Paris

it isn't really like that. it's not just some disconcerting look into the underground of the east village full of drugs and sex and blah blah blah -- that's every other review. what's actually in this book is centred more around style than substance. ms. listfield writes powerfully, artistically, and honestly in these vignettes; she writes like comfort food. this is the kind of book where every line is the type of line you're prone to underlining or reading allowed to whoever will listen, the kind of sentences you want to carry along in your pocket for their brilliance. i recognised myself on every page.

all in all it's not the work of the century, but genuinely, genuintely worth the read.

... Every generation wants its twenties to be like Hemingway'stwenties in Paris, poor in pocket but rich in creative work, artist companions, great conversation and wine. Except on the lower east side of Manhattan in the 1980's, the artist part gets buried in drugs, booze, dancing 'til dawn in clubs. Love gets mangled in the partying, too. This is told brilliantly, unapologetically, in the voice of Sara who is resisting her family's call back to the suburbs, back to dependable, bland men and unexciting, secure jobs. Written in the time it portrays, just before AIDS changes everything, it is straightforward, not dripping with the irony of hindsight or regret. Above all, it is written with artistry, rendered in short cuts where every word is crafted, every word counts. It is of a particular time and place, but not dated. It is more honest than Bright Lights, Big City, more genuine than the recent retro film 200 Cigarettes.

Emily Listfield's "It Was Gonna Be Like Paris" was one of the first novels of the East Village in the days of its all-in-black post-punk art-scene glory... I first read this in the mid-1980s and I was thrilled and intrigued by the world she depicts... Listfield offers little cold vignettes of life in the punk world of artists, failed junkie musicians, and imminent violence and love... Her style is austere, cold, and clear. I was living in New Orleans when I first found this book, and I instantly gave copies to all my friends. We read it and spent a long spring and summer trying to live the novel in dance clubs and galleries in both New Orleans and Houston. The fact that this novel is out of print is a major indictment of Listfield's publishers. "It Was Gonna Be Like Paris" is a minor clasic, a small gem of a novel about a lost world and time... (Lohr Miller

If you read my review of the general Paris book, you know that I think it is the best, but the restaraunt/hotel information in the back of that book is dated, well here is the fix for that. Unfortunately I only had this book on one trip, my last, over the pond, however if you wanted to have dinner at a new and fascinating place every afternoon and night, this is what to use. My mom, an art deco fan, used this book to find the perfect restaraunt. I used it to find a restaraunt built into a 1000 year old basement, not to mention fois gras vendors! This book is worth every penny, as so much in Paris revolves around meals, and the meals and folks in the restaraunts are so interesting, you in fact, need this book. While large portions of France have lost their Catholicism, they still have one universal religion: FOOD! Pick this book up, a Bible!

I like the Knopf Guides in general for their luxurious illustrations, diagrams and their tangental information.In this guide such things as typical menus, historical data, elaborate diagrams (such as the fold out of Train Bleu) and literary references make it more than a guide indeed it properly sits on the nightstand as grist for exciting dreams of historical Parisian Gastronomy.

Richly illustrated book including descriptions of famous restaraunts as well as the history of the Paris restaurant scene.

I am leaving for France again this week and I can hardly put the book down.

i recently returned from my first trip to paris. in preparation, i reviewed multiple guidebooks and took with me two. the four i considered most promising were let's go paris, rough guide paris, frommers paris from $90 and fodors paris. it was frustrating that i could not find a comparative review of guides which is why i share this info with you.

of these, after the trip, i must say that let's go paris was the most helpful with copious useful maps and tips, in addition to accurate and abundant recommendations on housing, dining and entertainment. frommers was the second most useful in planning and understanding the city.

although i thought that the rough guide would be beneficial, the maps were limited in detail and annotation. also, dining etc was not listed by arrondissements which made searching very difficult.

fodors was nice, but not particularly useful for the moderate income traveler compared to the others. frommers paris i briefly reviewed but found much less useful than this frommers guide.

This is the guide you want. I ordered this along with Frommer's Paris guide, and found this to be so much better. Let's Go Paris has tons more information than its competition, and yet it is very fun to read. You will feel like you are being led through Paris by a very cool local.

Also, the featured restaurants and hotels are clearly labeled with price categories (very useful for the budget-minded). Best of all, each section of Paris is mapped at the end of the book, showing the locations of every reviewed restaurant, hotel, monument and museum.

Even though some other guides come with tear-out folding maps, they are mostly worthless -- fall apart easily, low on detail and area. If you really want a large fold-out map, buy this along with an Insight Fleximap of Paris and you'll be set.

This guide has a charm and quirkiness that I have not found elsewhere. Buy it a month or two ahead of time, sit at a cafe and read it cover to cover. You will not regret it.

I spent two months living in Paris and this book became my personal bible! It took me to the hippest night spots, clued me in to oodles of bargains, and helped me with up-to-date practical information such as prices and hours of operation. The writing is HILARIOUS and offers twentysomethings a cool alternative to other guides. I won't waste another cent on Lonley Planet ever again. . .

This book is infinitely helpful to pinpoint the perfect restaurant or bar that suits one's needs. The book is organized into arrondissements of Paris. At the beginning of each chapter, the authors list what they consider the best choices for each particular arrondissement.

If you're looking for a particular type of cuisine, one of the back indexes lists the cuisine type and all the restaurants that serve that type of food and of course, a page number where the restaurant can be found.

Another index lists all the restaurants alphabetically to compare them for the features of serving late night, outdoors, any private rooms, serving children, have wheelchair access, and if they're appropriate for business dining.

There are over 40 pages of excellent maps showing the name of the restaurant at its location.

Each individual entry gives the restaurant name, telephone number, address, page of the map where it's shown in the book, which Métro stations are closest, general prices for starter dishes, main courses, desserts, and set menus for lunch and dinner.

What makes this guide unique is that there are also ratings for the general volume of the crowd, so you can choose a quieter place or a more lively place, depending on your desires. Also, what is very valuable to us non-smokers is the restaurant's policy - smoking throughout, nonsmoking tables available, or completely non-smoking. Another fantastic feature is there is a little picture of a carrot next to the restaurants that are vegetarian friendly - a real plus!

Each entry lists the hours of operation (though these can often change, so I'd highly recommend a quick call before you have your heart set on a specific restaurant; also reservations are highly recommended at some restaurants) and a fairly detailed entry telling the specialties of the house and what the authors recommend.

The information in the book is extremely helpful for choosing restaurants and bars, and its organization makes this information easily accessible so you aren't spending time wading through large volumes to find that perfect Parisian experience.

This book was so helpful in finding great places to eat in Paris. We'd find ourselves in a different area of town either for lunch or dinner each day. Simply pull out the Out to Eat book and find the food or restaurant we wanted to visit. Fair warning on dress code or reservations. We didn't NEED this book, but it made the trip easier...

We recently visited Paris. We armed ourselves with this book as well as a few others for cross-referencing. The LP book was dead-on for each restaurant. Although we consider ourselves very picky and privileged eaters, we were 100% satisfied with our choices. The book was invaluable not only for food but for neighborhood and bar information.

Nineteenth-Century America had its Henry Clay. His European counterpart was Georges-Eugene Haussmann. Emperor Napoleon hired Haussmann to make method out of the madness of post-Medieval Paris. Haussmann is principally responsible for the City of Light as we know it. "Today," the Baron's recent biographer stresses, "his hand is everywhere." Part of Haussmann's effort consisted of bringing pure water to Parisians. In the process he wiped out the cholera that was endemic to the City. Throughout life he modernized the ailing French infrastructure. Wherever he was posted, he brought in roads, canals, and rail lines. How odd it was that in a country so obsessed with pagentry and glory, Haussmann's funeral went by in a small church, virtually unnoticed.

This illustrated biography of Georges-Eugene Haussmann is a highly recommended pick for any who relish accounts of early Paris: The Man Who Made Paris Paris examines the life of an administrator who rebuilt Paris as a capitol "worthy of an empire". Vintage black and white photos of early Paris accompany a biographical coverage of the man who transformed the city in only seventeen years.

This book helped me understand how really Paris was before Haussman did his work. I recommend this book to any person who is interested in Paris and it's history

This is a beautifully-written biography of a young Penobscot woman from Indian Island, Maine. She danced in vaudeville, Wild West shows, and even went topless in New York before dancing before royalty in Europe. She had a passionate but tragic love affair with a French journalist, and fled with her daughter from the Nazis. Molly suffered greatly in her lifetime but shone among her people as a strong matriarch with dazzling basketweaving skills and musical talents. She deserves to have her story told at last.

This is a wonderfully lyrical account of the life of a Penobscot woman who against great odds overcomes poverty and illness through her intelligence, love of beauty and dance and her connection to her Native American heritage. Her romance with a French Resistance-member journalist and her escape over the Alps with her infant daughter during World War II is spell-binding. I loved this book!

As a middle school librarian in a county with two tribes, I am always looking for books that will model exellence for our young men and women. This is a fascinating read about a native American young woman in the early days of Hollywood. We can't afford this book yet, but it is one of three that top my list for next year's order. We have 180 feet of empty shelves.

This exciting new addition to the Alive! series takes you to the cruise ship capital of the world - in style!

"Dawn to Dusk" sections focus on the best daytime delights, such as terrific watersports, sightseeing, golf courses, beaches and fascinating museums. "After Dark" sections take you to the best nightclubs, piano bars, cocktail lounges and beach cookouts. Hundreds of places to stay and eat are profiled in detail, based on repeat visits by the authors. In-margin icons allow you to see at a glance which activities are being discussed.

"This Hunter Travel Guide stimulates readers' senses immediately with its lively description.... Fully indexed, the guide delivers an insider's view to what the authors call 'the most hospitable islands in the world.' Not a typical guide, the book is as much fun as it is resourceful, with a chatty writing style... great suggestions for sites to visit when travelers are in the mood for something unusual or spontaneous." Today's Librarian

Paris Perneter and John Bigley's Nassau & The Best Of The Bahamas Alive! provides all the destination-oriented information needed to make the best of a trip to the Bahamas, from a survey of restaurants and hot fishing holes to best places to stay, shop, and enjoy the variety of the islands. An excellent take-long tote.

Living, breathing characters wander the maze that is the Other Side of Twilight. Not without flaw, each struggles with their individual demons, and establishes their persona early on as likable or to be wary of. Yet, none is without surprises.

I felt, as I turned the pages with some trepidation, that I were right there with Steve as he agonized through the introspection and the staggering revelations forced upon him in his quest for the truth about his life. Arianne's foibles provided a realism that made her character one I could warm to. I can't wait for the sequel.

Geoffrey Parris' scrutiny of matters racially significant and spanning different cultures more than hints at his own diversity of background and knowledge. Even though he surely fictionalized much of Twilight, he had to have poured a great deal of his own experience into the creation of his characters. It worked!

Write on, Geoffrey Parris, and please be prolific!

Anyone who can successfully tie together an intriguing tale spanning the Caribbean, southern USA, and Canada deserves more than a pat on the back. Geoffrey Parris' first book is a must on this year's list of great reading and I look forward to more from this budding author.

One hesitates to classify this as a mystery thriller, yet Parris has succeeded admirably in weaving a tangled web which traps the reader into skipping work for a day to find out how it all ends. It draws heavily on the author's own tragedies and successful battle with cancer and has taught this jaded reader a thing or two along the way.

Can you beat cancer on the strength of your own willpower? Can you be proud of being the product of mixed races? Can you aspire to wealth and power from an ordinary background? Of course! All this plus a new look at psychic power is neatly woven into the plot as Steve Houston attempts to find out what really happened to his mother.

You won't regret picking up this book both for its inspiration and suspense.

The Other Side of Twilight is a great book to add to your summer reading list. I thoroughly enjoyed it and only put it down once when I had to go teach a screenwriting workshop.

Parris is new to writing, but this won't be his last book. He compels the reader to race through his story to find out what really happened to the main character's mother when he was seven years old.

The settings are so enjoyable that they act as characters in the book and offer a great escape.

The plot is tightly woven and clever and the ending is very satisfying. What more could you want?

Is Paris Burning? is one of my favorite books. It's a little like a comfort book... I love history but sometimes find reading about it a bit dull. Is Paris Burning? was very appealing from the first page. I found myself making a movie in my mind everytime I read it.

Having lost my original copy of the book, I am anxious to get a replacement for it. Though I was in hospital at the time of the events, I checked with many comrades from my unit (3rd company, 501 Regt French tanks, 2nd French Armored Division)who were interviewed by the authors in the early 60's, and they vouch for the accuracy of the account. I still see a few survivors at our yearly get-together. A must for my (or anyone's) grand children. Pres. French War Veterans, NY

This book gives a truly fascinating story of the last days of the Nazi occupation of Paris. It is an especially good read if you happen to be in Paris. I never realized until I read this book, how close Paris was to being totally destroyed by the Nazis. A very exciting, interesting book.

This book reads like a novel. Each section introduces the reader to the charms and peculiarities of the neighborhoods of Paris, followed by vivid descriptions of the history and atmosphere of the most interesting bistros and the best fare offered by each. This is not your typical tourist guide. I loved the fact that it is a slim book, packed with information, which can easily fit in a purse or pocket. The authors have focusssed on the bistros where Parisians find the best food for the best value. I loved the photographs, which capture the charm of Paris and made me yearn for a return visit.

This is THE book for lovers of Paris cafe culture, the Gaîté Parisienne of Toulouse and Degas and young Picasso, the smoke-filled existentialist redoubts of postwar angst and Sartre, the whole range of places, from tucked-away local digs where shirtsleeve workers take their lunch served by big-armed mamas to the ritzy-boulevard tourist traps, all the color, sounds, palate treats and eye treats you could possibly want, the stuff that brought you to Paris in the first place, are what Christine and Dennis Graf have confected for you, and not only that but they tell you how it's done, how the cafe "works," with the local body language and recognitions and intricate gestural vocabulary and what the places mean to les parisiens indigenes as well as the reverent foreigner drop-in. It's the book to have hidden in your pocket when you enter, the treasure-hunt clue that pointed you there but remains carefully concealed so that the habitués will think you just naturally gravitated to the place or else were astrally tossed there by astounding good luck. The book is worth five, ten times its purchase price.

Much more than a standard travel guide, this book is a work of art. It's beautifully written and sprinkled with entertaining vignettes and charming photographs. The authors have departed from the beaten path and searched Paris to find a select group of Bistros, the kind the average tourist hopes to find but rarely does. They are all unique, but they all have some things in common: appealing atmosphere, creative menus and outstanding value-- and they all make me anxious to return to Paris!