Paris in the present tense

In this novel, Mark Helprin tells the story of Jules Lacour, a 74-year-old maître at Paris-Sorbonne, cellist, widower, veteran of the war in Algeria, and child of the Holocaust.

Jules must balance his strong obligations to the past with the attractions and beauties of life and love in the present.

He faces various challenges, including risking fraud to save his terminally ill infant grandson, matching wits with a renegade insurance investigator, being drawn into an act of savage violence, and falling deeply in love with a young cellist.

The novel is a poignant and philosophical exploration of life, love, and the city of Paris, which uniquely shapes Jules's life and experiences.