Das Phantom des Eiffelturms

by Olivier Bleys

Paris 1888. Armand and Odilon are young apprentice draughtsmen in the offices of Gustave Eiffel, working on what will be the engineer’s greatest invention and the city’s most famous landmark. The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of a new age, but in the exotic gas-lit streets of Paris, strange beliefs, dark desires and mysterious forces are loose. Soon Armand and Odilon find themselves involved with a spiritualist society who hold seances in the Paris Morgue, a card-reading clairvoyant, a female ventriloquist with a shady secret and a spirited young actress. Behind them all are the scheming machinations of Gordon Hole, an ambitious American architect who has vowed to destroy the Eiffel Tower before it can even be completed.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, France

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

He holds master's degrees in modern literature, computer graphics and cultural project management. At the age of twenty-two he won the young novelist's prize for The Island. Three years later his second book, The Prince of the Fork, received a national prize. His third novel, Pastel, was translated into several foreign languages and rewarded by the French Academy.
Besides writing novels and travel diaries, Olivier Bleys designs interactive CD-Roms, lectures on multimedia, manages cultural projects and organises exhibitions. He has a wide range of interests spanning medieval history, music and science-fiction. He lives in Paris.

Reviews

[Rachele]

I bought this book after a trip to Paris if I remember correctly, and I just dived into it. Almost 10 years ago. 87 pages later I was bored to death and I buried it onto a shelf. Fast forward to two years ago, I felt ready to dive back into it, and just get it over with. It had to wait another 2 years on a different bookcase. Last month, whilst moving I stumbled upon it again. So why not finally read it? I did. Got through 100 pages in one day. It then took me almost a month to finish it. I just got through 140 pages in one day so that I could call it a day.

This is all to say, even though it is nicely written, the story is lacking something and it’s messy.

I’m not entirely sure it all makes sense as well? Murders, that end up not being actual murders. Gustave Eiffel being at the same time so busy putting together a monument and a detective? Someone being stuck in a room - tied in bed - for 16 months that is suddenly ready to commit a crime and climb a tower?! Also, some descriptive parts, especially the one about the Expo... Necessary? Not at all if you ask me. So unnecessary, it just added 4 pages to whole thing, for absolutely no reason. There isn’t a conversation or description in there that serves the book. At all.

I’m sorry what? At some point I think I just decided to get it over with to understand how ridiculous the ending would have been. Honestly? I’m sorry, but don’t bother.

[Patricia Francke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dans ce livre, j'ai apprécié le côté historique, l'ambiance parisienne de cette fin XIXe et bien sûr tout ce qui concerne la construction de la tour Eiffel.
Par contre je n'ai pas aimé tout le côté romancé. J'ai trouvé que les personnages avaient une construction irrégulière, irrégularité que l'on retrouve dans le récit rocambolesque de leur aventure.
J'aurais préféré que la tour et son créateur aient une place plus importante dans l'histoire alors qu'ils ne font office que de figurants. C'est un comble pour un livre qui porte dans son titre le nom de la plus célèbre des Tours.

[LAURA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purtroppo ho trovato il libro eccessivamente lento. I personaggi non sono particolarmente carismatici. La trama era partita bene, ma è stata tirata un po' troppo per le lunghe. Mi sono piaciute le parti in cui si spiega la creazione delle torre e alcuni aneddoti.

[Juliana Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foi um desafio voltar s ler em francês depois de tanto tempo! Demorou mas foi…não entendi tudo mas deu para captar a história. Não achei nada demais, mas pelo menos conseguiu passar o clima e as expectativas de quando a torre foi construída.

[Brugel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien mais style un peu ampoulé, réaction des personnages exagérée.

[Ann Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n’ai pas du tout accroché. Une histoire lente. Trop lente.

[Craig Tutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this concurrently with the original French version, as a means of advancing my knowledge of French. The story was catching, as it shed light on historical events surrounding the creation of the famous Tour Eiffel (I always feel good to learn some history along with a good story), a truly genius architectural and engineering feat for its time. Who can resist such things as secret visits to the Paris morgue and seances to converse with the dead?

[El]

So far. Yawn. This is so not worth the late fee I have accidentally accrued, and I guess I'm taking that out on the book itself. But I can't even bring myself to pick it up again before I go to the library on Saturday. Maybe some other day.

[ℳatthieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paris fin 19ème, déjà j'adore! C'est facile à lire et on a hâte de connaitre la suite. Le contexte historique avec la tour Eiffel et l'exposition universelle de 1889 m'ont bien plu. On peut certes admettre que c'est un peu gentillet, par moments mais j'ai bien aimé.