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Pardon My French: Food, faux pas and Franglish - one family's riotous year in the south of France
by Rachael Mogan McIntosh'Uproarious and deliciously wise... A pure delight.' Tori Haschka, A Recipe for Family At the school gate, when she accidentally kissed one new friend on the nose and called another a 'beautiful man-horse', Rachael realised that small-town France could hardly be more different to beach-side Australia. The smell of cigarettes replaced the tang of bone-broth and sprouted sourdough, the neighbours sometimes came to blows and under no circumstances would anyone wear activewear in public. Ever.Muddling through every interaction in terrible French pushed Rachael's family to their limits. Some days, everybody cried and ate their feelings with almond croissants. But the town of Sommières embraced these ragtag Australians, and the family fell in love with their temporary hometown and its outrageous gossip, cobblestoned beauty and kind, eccentric inhabitants.Pardon My French is a candid, hilarious love letter to family life and France with three valuable lessons for overcoming adversity: make home a beautiful nest, lean into the tough lessons and look for the comedy in everything.
Pardon My French: Food, faux pas and Franglish - one family's riotous year in the south of France
by Rachael Mogan McIntosh'Uproarious and deliciously wise... A pure delight.' Tori Haschka, A Recipe for Family At the school gate, when she accidentally kissed one new friend on the nose and called another a 'beautiful man-horse', Rachael realised that small-town France could hardly be more different to beach-side Australia. The smell of cigarettes replaced the tang of bone-broth and sprouted sourdough, the neighbours sometimes came to blows and under no circumstances would anyone wear activewear in public. Ever.Muddling through every interaction in terrible French pushed Rachael's family to their limits. Some days, everybody cried and ate their feelings with almond croissants. But the town of Sommières embraced these ragtag Australians, and the family fell in love with their temporary hometown and its outrageous gossip, cobblestoned beauty and kind, eccentric inhabitants.Pardon My French is a candid, hilarious love letter to family life and France with three valuable lessons for overcoming adversity: make home a beautiful nest, lean into the tough lessons and look for the comedy in everything.
Pardon My French: How a Grumpy American Fell in Love with France
by Allen JohnsonTo make a friend is a joy. To make a friend in another country is a wonderment--a small miracle. Pardon My French follows the lives of an American couple who have embraced a daunting mission: Not to be spectators in France, but to be absorbed by France. Amidst the minefields of linguistic faux pas, the perplexities of French gestures, the exquisite and often exotic cuisine, and the splendor of Christmas on the Mediterranean--see what it is like for an occasionally gruff American to be adopted into a new family. Witness the hugging, the teasing, and the laughter that follows, when nothing on earth could be more perfect. Experience what it is like to fall in love with the French. Follow the adventures of the author as he pits his rather staid and conventional driving skills against the French speed demons of Languedoc. Step into his sneakers as he tests his basketball prowess against the young French bucks adorned with backward ball caps and over-the-knee Chicago Bulls game shorts. Watch how he frolics in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time with a French topless companion. Marvel as he sits in with a world-class French jazz band. Observe him overcome his shyness in talking to the beautiful nude model from his painting class in the studio atop the village police station. Envision how he learns to dance the tango with his head upright, his chest expanded, and his strides befitting a newly adorned French god--one with sensuality on his mind.
Parfums: A Catalogue of Remembered Smells
by Philippe ClaudelFrom the sizzling sharpness of freshly cut garlic to the cool tang of a father's aftershave; the heady intoxication of a fumbled first kiss to the anodyne void of disinfectant and death, this is a decadently original olfactory memoir. In sixty-three elusive episodes we roam freely across the countryside of Lorraine, North-East France, from kitchen to farm to a lover's bed. Recognising the bittersweet nostalgia of a scent that slips away on the summer breeze, Claudel demonstrates again his impeccable grasp of the personal and the universal, interweaved with a rare self-deprecating charm. This is an evocative patchwork at once earthy and ethereal, erotic and heart-breaking. Claudel permits us a glimpse of moments that have driven him to delight or despair, creating through the fading aromas of the past fragments of humour, insight and quite intangible beauty.
Paris (Images of America)
by Daniel Jay GrimmingerIn 1806, Rudolph Bair came to Ohio from Pennsylvania and settled on one of the highest points in Stark County and called it Paris. After its establishment in 1814, this town became an important center of business and the arts. As a stagecoach stop on the main road from Pittsburgh to the West, this village evolved into a hub of American culture. By the late 1800s, Paris had dry goods stores, a drug store, two hotels, wagon factories, harness shops, shoe shops, blacksmith shops, a meat market, mills, a vinegar factory, and three churches. Local farmers also came to Paris to do business, worship in Paris's churches, and absorb the latest news. The legacy of this village and its surrounding farmland lives on here in photographs, artifacts, and descendents of early settlers.
Paris By Phone
by Pamela DruckermanThe magic of independence meets the meaning of home in the picture book debut of the #1 bestselling author of Bringing Up Bébé.When Josephine Harris decides that Paris is where she really belongs, all it takes is a quick call on her magical phone to whisk her away. The city of lights has fancy cafés, baguettes under every arm, the Eiffel Tower, and a fabulous new family who can't wait to show her around. The city is a feast for the senses, but each new discovery brings a pang of melancholy. There's something missing here. Could it be the person who loves Josephine's best--her own mother?From #1 bestselling author Pamela Druckerman comes a whimsically commercial picture that little travellers and little homebodies will love!
Paris Café: The Select Crowd
by Noel Riley FitchAcclaimed author Noël Riley Fitch, abetted by noted artist Rick Tulka, serves the dish on Select, the famous Montparnasse café that for nearly nine decades has been so vital to Paris and its intellectual denizens: from Hemingway, Beauvoir, Picasso, James Baldwin, and George Plimpton to the writers and artists who continue to work quietly there in the back room or heatedly debate every topic imaginable into the night. The artists have their work on the walls; the novelists include the café setting in their fiction. The quiet and drama of the Sélect world illustrates the centrality of cafés - particularly this one - to Parisian social, cultural, and intellectual life. Blending pithy profiles and witty drawings of clientele and staff, the book is organized around a history of the café, its daily and seasonal rhythms, particular colorful patrons, and even its typical café/brasserie food (including a few recipes).
Paris In Mind
by Jennifer Lee“Paris is a moveable feast,” Ernest Hemingway famously wrote, and in this captivating anthology, American writers share their pleasures, obsessions, and quibbles with the great city and its denizens. Mark Twain celebrates the unbridled energy of the Can-Can. Sylvia Beach recalls the excitement of opening Shakespeare & Company on the Rue Dupuytren. David Sedaris praises Parisians for keeping quiet at the movies. These are just a few of the writers assembled here, and each selection is as surprising and rewarding as the next. Including essays, book excerpts, letters, articles, and journal entries, this seductive collection captures the long and passionate relationship Americans have had with Paris. Accompanied by an illuminating introduction,Paris in Mindis sure to be a fascinating voyage for literary travelers. Jennifer Allen * Deborah Baldwin * James Baldwin * Dave Barry * Sylvia Beach * Saul Bellow * Bricktop * Art Buchwald * T. S. Eliot * M. F. K. Fisher * Janet Flanner * Benjamin Franklin * Ernest Hemingway *Langston Hughes * Thomas Jefferson * Stanley Karnow * Patric Kuh * A. J. Liebling * Anaïs Nin * Grant Rosenberg * David Sedaris * Irwin Shaw *Gertrude Stein * Mark Twain * Edith Wharton * E. B. White From the Trade Paperback edition.
Paris Like a Local (Local Travel Guide)
by Bryan Pirolli DK Eyewitness Yuki HigashinakanoDiscover the hidden secrets of Paris, the city of lights, with this fantastic city guide that will have you vacationing like a local in no time at allWhether you&’re a first time to the city of love, or a returnee to Paris, this is the perfect guide to an authentic experience from a local&’s perspective. No matter how often you&’ve been to Paris, this stylist guide will help you discover even more authentic experiences in this magical cityThis one-of-a-kind travel guide to Paris includes: • Two-color, bold modern design with contemporary illustrations throughout • Narrative style throughout, making the local, personal voice central to every entry • Structured by six themes and subsequent sub-themes, rather than areas, to echo how people are traveling, rather than where. Themes include Eat, Drink, Shop, and more! • Each entry includes its unique address so readers can pinpoint precisely where they are heading • Each theme ends with a tour spread, dedicated to a specific interest or experience. For example, &“An Atypical Arty Afternoon&” and &“A Night Out Along the Seine&” • Created keeping in mind readers traveling in a post-Covid worldExperience France&’s capital like a true ParisianHome to cutting-edge haute cuisine, vibrant little cafes, elegant river-side gardens, and a shopping scene like no other, this charming city is bathed in style and romance! Go beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and unearth the secret side of the city. Who better to guide you to it than locals? From the best pâtisseries and wine bars to dreamy viewpoints and modern art spaces, this Paris guidebook will help you find all the local&’s favorite hangout spots and hidden haunts. Dine alfresco at a cute café in the Marais, cycle along the tree-lined Canal Saint-Martin, and bargain for vintage treasures at the city&’s beloved flea markets. More in the seriesFrom New York and London to San Francisco and Tokyo, there are more places to discover with these niche local guides! Written by the people who call it home, the Like A Local series from DK takes you beyond the tourist track to experience the heart and soul of each city!
Paris Primitive: Jacques Chirac's Museum on the Quai Branly
by Sally PriceParis Primitive recounts the massive reconfiguration of Paris’s museum world that resulted from Chirac’s dream, set against a backdrop of personal and national politics, intellectual life, and the role of culture in French society. Along with exposing the machinations that led to the MQB’s creation, Sally Price addresses the thorny questions it raises about the legacy of colonialism, the balance between aesthetic judgments and ethnographic context, and the role of institutions of art and culture in an increasingly diverse France.
Paris Revealed: The Secret Life of a City
by Stephen ClarkeA hilarious insider&’s guide to Paris by the author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French: &“Clarke&’s eye for detail is terrific&” (The Washington Post). Stephen Clarke may have adopted Paris as his home, but he still has an Englishman&’s eye for the people, cafés, art, sidewalks, food, fashion, and romance that make Paris a one-of-a-kind city. This irreverent outsider-turned-insider guide shares local savoir faire, from how to separate the good restaurants from the bad to navigating the baffling Métro system. It also provides invaluable insights into the etiquette of public urination and the best ways to experience Parisian life without annoying the Parisians (a truly delicate art). Clarke&’s witty and expert tour of the city leaves no boulevard unexplored—even those that might be better left alone.
Paris Times Eight: Finding Myself in the City of Dreams
by Deirdre Kelly&“Very engaging . . . This charming travel memoir shows us how a person and a city can grow and change in tandem.&” —Booklist Over eight visits to Paris, Deirdre Kelly has found herself—first as a nineteen-year-old and then later as a budding writer, a dance critic, and a fashion reporter. Subsequent visits—with her mother, her future husband, and later as a mother herself—have shown her that while some parts of Paris remain constant, her life is always evolving. More than just a beautiful and romantic backdrop for her self-discovery, Paris itself contributes to that discovery, emerging as a principal character in Kelly&’s life, an influence that inspires, guides, and teaches as she ages. A terrific gift for budding travelers, Francophiles, and women on their own path toward growth, this book reminds readers of their own favorite place. &“A poignant, honest, and deliciously sexy coming-of-age story.&” —Jan Wong, national bestselling author of Beijing Confidential &“Deirdre Kelly&’s writing is fast-paced and full of color and gives the reader an insider&’s view. She gets it right.&” —Sally Armstrong, national bestselling author of The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor &“Takes the reader on a colorful travelogue along the narrow streets of the Marais district, the spectacular Tuileries gardens and the bustling Galleries Lafayette department store . . . a fast-paced, breezy read, its substance subtly woven into a tale of a city whose glamour and beauty never fades.&” —Ottawa Citizen &“At times pensive, sardonic and laugh-out-loud funny, as it chronicles a real life with all its comedies and tragedies.&” —Calgary Herald
Paris Was Ours: Thirty-two Writers Reflect on the City of Light
by Penelope RowlandsParis is “the world capital of memory and desire,” concludes one of the writers in this intimate and insightful collection of memoirs of the city. Living in Paris changed these writers forever. In thirty-two personal essays—more than half of which are here published for the first time—the writers describe how they were seduced by Paris and then began to see things differently. They came to write, to cook, to find love, to study, to raise children, to escape, or to live the way it’s done in French movies; they came from the United States, Canada, and England; from Iran, Iraq, and Cuba; and—a few—from other parts of France. And they stayed, not as tourists, but for a long time; some are still living there. They were outsiders who became insiders, who here share their observations and revelations. Some are well-known writers: Diane Johnson, David Sedaris, Judith Thurman, Joe Queenan, and Edmund White. Others may be lesser known but are no less passionate on the subject. Together, their reflections add up to an unusually perceptive and multifaceted portrait of a city that is entrancing, at times exasperating, but always fascinating. They remind us that Paris belongs to everyone it has touched, and to each in a different way.
Paris Without Her: A Memoir
by Gregory CurtisIn this moving, tender memoir of losing a beloved spouse, the longtime editor of Texas Monthly, newly widowed, returns alone to a city whose enchantment he's only ever shared with his wife, in search of solace, memories, and the courage to find a way forward.At the age of sixty-six, after thirty-five years of marriage, Gregory Curtis finds himself a widower. Tracy--with whom he fell in love the first time he saw her--has succumbed to a long battle with cancer. Paralyzed by grief, agonized by social interaction, Curtis turns to watching magic lessons on DVD--"a pathetic, almost comical substitute" for his evenings with Tracy.To break the spell, he returns to the place he had the "best and happiest times" of his life. As he navigates the storied city and contemplates his new future, Curtis relives his days in Paris with Tracy, piecing together the portrait of a woman, a marriage, parenthood, and his life's great love through the memories of six unforgettable trips to the City of Lights.Alone in Paris, Curtis becomes a tireless wanderer, exploring the city's grand boulevards and forgotten corners as he confronts the bewildering emotional state that ensues after losing a life partner. Paris Without Her is a work of tremendous courage and insight--an ode to the lovely woman who was his wife, to a magnificent city, and to the self we might invent, and reinvent, there.
Paris and Her Cathedrals
by R. Howard BlochFor history readers, travelers, and scholars alike, an indispensable behind-the-scenes guide to the great cathedrals of Paris. “So infectious is R. Howard Bloch’s passion for his subject that even those unable to do the traveling required will find in Paris and Her Cathedrals an inspiring guide to these time-hallowed masterpieces of medieval culture.” —Colin Jones, author of Paris and The Great Nation Over the years, R. Howard Bloch has become renowned for the insider tours of Paris that he gives to students abroad. Long sought after by travelers and history buffs for his near-encyclopedic knowledge of French cathedrals, the eminent French literature scholar finally shares his expertise with a wider audience. In Paris and Her Cathedrals, six of the most sublime cathedrals in the penumbra of Paris—Saint-Denis, Notre-Dame, Chartres, Sainte-Chapelle, Amiens, Reims—are illumined in magnificent detail as Bloch, taking us from the High Middle Ages to the devastating fire that set Notre-Dame ablaze in 2019, traces the evolution of each in turn. Written from the premise that “seeing is enhanced by knowing,” each chapter is organized along the lines of a walk around and then through the space of the cathedral, such that the actual or virtual visitor feels the rich sweep of the church, “the essence of these architectural wonders” (Antonia Felix). Animating the past with lush evocations of architectural splendor—from flying buttresses and jewel-encrusted shrines to hidden burial grounds and secret chambers—Bloch then contextualizes the cathedrals within the annals of French history. Here thrilling tales of kingly intrigue—as in Saint-Chapelle, where the pious King Louis IX amassed relics, including Christ’s crown of thorns—and audacious abbots are interspersed with anecdotes about the meeting of aristocratic and everyday life, culminating in “a rich, colorful narrative that clearly but expertly explains the history and symbolism of some of the world’s most magnificent buildings” (Ross King). To be read in preparation for an enlightened visit or merely to open a window upon the High Middle Ages in France, Paris and Her Cathedrals is a “revelation,” an “indispensable guide” (Garry Wills) to these awe-inspiring structures. Complete with the author’s own photographs, this beautifully illustrated volume vitally enhances our understanding of the history of Paris and its environs.
Paris at the End of the World
by John BaxterA preeminent writer on Paris, John Baxter brilliantly brings to life one of the most dramatic and fascinating periods in the city's history. During World War I, the terrifying sounds of the nearby front could be heard from inside the French capital; Germany's "Paris Gun" and enemy aviators routinely bombarded the city.And yet in its darkest hour, the City of Light blazed more brightly than ever. Its taxis shuttled troops to the front; its great railway stations received reinforcements from across the world; its grand museums and cathedrals housed the wounded; and the Eiffel Tower hummed at all hours, relaying messages to and from the trenches. At night, Parisians lived with urgency and without inhibition, embracing the lush and the libertine. The rich hosted parties that depleted their wine cellars of the finest vintages. Artists such as Pablo Picasso achieved new creative heights. And the war brought a wave of foreigners to the city for the first time, including Ernest Hemingway and Baxter's own grandfather, Archie, whose diaries he uses to reconstruct a soldier's-eye view of the war years.Uncovering a thrilling chapter in Paris's history, John Baxter's revelatory new book shows how this extraordinary period was essential in forging the spirit of the city we love today.
Paris for Beginners: A memoir about love, adventure and finding yourself in the city of lights
by Rachael CoopesEnchanting, amusing, life-affirming and wise.' Toni PearenSometimes the best compass to follow is your heart.Actress Rachael Coopes had a serious boyfriend and successful career in Australia when she was awarded a scholarship to study at a renowned clown school in Paris.It was the opportunity of a lifetime, so she upped sticks and fully surrendered herself to the possibilities of Paris. Cue a coveted pied-à-terre with a view of the Eiffel Tower, quaffing champagne at midnight with her glamorous new amies, and learning how to flirt in French. But for all its charm and sensual pleasures, Paris had a hard lesson or two to teach her about life, and love.Paris for Beginners is about growing up (even when you're already, supposedly, a fully-fledged adult) and figuring out what you need in life, set against the perennially alluring backdrop of the City of Lights.
Paris from the Ground Up
by James H. S. McgregorParis is the most personal of cities. There is a Paris for the medievalist, and another for the modernist-a Paris for expatriates, philosophers, artists, romantics, and revolutionaries of every stripe. James H. S. McGregor brings these multiple perspectives into focus throughout this concise, unique history of the City of Light. His panorama begins with an ancient Gallic fortress on the Seine, burned to the ground by its own defenders in a vain effort to starve out Caesar's legions. After ninth-century raids by the Vikings ended, Parisians expanded the walls of their tiny sanctuary on the Ile de la Cité, turning the river#x19;s right bank into a thriving commercial district and the Rive Gauche into a college town. Gothic spires expressed a taste for architectural novelty, matched only by the palaces and pleasure gardens of successive monarchs whose ingenuity made Paris the epitome of everything French. The fires of Revolution threatened all that had come before, but Baron Haussmann saw opportunity in the wreckage. No planned city in the world is more famous than his. Paris from the Ground Up allows readers to trace the city's evolution in its architecture and art-from the Roman arena to the Musée Orsay, from the Louvre's defensive foundations to I. M. Pei's transparent pyramids.
Paris from the Ground Up (From The Ground Up Ser. #10)
by James H. McGregorParis is the most personal of cities. There is a Paris for the medievalist, and another for the modernist—a Paris for expatriates, philosophers, artists, romantics, and revolutionaries of every stripe. James H. S. McGregor brings these multiple perspectives into focus throughout this concise, unique history of the City of Light. His panorama begins with an ancient Gallic fortress on the Seine, burned to the ground by its own defenders in a vain effort to starve out Caesar’s legions. After ninth-century raids by the Vikings ended, Parisians expanded the walls of their tiny sanctuary on the Ile de la Cité, turning the river’s right bank into a thriving commercial district and the Rive Gauche into a college town. Gothic spires expressed a taste for architectural novelty, matched only by the palaces and pleasure gardens of successive monarchs whose ingenuity made Paris the epitome of everything French. The fires of Revolution threatened all that had come before, but Baron Haussmann saw opportunity in the wreckage. No planned city in the world is more famous than his. Paris from the Ground Up allows readers to trace the city’s evolution in its architecture and art—from the Roman arena to the Musée d’Orsay, from the Louvre’s defensive foundations to I. M. Pei’s transparent pyramids. Color maps, along with identifying illustrations, make the city accessible to visitors by foot, Metro, or riverboat.
Paris in Bloom
by Georgianna Lane&“Get ready for a beauty overload. It&’s food for the soul, it&’s a book of dreams and details, of flowers so perfect you want to hug them to you.&” —Carla Coulson, author of Paris Tango Paris—City of Love, City of Light, City of Flowers. From elegant floral boutiques to lively flower markets to glorious blooming trees and expansive public gardens, flowers are the essential ingredient to the lush sensory bouquet that is Parisian life. With beautiful photography, Paris in Bloom transports readers on a stunning floral tour of the city, and provides recommendations to the best flower markets and a detailed guide to spring blooms. Timeless in content, Paris in Bloom is a book for Paris lovers to savor again and again, one to keep on the nightstand to conjure fond memories of their first visit and inspire dreams of the next. &“Brilliantly captures the splendor of French fleurs with lush photographs and elegant prose . . . A masterpiece!&” —Laura Dowling, former chief floral designer at the White House &“I don&’t know how Georgianna does it. She manages to make Paris, already the most beautiful city in the world, appear even more charming, more elegant and more beautiful than it already is . . . Paris in Bloom is filled with a veritable carpet of pinks and whites, pastels and green portraits that make me let out an audible sigh of joy. This book can re-inspire you to believe that yes, life really is quite beautiful.&” —Doni Belau, author of Paris Cocktails &“Destined to become a classic of its type, Paris in Bloom is Georgianna Lane&’s love letter to Paris and to flowers.&”—Gray Levett, editor of Nikon Owner magazine
Paris in Color
by Nichole RobertsonThe City of Light comes alive with color in this “fresh, ‘oh!’-inducing look at the palette of a city we only thought we knew” (Real Simple).Take a journey through the world’s most romantic city, traveling from color to magnificent color with this beguiling book. An orange café chair, bright blue bicycles against a fence, a weathered white door—Nichole Robertson’s sumptuous photographs of the distinctive details of Paris, all arranged by color, evoke a sense of serendipitous discovery and celebrate the city as never before. At once a work of art and a window into the heart of the city, Paris in Color will surprise and delight those who love art, design, color, and, of course, Paris!
Paris in Love
by Nichole RobertsonThe author of Paris in Color narrows her scope, celebrating the French capital with alluring and romantic photographs of the city&’s come-hither reds. A pair of scarlet-rimmed coffee cups, two glasses of Bordeaux, light glowing rosily from a street lamp, a bouquet of bright red flowers—Nichole Robertson&’s follow-up to the beloved Paris in Color captures the hidden corners and secret moments that make Paris the most romantic city in the world. A love letter in rouge to the City of Light, Paris in Love is the perfect valentine for anyone who adores Paris! &“A beautiful ode that will leave you pining for Paris.&” —Lindsey Tramuta, author of The New Paris &“That magic feeling you get when you are falling in love with a person or place—in this case Paris!—is encapsulated in this stunning gem of a book.&” —Samantha Hahn, author of Well-Read Women &“We&’re smitten by Nichole Robertson&’s Paris in Love, which celebrates all things Parisian—especially crimson things, from raspberry tarts to scarlet mopeds, rosy begonias and glossy, berry-hued cafe chairs—in glorious photographs.&” —San Jose Mercury News
Paris in Love: A Memoir
by Eloisa James<P>In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. <P>Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With no classes to teach, no committee meetings to attend, no lawn to mow or cars to park, Eloisa revels in the ordinary pleasures of life--discovering corner museums that tourists overlook, chronicling Frenchwomen's sartorial triumphs, walking from one end of Paris to another. <P>She copes with her Italian husband's notions of quality time; her two hilarious children, ages eleven and fifteen, as they navigate schools--not to mention puberty--in a foreign language; and her mother-in-law Marina's raised eyebrow in the kitchen (even as Marina overfeeds Milo, the family dog). <P>Paris in Love invites the reader into the life of a most enchanting family, framed by la ville de l'amour. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Paris in Love: A Memoir
by Eloisa JamesA New York Times Bestseller. After years of living vicariously through the heroines in her novels, bestselling author Eloisa James takes a leap that most of us can only daydream about. She sells her house, leaves her job as a Shakespeare professor, and packs her husband and two protesting children off to Paris. Grand plans are abandoned as she falls under the spell of daily life as a Parisienne exquisite food, long walks by the Seine, reading in bed, displays of effortless chic around every corner, and being reminded of what really matters in a place where people seem to kiss all the time. Against one of the world s most picturesque backdrops, she copes with her Italian husband s notions of quality time; her two hilarious children, ages eleven and fifteen, as they navigate schools not to mention puberty in a foreign language; and her formidable mother-in-law, Marina, who believes dogs should be fed prosciutto and wives should live in the kitchen. An irresistible love letter to a city that will make you want to head there, Paris in Love is also a joyful testament to the pleasures of savouring life.
Paris to the Moon: A Family In France (A\vintage Original Ser.)
by Adam GopnikParis. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking façades around every corner--in short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured the American imagination for as long as there have been Americans. In 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left the familiar comforts and hassles of New York City for the urbane glamour of the City of Light. Gopnik is a longtime New Yorker writer, and the magazine has sent its writers to Paris for decades--but his was above all a personal pilgrimage to the place that had for so long been the undisputed capital of everything cultural and beautiful. It was also the opportunity to raise a child who would know what it was to romp in the Luxembourg Gardens, to enjoy a croque monsieur in a Left Bank café--a child (and perhaps a father, too) who would have a grasp of that Parisian sense of style we Americans find so elusive. So, in the grand tradition of the American abroad, Gopnik walked the paths of the Tuileries, enjoyed philosophical discussions at his local bistro, wrote as violet twilight fell on the arrondissements. Of course, as readers of Gopnik's beloved and award-winning "Paris Journals" in The New Yorker know, there was also the matter of raising a child and carrying on with day-to-day, not-so-fabled life. Evenings with French intellectuals preceded middle-of-the-night baby feedings; afternoons were filled with trips to the Musée d'Orsay and pinball games; weekday leftovers were eaten while three-star chefs debated a "culinary crisis."As Gopnik describes in this funny and tender book, the dual processes of navigating a foreign city and becoming a parent are not completely dissimilar journeys--both hold new routines, new languages, a new set of rules by which everyday life is lived. With singular wit and insight, Gopnik weaves the magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful, often hilarious look at what it was to be an American family man in Paris at the end of the twentieth century. "We went to Paris for a sentimental reeducation-I did anyway-even though the sentiments we were instructed in were not the ones we were expecting to learn, which I believe is why they call it an education."