Saw Paris" is an unexpectedly profound, creative account of death and the afterlife, as seen through the eyes of a wealthy New York City businessman named Irv who narrates his journey to the "Big Upstairs" and a special judgment we all must face. Irv is unexpectedly whisked "upstairs" due to a bus accident in midtown, along with several other people who are not fundamentally alike and and yet share a special and very believable bond. I found the book refreshing, spiritual and yet hard-edged in a good way. I don't usually read fiction, but this book met my criteria of tight writing (no extra verbiage here), along with suspense and a special kind of compassion. Highly recommended.