'' Windows on the World '' is a novel written by Frédéric Beigbeder , and was first published in France in 2003 . The English translation by Frank Wynne was released on March 30 , 2005 by Miramax Books . The novel alternates between two voices : the first Carthew Yorsten , a Texan realtor accompanied by his two sons ( ages 7 and 9 ) who are having a tourist-style breakfast at Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center on the morning of the September 11 attacks ; the second , the voice of the author writing the story while having breakfast at a restaurant atop a Paris skyscraper ( Tour Montparnasse ) . Each chapter , averaging three pages a piece , represents one minute from 8.30 am - just before the time the building is hit at 8:46 am - to 10.29 , just after its collapse at 10:28 am
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Windows on the World (novel)