Paris

I still do not have the faintest idea as to why Disney could possibly make this book into a children's movie. First of all, I would rate the unabridged book itself "PG-13"...but anyway. This book, more popularly known as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (even though the plot circles around the Cathedral, not Quasimodo) is like a twisted "Romeo and Juliet" story sans star-crossed lovers. The real protagonist (in my opinion) is Esmarelda, the sixteen year old gypsy dancer. She falls passionatly in love with the chauvanistic stuff-shirt Captain Pheobus whotakes advatage of her love while meanwhile courting a young, rich noblewoman. Meanwhile, both Quasimodo the deaf bell-ringer and Claude Frollo the fanatical archdeacon fall madly in love with Esmerelda. So naturally things get quite chaotic when the gypsy is sentanced to death for "murdering" the captain. The action so is spectacular, especially the siege of Notre Dame, that I almost forgot I was reading it, not actually standing in Place de la Greve watching it all happen. Hopefully I don't give too much away when I say yes, there is a heck of a lot of dying going on throughout the book. This book, unfortunately, does have its long, slow, boring parts too...such as the beginning--just get through it and you'll be alright. And unless you are an ardent scholar of mideival architecture or French history, go ahead and skip the chapters titled "Notre-Dame" and "A birds eye view of Paris". P.S: my favorite part...Esmarelda's "marriage" to Pierre Gringiore, and also Gringiore's unhealthy obsession with the gypsy's goat

I still do not have the faintest idea as to why Disney could possibly make this book into a children's movie. First of all, I would rate the unabridged book itself "PG-13"...but anyway. This book, more popularly known as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (even though the plot circles around the Cathedral, not Quasimodo) is like a twisted "Romeo and Juliet" story sans star-crossed lovers. The real protagonist (in my opinion) is Esmarelda, the sixteen year old gypsy dancer. She falls passionatly in love with the chauvanistic stuff-shirt Captain Pheobus whotakes advatage of her love while meanwhile courting a young, rich noblewoman. Meanwhile, both Quasimodo the deaf bell-ringer and Claude Frollo the fanatical archdeacon fall madly in love with Esmerelda. So naturally things get quite chaotic when the gypsy is sentanced to death for "murdering" the captain. The action so is spectacular, especially the siege of Notre Dame, that I almost forgot I was reading it, not actually standing in Place de la Greve watching it all happen. Hopefully I don't give too much away when I say yes, there is a heck of a lot of dying going on throughout the book. This book, unfortunately, does have its long, slow, boring parts too...such as the beginning--just get through it and you'll be alright. And unless you are an ardent scholar of mideival architecture or French history, go ahead and skip the chapters titled "Notre-Dame" and "A birds eye view of Paris". P.S: my favorite part...Esmarelda's "marriage" to Pierre Gringiore, and also Gringiore's unhealthy obsession with the gypsy's goat :-)

The novel which is so poorly mistranslated as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" is one which sadly few people have read. Disney has done this novel a great injustice. Hugo paints an elaborate and incredible picture of 15th-century Paris. The main character is not Quasimodo, the infamous hunchback, but rather the cathedral of Notre Dame itself. It is a complex and powerful character who shifts dramatically depending on who percieves it. Hugo is a brilliant writer; each image is beautiful, each line a poem. The book is four hundred pages of pure poetry. I highly recommend this novel for anyone who appreciates good literature.

I picked up this book at the used bookstore not knowing anything about Art Buchwald; I was more interested in reading about a person living in Paris than I was about Mr. Buchwald himself.

I thought the book was delightful and I came away liking Art. His stories are funny, touching and sad, but always mixed up enough to keep the book lively and fun. I consider it light reading; a great escape from the office at lunchtime.

Heard the taped version of I'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS: A
MEMOIR, written and read by Art Buchwald . . . Buchwald has
always been one of my favorite humorists/columnist, though I
regret that he doesn't appear in my local paper.

This book is a follow-up to his earlier LEAVING HOME . . . it is a witty tribute to 1948 Paris, a city he fell in love with as he began his quest to become a great writer . . . there are a lot of cute stories, plus much name-dropping (Hemingway, Bacall, etc.).

I also liked hearing about how he met and fell in love with
his wife . . . his trials and tribulations as a father also had me laughing . . . as he notes, "..."

Overall, I enjoyed it . . . though this is one time where
a professional reader would have helped . . . Buchwald's voice
is not the easiest to understand--or at least not on these tapes.

I first read this book last year after a trip to Europe which included a brief and wonderful trip to Paris. Buckwald has captured the essense of life in Paris. For those not in love with the city, this might lead to the thought that this would be a dull book. However, this book is a witty scream which left me at times reading with my mouth hanging open in amazement and at other times laughing out loud as I read turned the page. I wish I could have met him - or better yet, been able to attend one of the parties mentioned in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is fascinating, irreverent and jovial. A great read.

lots of misdirection and confusion with no conclusion.
stock characters left undeveloped.
paris-o-philes might like the scenery.

This is my first Aimee Leduc novel, and I am happy to say that it came as a pleasant surprise. On my previous visit to Paris (in 1999), I was startled to see tough paratroopers armed with automatic rifles at the Chatelet-Les Halles metro station patrolling the platforms and corridors. Paris is no longer the city of Maurice Chevalier, or even Georges Simenon: What we have here is a rougher and edgier city with a compact tourist core surrounded by miles of slumlike banlieus along the edges.

Cara Black's flics barely have the time to deal with murder, when other events like terror-driven explosions and a horrible TGV accident in the station. Rumanian thugs in cheap exercise suits abound, selling their muscle to developers and with an eye on the main chance, whatever it may be. The Bastille area, site of a notorious castle/prison torn down in 1789, is now dominated by the huge Opera Bastille. The local neighborhood, however, is being forcibly torn down and redeveloped.

In walks private investigator Aimee Leduc. In the first few pages of MURDER IN THE BASTILLE, she is brutally attacked in an alley and blinded as a result of a damaged artery. For most of the novel, she can see nothing around her. The onus for the investigation falls on her dwarfish partner Rene, with occasional help en passant from overburdened police officers who knew her father on the force.

I look forward to reading the other novels in the series.

Murder in the Bastille is my first Aimee Leduc mystery, but it won't be my last. Not only do the backstreet Paris scenes ring true, so do the complex relationships. Readers who bring a little something to the book themselves will enjoy it more than dullards who look for simplistic answers with every loose thread neatly snipped. Cara Black's in media res approach makes me want to go backwards and forwards in this intelligent series. Highly recommended.

This book is delightful! Fresh metaphors and quotable lines abound. I feel like a French way of thinking and living permeates this book, and the translation captures a way of thought that is different from that in America. Another thing I noticed is the proliferation of cross-age friendships, as people of many different stages of life join their lives together. This book is a definite "keeper"!

thats whats ernest thinks.i very good book,a dead mother a father who disapeared and a grandmother who is old and kind thats what ernest lives with.dose he find his father?what does secret letters 0-10 mean?does he have any friends?find out in this interesting book.

I don't know if it is the rhythm of the story, or the delightful characters and their changing relationships that enchanted me so in this story of Ernest and his completely boring, predictable world being upset by Victoria, the new girl in school.

Ernest has lived a clockwork life with his elderly grandmother and equally aged housekeeper for 10 years. That begins to change, when Victoria and her 13 brothers come into his life. He begins to stray from his dull routine, and one day, discovers a book in the grocery store. He has NEVER been to the grocery store until he helps Victoria, but on this fateful day, he discovers a book in the paperback rack that may have the answer to his life-long question; where is his father, and why did he leave him?

As Ernest pursues this quest, he finally begins to live life, bringing his grandmother along with him. Ernest does discover the answer to many of his questions, but more importantly, he, along with his grandmother, discover what it means to really live and love. "Secret Letters From 0 to 10" is a completely charming read.

Reading "Trilby" is like listening to a lively, friendly raconteur taking you into his confidence. All the characters are interesting and lovable despite their faults. Ultimately, du Maurier even has a soft spot for Svengali. Sentimental, yes...but effervescent and with a broad tolerance for life and human weaknesses. It's a fun, memorable read and easy to see why it was a huge hit of the 1890's.

The book which put "Svengali" into the English language. I had heard of this book long ago, of course, though i can't remember whether it was first from learning about Svengali or finding out that du Maurier was Daphne du Maurier's father. But i had never read it. In a way i'm glad i didn't, becuase that has given me the opportunity to read it now, for the first time. It has taken me a little longer than i might have expected, but was well worth the time. The story of the tragic Trilby, who cannot sing a note to save her life, and how she is moulded into the singer who takes Europe by storm, by the evil (?)(i'm not sure) musician Svengali, who uses mesmerism of some kind to play her as an instrument. The story is told from the persepective of three Englishmen who lived in Paris during the time Trilby was an artists' model, before she fell under Svengali's spell. The three, Taffy, the Laird, and Little Billee, who was her fiancé at one point, briefly, are artists, of a sort; they love Trilby for herself, and are devastated when she is removed from them by events. Naturally, they are shocked by her reappearance in the world of Culture. But they are delighted at the possibility of renewing her acquaintance.

I could wish that du Maurier had not been so cute with his French as "spoken" by the English. I could wish that there is less French altogether, as it does slow down the reading ~ perhaps one reason "Trilby" isn't read any more (is it?). It does generate an atmosphere, though, and you begin to know what Western Europe was like in the middle years of two centuries ago. This edition, Dover, has over a hundred illustrations by du Maurier, who had made his name as a cartoonist for Punch. They are lovely, and add immeasurably to the book.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who commented that this novel is at best a curiosity and that it deserved to fade into obscurity. I read this in a course on 19th century novels and fell in love with du Maurier's writings and his drawings. He uses such wonderful devices to flavor the text and in many ways this satirical view of the aesthetic movement informs the period as much as Oscar Wilde's work does. That the work has some anti-Semitic sentiment it is no more worrisome than anything in Shakespeare (meaning that you must take the work as a work in a period of time). The character types are common enough and the message of the story is timeless--I'll leave the discernment of the message to the reader. Reading this was like uncovering your grandad's favorite toy in the attic and realizing it was still fun to play with today.

This book has been reviewed in the well known Architectural magazine `Architectural Review`. Before I read the review I was considering buying the book, as I live in London and am interested in Architecture.The review in the magazine effectively casts severe doubt on the accuracy of the book. If this worries you at all, go to the Architectural Review web site and look for the review. I have rarely seen such a damning review, especially in a serious magazine. I expect they are worried that if the book really is substantially incorrect, it could mislead people.I hope the author reads this, then reads the magazine review, and then comments here.

As the author of APARTMENT STORIES, I want to respond to "a reader from London." (I can only post my remarks if I include a rating, so I'm giving my book four stars, its current rating, so that my response won't change its current average.)

"A reader from London" admits to not having actually read APARTMENT STORIES, but still gives it the lowest rating, one star. No-one should review a book on the basis of secondhand knowledge. A review should give us a new opinion, not repeat an old one.

I cannot respond in detail to ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW here, but I do have room to point out that

1) the review mentioned was very short, and it dismissed my entire book on the basis of only three examples;

2) APARTMENT STORIES has received over 15 reviews, and only one other one has been negative. One or two have been mixed, and the majority have been very positive.

I hope anyone interested in the subject matter of my book will draw their own conclusions. It was inappropriate for the author of this online review to try to influence public opinion on the basis of hearsay. If you want to rely on reviews to decide whether APARTMENT STORIES is worth your time, read several reviews. Better yet, read my book and decide for yourself.

In an elegantly written and persuasively argued volume, Sharon Marcus uses the idea of the apartment building as a tool to comb out two sets of terms that tend to clump together in discussions about the 19th century: man=city=public, woman=home=private. In a work made pleasurable to the general reader through her clear and careful writing and her judicious use of footnotes, Marcus proposes a world of 19th century men, women, homes, and cities, that interact in more messy and interesting ways than we've learned to expect. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I don't know just how much you need a book on Paris restaurants that only reviews certain ones. That's what this one does. We found we were rarely near one of the reviewed restaurants and had to decide on nearby or convenient places on our own. Much to our surprise, we were almost always happy with where we ate. Plus, eating was secondary to our other interests, such as museums, parks, etc. But, if eating is your focus, then this book is a must. She's objective and quite thorough. And, there is a lot of variety. Of course, as you will find out, there is no such thing as a good "Cheap" restaurant in Paris. Be prepared to spend some money.

We used this book in Paris in 2001 and found it immensely useful. I'm a vegetarian and we were traveling on a very tight budget. This book helped me find restaurants that had vegetarian-friendly menu items, that were nearby, and that were in our price range.

The entries are detailed, and are arranged by arrondissement. Each entry gives the name, address, phone number, price range, hours, and whether reservations are recommended. She also notes whether English is spoken and if so, how fluently. She describes the ambience, the service, and the type of food, often listing several menu items as examples. She also writes about her favorite menu items as well as those that weren't as good in her opinion.

The book covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee/tea/internet cafes, etc. and includes all types of food, from classic French cooking to Italian, Thai, American, etc.

I do think, though, that this book may appeal most to budget travelers... although the name has changed from Cheap Eats to Great Eats, the philosophy remains the same: good food at great prices. If you want restaurants with Michelin stars, you won't find them in this book.

This is the third edition of Sandra Gustafson's book Cheat/Great Eats in Paris I bought. I still find it to be incredibly valuable. Look, if you have 50 Parisian friends and know Paris perfectly and/or what top caliber - high price restaruants this book is NOT for you. If, however, you are like me, you've noticed you can pay lots of money at a brasserie and get mediocre food, get great food but at prohibitively expensive prices, or go to places where attitude seems more important that the food itself. This book has never steered me wrong: You can get great meals at reasonable prices. The truth is, sometimes you WANT a good pizza parlor or sandwich joint if you are on a budget. But you also have the "big splurge" list and many restaurants where you can get really good food at much less than other places. I find her descriptions to be very accurate and honest - I've never gotten to a hamburger joint expecting fine dining.
Is this book for absolute conaisseurs of Parisian restaurants? No. Is it for people who want really good food and don't want to pay double if it is not necessary - YES!

One word of warning: Do call ahead before going to then restaurants. The only bad experiences we've had were when the place had changed owners/the menu/price after the latest edition had come out

My bookseller favors me because I enjoy all mysteries: Eric Ambler or Anna Apostolous; Raymond Chandler or Peter Corris; Austin Freeman or Dick Francis; Michael Mewshaw or Van Wyk Mason; Stuart Palmer or Michael Pearce; Akimitsu Takagi or Josephine Tey. I enjoy V.I.Warshawski's spunky determination and Elvis Cole's sang froid. I admire Elmore Leonard's dialogue, Dennis Lehane's style, Alan Furst's evocation. In a pinch I get along with Dorothy Sayers' snobbery and James Patterson's juvenilia. But this book, Brave Man Dead, by Hannah Blank, deserves to be the victim of its own violent crime.

It promises a lot: Paris in the 1950s; interfaith and international marriage between rich American and French detective; civilians working with GIs; intellectuals and artists entwined with crime. Andrea Camilleri would milk these subjects until Roquefort dribbled from the pages. Instead Hannah Blank filters out all innuendo and emotion. She casts plot, setting and characters with no finesse or weight as though distributing plastic service for a children's tea party--where the pretend tea is only air. Her book seems more an outline for a do-it-yourself hobby than a mystery set in the City of Lights during an important time. Technical mistakes are also common (how often do we learn of each character's circumstances and why only two doors in a Parisian mansion with cour d'honneur?).

I won't belabor this any longer, but it is the worst book I have purchased in a long time. Save your money. Don't even buy it used.

Hannah Blank's Brave Man Dead is a mystery set in 1954 Paris. Alphonse Dantan of the Paris Police Judiciare must investigate the seeming murder of a decorated American lieutenant. Motives are unclear yet the pool of suspects is large, and Dantan has only three or four days to solve the crime before he must hand over the case to U.S. brass. With its vivid feel of postwar Paris, wry humor, and memorable characters, Brave Man Dead is a mystery not to be missed. Also highly recommended is Hannah Blank's A Murder Of Convenience, which debuted the determined Parisian detective Alphonse Dantan.

Hannah Blank holds a Philosophy degree from Columbia University and a M.S. from New York University. Brave Man Dead is a follow-up to her first Alphonse Dantan Mystery: A Murder Of Convenience. Ms. Blank spent a year at the Sorbonne studying abroad, and based her first novel on her experiences residing in a dwelling owned by a family. She has also written two non-fiction books entitled Mastering Micros and 51 Reasons Not to Travel Abroad...But if You Must: 176 Tactics for Coping with Discomforts, Distress, and Danger.

Set in Paris in the mid-fifties, the dashing Inspector Alphonse Dantan, hero of Ms. Blank's first mystery, is now called upon to investigate yet another murder. Committed on the premises where Miri Winter, friend of his wife Judy Kugel, works, Miri seems to be at the wrong place at the right time. An aspiring artist, Miri is working at the FOUSAP (Finance Office U.S. Army Paris) to make enough money to move to Spain for a year to paint. Miri is the struggling, poor artist to Judy's wealthy parents, who constantly shower her and Alphonse with property and gifts:

"Miri had been painting, wearing paint-smeared jeans and a gray sweatshirt, an outfit she had copied from Vanessa Tate. She had turned some of her new paintings outward, ones she had done working from the old Maisel photographs, and she had also displayed her portrait of Bethel Washton in the Chinese robe. Her plan was to see how Judy reacted to it, and then decide whether or not to give it to her as a wedding present."

As in A Murder Of Convenience, Hannah Blank does a masterful job of portraying Paris in the post World War II scenario of a Europe rebuilding after mass destruction, and the resentment towards the Americans who shipped their huge cars overseas where most people walked or rode bikes. Blank baffles the reader as she drops intelligent hints as to the murderer's identity.

Brave Man Dead takes the reader back to a simpler time where people had a chance to notice the subtleties of life, where layers of personality could be pondered at in a leisurely fashion, and where the police carried on investigations by interviews and deduction without the use of modern equipment. An enjoyable read from a thoughtful author.

Shelley J. Glodowski, Reviewer

Sorry to bring down the average on this book, but I HATED it. It was depressing, and extremely ODD. For those cynics in the crowd, you may want to read it just for a laugh. The book was plagued by death, and lesbianism. Everyone this poor woman loved, died. The book had no redeeming value WHATSOEVER and seemed not to have a point. If you're hoping to find a poignant author, this is not the woman. My advice: stick with Barbara Kingsolver and Fannie Flagg.

I found "Five Minutes In Heaven" to be a compelling and enjoyable read. This novel was intriguing, even if a bit dark. The story was somewhat sophisticated and off the beaten path, which is what I liked about it, though not everyone would relate. This definitely isn't a book that stays within the confines of "mainstream" perspective. Rather, it explores sexuality and a woman's search for love, as well as for her self, from a place that exists outside conventional, conservative dogma. Because of that, I found it refreshing, unique and terrific.

I can see why some readers would be put off by this book. The stress on feminism and lesbianism is insistent (though not nearly as unsubtly so as in some of Alther's other books), and the characters are quite cliched - polite Southerners, aloof Northerners, sensitive gays, sophisticated but tricky Parisians and the like. At the same time, the passion and love that are the book's main subject and the light, understatedly dramatic writing style used to depict them are such that the reader will forget about the cliches and be drawn into the story, which is totally, totally gripping. Like the love it describes, Alther's novel has a haunting, obsessive quality which I have seldom seen surpassed in other works of fiction. A modern classic!

Bob is a smart guy, but Generation Queer is so pat and superficial I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It reminded me of Jonathan Livingston Seagull - a series of philisophical thoughts, most of them generally reflecting upon the need to be comfortable (or to love) oneself.

The Q & A section of the book was better, mostly because the questions were interesting. Bob's answers were common sense replies to difficult questions. Nothing wrong with the replies, but nothing exceptional about them either.

Don't bother with this one.

Who would have thought a former Mr. Universe and Gay Activist would have so much going on upstairs! What I mean is that Bob Paris' new book, Generation Queer, is the kind of book that makes you stop and think, and reflect on your own experiences, then evaluate where to go from here. I enjoyed Bob's honesty and candor in dealing with the many problematic situations presented. His advice is insightful and not the typical "force-fed" rhetoric you find in so many of the gay activist books on the market. At last someone is addressing questions like, How to deal with spiritual concerns and family relationships from a realistic point of view. I found many of my own private questions were discussed in length and that I'm not alone in my concerns. I'm hoping there will be another edition in the near future. I had only two disappointments: (1) After so many mentions of the "mailbag", where's the address so others can share? (2) There's no pictures. (but, then its not that kind of book.) By the way, I was able to meet Bob Paris at a recent booksigning in West Hollywood, and found him to be as real and thoughtful as he is in print.

Bob Paris has produced a body of work in GENERATION QUEER that will undoubtedly create a new standard against which future books on this topic are judged. Yes folks, it is that informative, endearing and thought provoking. The book is written from the author's heart and his Spirit leaps off the page and touches the reader's heart in a magical and masterful way. The power behind his words of timeless wisdom actually transcend the written medium and create a golden opportunity for healing and integration between our humanity and divinity not only as gay men but as human souls. His writing style is not only picturesque and artful it is truly inspiring. GENERATION QUEER is not a book. It is an inner odyssey that is meant to be fully experienced and shared with every friend and loved one in your life. It is an adventure. My only regret is that this book has yet to be incorporated into the mandatory reading curriculum of every college so that each human being regardless of sexual orientation will be afforded such a rich treasure chest of uncoditional love and compassion in a world that desperately needs such lessons now more than ever. Save yourself some money on shipping. Buy five books at once since you will no doubt be giving them out as gifts to your friends like I have. I can not recommend this book highly enough. I can hardly wait for the sequel.