A quick and fun read that should delight seasoned travelers as well as those planning their first adventure to this...
A collection of short essays by female authors on Paris, a city that “is so many things, all of them wonderful.”
All of the bestselling authors featured in this book have written works that feature Paris, and this lively assemblage, edited by Brown (The Light of Paris, 2016, etc.), puts on display the personal narrative of each woman’s experience of the City of Light. Whether recalling the books about Paris that propelled Cathy Kelly to travel there, the variety of experiences gathered by Paula McLain and Therese Anne Fowler during research trips for their books, Jennifer Coburn’s mother-daughter trip, which featured an unexpected outcome, or Ellen Sussman’s exploration of how her passion for the city masked the pain and emptiness of her crumbling marriage, the essays offer tantalizing portraits of both the city’s beauty and grit. Following each essay is a brief biography of the author, listing her works, her favorite and least-favorite Paris moments (M.J. Rose: “the last time I had to leave”), what shouldn’t be missed during a trip to Paris and what to skip (Sussman: the Champs-Élysées, which has become “a shopping mall for tourists”), and her favorite non-Paris travel destination. What makes this collection a treat are the varying viewpoints about this singular city. Each story offers a unique vantage point for better understanding the history and culture of the city. Award-winning romance writer Megan Crane, who has written more than 60 books, three of which feature Paris, describes how meandering around the city helped her to know herself better: “I could finally be me. That was what Paris did for me, one long ago weekend on my own. It scared me, then it challenged me. And then it set me free.”
A quick and fun read that should delight seasoned travelers as well as those planning their first adventure to this “enormous and complex place.”Pub Date: July 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-57447-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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