Acclaimed Canadian Author Coming to Paris

Acclaimed author Emma Donoghue will be in Paris on Sunday, April 6th from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Paris Community Church’s #ForParisCentre to help celebrate One Book One Brant’s 20th anniversary and to launch her new book, The Paris Express. 

By Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

For 20 years One Book One Brant has remained a literacy phenomenon in the community and to mark the milestone, the County of Brant Library has pulled out all the stops to bring a world-renowned Canadian author to the forefront of the celebration. Keeping in line with One Book One Brant’s (OBOB) mandate to select a Community Pick novel penned by a Canadian author, this year’s selection was The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue. And in true OBOB fashion, Donoghue will make an appearance in Paris for the wrap-up author meet and greet on Sunday, April 6th from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Paris Community Church’s #ForParisCentre. There was a little bit of fate pulling a star like Donoghue to town, shares Emma Johnston, Adult Program and Outreach Services for the County of Brant Public Library. “Last year I reached out to Emma to come to One Book One Brant, and I actually got her on the phone, I was shocked,” said Johnston. “I was telling her we are in Paris Ontario, and she said, ‘I’m in Paris France!’ She was there working on her new novel, so she wanted to revisit the idea in a year when her book would come out.”Fast forward to 2025 and Donoghue has started to launch that book, titled The Paris Express. Since the timing was a bit off to make The Paris Express this year’s OBOB selection, library staff opted for The Pull of the Stars, another great Donoghue masterpiece. However, they couldn’t resist the opportunity to turn the author meet and greet into a soft book launch for The Paris Express as well. Johnston confesses to reading almost all of Donoghue’s books, labelling her a very talented author. That assessment is fair, after all she is a National Bestseller, Giller Prize Finalist, short-listed for a Dublin Literacy Award, and shortlisted for the Man Booker and Orange Prizes. She’s not just a novelist, but a screenwriter, playwright and literacy historian. “How deeply honoured we are to have Emma Donoghue with us,” said Johnston. “We are a small town that’s a part of her a really big book launch and to be included is a really huge honour.”Donoghue’s The Paris Express his is a historic novel based on an 1895 trainwreck disaster that was captured in a series of extraordinary photographs, one of which is placed at the end of Donoghue’s novel as the inspiration to the story she wrote about the fascinating characters that took a ride on The Paris Express. It's a gripping story that captures everything from politics to glamour at the end of the 19th century. It's not the only novel where Donoghue manages to pull the reader back in time. This year’s OBOB selection The Pull of the Stars brings readers to the height of the Great Flu in Dublin, 1918.  Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city centre’s maternity ward, in a city ravaged by war. Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney step into Julia’s regimented world and in over three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. Johnston said library staff chose The Pull of the Stars because it appeals to a wide range of readers and her approach to writing is so diverse and captivating. “In my experience she personalizes the history – and that is a fascinating way to approach it,” said Johnston. One Book One Brant launched 20 years ago with the simple idea of bringing literary enthusiasts together to share in a specific read that would spark insightful discussion. Year after year the event returned each spring, like clockwork, attracting crowds of readers eager to turn the pages of a new Canadian author. “The community likes to come together and read together, it’s fun. They get to chat about what they are reading and explore Canadian authors and attend events to support that one read,” said Johnston. “We’ve brought in some fantastic authors over the years, but Emma Donoghue is our biggest one!”Of course, Johnston said she must thank the community for keeping the OBOB tradition alive. “We are so grateful to the community for keeping One Book One Brant alive for 20 years – thank-you to everyone who has participated!”To prepare for Donoghue’s upcoming visit, you can pick up a copy of The Pull of the Stars from any County of Brant Library branch. You can also attend a Book Club meeting; the next one takes place on March 27th at 6:30 pm at the Burford Library. Anyone who has read The Pull of the Stars is welcome to attend. The library has also partnered with Spicy Jan from Tasty Road Trips to present ‘The Paris Express Grand Adventure’ on March 22nd. That two-and-a-half-hour afternoon adventure is a curated experience to immerse yourself in the hidden gems of downtown Paris, Ontario. It’s a fun opportunity to stack ‘our Paris’ up to the ‘Paris’ in Donoghue’s book. Tickets for that event are still available by online registration https://brant-ca.libcal.com/event/3853018. The April 6th book launch/author meet and greet will include an interview sit down with Donoghue, a Q&A period and Riverside Bookshelf will have books for sale for Donoghue to autograph.