Black Elk in Paris

The City of Lights sparkles in this historical novel circa 1889 as Paris prepares for the Universal Exposition, designed to demonstrate its superiority in military prowess, science, culture and the arts. Philippe Normand, a young physician who mistrusts the chauvinistic euphoria that has overtaken his fellow citizens, narrates the story. His like-minded companion, Madou, youngest daughter of the bourgeois Balise family, also rejects the latest craze and refuses to be restricted by society. Her family tolerates her eccentricities, but balks when she grows infatuated with Choice, the Lakota medicine man also known as Black Elk, who has traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill. This mostly silent man with long braided hair, ramrod posture and a physique of carved marble embodies wisdom and serenity to Madou. To the rest of the family, and indeed to most of gossipy cafe society, he is a savage. Even devoted Philippe is apprehensive about Madou's infatuation with the man. As the city gears up for its grand celebration, Balise père threatens to commit Madou to Salpêtrière Hospital. Horsley (Confessions of a Pagan Nun ) admirably recreates a city in thrall to excess, but the principal characters, especially those who resist the irrational exuberance of the times, get lost in the crowd. (Mar.)