Paris

If you have visited Paris and loved it you will love this book. Its delicious weaving of the sights, smells, tastes and texture of Paris in the 1960's quickly gets you in and you are hooked.

Here you meet the principal characters, Tom, a truculent Englishman and his new wife Jane, an Australian girl from a far distant and contrastingly naive world of gum trees and koalas who have arrived to stake a claim at the fringes of the capital of culture.

Jane's heart sinks when she hears another Australian accent as Sally washes up in Paris and breaks in on her bohemian world. Tom, a confirmed "leg man" (its the implications of legs that attracts him)has to revise his scientifically precise scale of perfection to accommodate the "implications" of the beautiful new arrival.

How Tom and Jane end up getting both rather more and rather less than they bargained for in this triangle is the twist here and as they do so they learn a lesson in worldliness and win the reader's affection.

It is a great book for travellers (which by definition includes most Australians), those who are interested in the Paris of Sartre and anyone who likes a story about self discovery.

Paris in the Sixties - the last days of the Bohemian Paris of Joyce, Hemingway and the Left Bank. Soon the reaction to the student revolution of 1968 will lead to a conservative backlash and to a modernised, suburbanised Paris, but as yet it is still an escape from the cultural deserts of Australia and Northern England. A young couple are living on meagre earnings from teaching English in a run-down language institute; in their spare time Jane paints, Tom writes poetry. Their apartment, it turns out, has a direct connection to the rat-infested sewers of the city, but they are happy with their alternative lifestyle until they invite an unusual, but fascinating person to live with them. They are then made to realise what a really alternative lifestyle means. Are Tom and Jane a match or a mismatch? The novel, while showing the bitter-sweet quality of the young couple's relationship and giving a nostalgic picture of a now-vanished Paris, is full of comic episodes, notably the description of the language school and of the adventures of Sally, the couple's wild friend.

I loved this book! Vibrant, warm, clever, subtle, fabulous characterization, great atmosphere -- I felt like I'd lived in bohemian 60s Paris just through reading it. Her compassionate portrayal of these complex characters makes for a rewarding and sustaining read: you have to admire the author's skill at giving such lyrical and realistic expression to this all-too-human couple's dilemmas. Patricia Page allows the reader to see the world from the inside out, her manipulation of characters is so subtle as to be almost invisible. A particularly fine achievement for a first-time writer. The story involved, enthralled, delighted me -- and it was only long after I put it down that the magic dispelled, and I could realise fully Page's skill. Highly recommended. It'll make you think twice about wearing a skirt.

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to spend New Year at the Ritz in Paris. The absolute highlight was the time spent in the Hemingway Bar. I never understood the meaning of serendipity until I found it, and to find there was a cocktail named after it when I did was more than the icing on the cake. Colin and his colleagues are not only masters of their trade, but also charming, witty, knowledgeable, humurous in the extreme. The perfect barmen. I bought the book as a souvenir and have been unable to put it down since opening at the first page. This is a must for any pretender to Colin's throne. Unfortunately, I suspect his abdication from the position of best bartender in the world will be a long time coming. The Hemingway Bar is the best kept secret in Paris and long may it remain so. Ssssshhh, don't tell anyone.

I have had the enjoyable opportunity to share many cocktails with Colin, and am extremely thrilled that he has published a book of some of the great cocktails that he serves to his guests at the Ritz in Paris.

While this book does have a "small" collection of recipes for standard cocktials (Mojito, Whiskey Sour, Pina Colada, Daiquiri...), it is a very small list, and simply represents some of the standard cocktails the way that Colin makes them in his bar. This book instead shines in the collection of cocktails that appear in Chapter 5 : "Cocktails and the stories that belong to them". Here Colin shares his recipes for the "Ritz Pimm's", "Miss Bonde", "The Georges", "Serendipiti", and many others which Mr. Field shares not only the recipe, but some of the story surrounding its birth.

The "Bar Hemingway" is indeed a unique bar in the heart of Paris, just as Colin Field is a unique bartender. It should then come as no great surprise that his first cocktail book reflects this uniqueness in ways that will make it a favorite of many.

As a former bartender at a private country club, I can fully appreciate Mr. Field's work and position at the Ritz Paris. His book is a vey informative and enjoyable read. I had the pleasure to live at the Ritz for two weeks in 1981 after graduation from college, and look forward to visiting again soon to see the completed renovations that were in progress when I was there. The book sure makes me yearn to return to the Ritz as soon as I can. When I do, I will be sure to drop by the bar to say "hello" to a very accomplished barman!

I have read all of Van Horne's books and this is definitely my favorite! I learned so much about the French Revolution from reading this book. It was obvious that Ms. Van Horne did her research! All of her books have way of taking you on the journey with the character. Fantastic! I recommend any of her books to people who are intrigued with romance, time travel, or just a great story!!

The fifth book in the exciting "Time Travelers" series, The Diary of Jean-Jacques Coupier by Hollie Van Home is the engaging story of Celeste Montclaire, a contemporary woman who falls into a Time Tunnel and finds herself transported to 1793 Paris -- smack into the middle of the French Revolution. With loves and loyalties on both sides of the growing conflict, she must make her choices quickly; her very life hinges upon them! A rousing and engaging novel, in touch with its chosen era of history, The Diary of Jean-Jacques Coupier is especially recommended for science fiction fans with a penchant for time travel stories.

I have read all the Time Travelers books and I love them all, but I think this one may turn into my favorite because I think that this may be the best book I have ever read in my life. I got the book on a Tuesday and just read it non-stop until I was done. Her books are like that. You can't put them down. The characters just grab you and won't let go. I had to find out what would happen to them. The finest glimpse into the past you will ever read. If you have never read a book in this series, then you are missing one of the best new writers on the market today.

Eugene Bullard was an African American man who was born in 1895 in Columbus, Georgia, and lived a really fascinating live. After leaving the U.S. in 1912 to escape the existing suffocating racist oppression, he stayed first in Britain, and then settled in France where he lived as a boxer, entertainer, jazz drummer, was a war hero in the trenches in Verdun, and become the first African American combat pilot in 1917 (in French service: the U.S. would allow black combat pilots only in 1941...). After the war, like so many other African Americans, he remained in Europe. He become a well known entrepeneur in the Parisian night club life during the 20s and 30s. At the German invasion in 1940, and after a brief stint in the French army, he went back to the U.S. where he died in New York in 1961. Revered in France as a national hero during is life, and completely unknown in his country until more than twenty years after his death, the life of this extraordinary man has in this book a much deserved homage and, probably, its definitive biography.

A very well documented biography on a genuine American and French hero. Unfortunately he was born during the Jim Crow era in the south (even though the constitution which was written over 100 years before his birth mentions "all men are created equal", this did not include any non-caucasian's or women, did it? Did not use the word minority since it denotes less than some majority, there are more non-caucasian's in the world anyway and what is really meant by that word is just that, non-caucasian. I find it odd that the USA was founded by European descendants like the English, French and even though the country prided itself on it's progresive nature, it did not include equality, even though Europe itself did not practice racial discrimination). He was born the seventh child of a large family and his father always had a premonition of a very distinguished future for him and let it be known to him when he was young. Talks about his travel through the south after he left home and was told early by his father of a country (France) where all men are truly free. This had a profound effect on him because he eventually made it to France via England first.

He began his livelyhood as a theatre performer and boxer; two opposing and similar avocations. He joined the military and became the first Black American and Black Frenchman aviator and was awarded medals for his bravery, dedication and skills. Very well liked, he had a contagious personality and started working at a famous Paris club later in life and eventually became a club owner himself. He met the famous of the day like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Bricktop and many others. This biography also got me interested in Jazz age Paris to request both autobiographies of Hughes and Bricktop.

Slowly (too slowly) more is being known about this man and his acomplishments and contributions to the human race.

You won't be able to put it down. Jack Johnson's autobiography "In the Ring and Out" is another good bio of that era too.

I had earlier learned of some of Eugene Bullard's exploits, but Craig Lloyd's book spotlights an endless list of amazing achievements that seem unbelievable for any man to accomplish in just one lifetime. It's a shame Bullard's life has been up to now unexplored and uncelebrated. Hopefully this extremely well-researched biography will fix that.

You always wonder as you read guide books how much the bar owner or hotel proprietor knew about the writer -- did they guess the guest was covering travel? I don't really trust most of the guides on food and hotels. This book is a delightful solution to that dilemma.

Everybody knows the Georges V and the Bristol can pamper you if they want to or that the dry martini's at the Ritz bar remain flawless.

Caroline O'Connell's deftly written guide tips its hat to obvious elegance but it's equally on target with swell places whose tariff does not require you to squander a fortune.

Her taste is flawless and she writes for those who travel in style. You can bank her recommendations. Concise, small enough to pack and light enough to carry, we've found it by far the best and most useful guide to Paris. No book has it all, but this has a lot and what it has is more than worthwhile. It's really quite well done and not to be missed.

As a former resident of Paris(and moving back in September for college)I thought I had read every book there was on the City of Light, so I was pleasantly suprised to come upon this one which was very informative and well written. Many of the tips given were ideas I had never even considered. Examples of this would be having tea at the Ritz Hotel, and calling the fashion houses for invitations to their shows. Also, I found many places that I added to my address book and am eager to peruse in the future. This is the perfect book to take with you on the flight over and to refer to for the duration of your trip. A great find at a very reasonable price. Vive la France!

This book is a definite must for any woman visiting Paris! It will help one experience that "joie de vivre" that only Paris can offer. It's a great guide to understanding and adapting to traveling in the city, further, it's a wonderful guide to meeting that man of your dreams in the most "romantic city in the world." Ms O'Connell should write a sequel on getting married in Paris!

This book was sent as a gift last summer before three of my friends and I went to Paris last fall. It was one of the most helpful, concise tools for selecting eating places in Paris. It is so well organized, fits in one's handbag, and was helpful in selecting eating places that didn't "bust the budget" but were delightful. I think it is a must for the Paris traveler of many times(like me) or the first time visitor. Dom't leave home without it!

An accurate assessment of many Paris bistros and small restaurants throughout the city. Amusing personal anecdotes and helpful hints on places to dine in all arrondissements drawn from years of experience. This guide is essential planning for the first-time as well as the seasoned traveler.

This guide is essential for all those traveling to Paris. I love that you can pick restaurants based on location or rating. Additionally, the essays describing the authors' trips were enjoyable to read. I found the ratings to be consistent and easy to follow, and would recommend this book to anyone planning a trip!

This is a wonderful biography!

It has such a 'clean' and rational feel about it, and it is chock-full of information regarding Greta Garbo's daily life and habits as well as going into great ( and interesting) detail about her career and working life.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend this book!

I am a huge fan of the authors Louise Brooks book and had high expectations - and I was not letdown at all!

I look forward to future offerings by Mr. Parris!

On the cover: Garbo in MATA HARI, magnetism in her cat's eyes. A fat volume - but not heavy-handed. Infotainment on paper. 4 years of preparation on both sides of the Atlantic. Hundreds of persons interviewed. 200 000 pages of documents sorted over. A success all along the line. This must be the definite from-cradle-to-grave biography of Greta Garbo. Some glimpses: Garbo's shyness during her early Hollywood years may have been simple embarrassment because she was ashamed of her past as "soap girl" in a barber's shop. Her affair with Gilbert: True love or did she use him to advance her career? Lots of delightful gossip about her films and her partners. Intimate details from her affairs, thorough psychological analysis and then - the sudden end of her career. It was not planned. Garbo made a screen test for Balzac's "The duchess of Langeais", but the project was frustrated when the italian producers backed out. Was it really a great loss for the film industry that she never played George Sand opposite Liberace as Chopin?

The most interesting part of Garbo's life - at least the most fun to read about - came after her career. By all accounts the last 50 years of her life were b-o-r-i-n-g but the way Barry Paris describes them is not. Cecil Beaton, who wanted to marry her said that no one would spend more than 10 minutes with her if she weren't Garbo - but then she was GARBO and everyone around her got an enormous kick out of being with her - even when her main interests were theosophy and health food and her main occupation during her last 30 years consisted in walking the streets of New York in search of comfortable shoes. For some years a Mr. Green was one of her best friends, the one who walked with her. They often spoke over the telephone. He told her, of course, that he recorded their conversations, and she gave her consent. Of course. This is why Barry Paris can cite from a hundred of hours of Garbo's private conversations which sound at times like an absurd play by Samuel Beckett. After finishing this book I really had the feeling of knowing Garbo - but I doubt that Garbo herself would have liked the idea...

This biography about Garbo is simply one of the best biographies I have ever read. Besides extensively researching Garbo's life, Paris is extremely knowledgeable about film history, particularly silent film history.

His writing puts her life & work in context with what was happening in Hollywood & on film at the time. His book is the perfect combination of film history & gossip. I do not like reading entertainment biographies that focus only on the private life of the person. I am also interested in hearing about their work & what they and others thought of their work. Paris writes all this and more.

The book also discussed Garbo's life after her exit from film. The book is filled with photographs, many of which I had never seen before.

An all around great reading experience!

Oh my goodness .. if you've been 'enamored' of Gertrude & Alice for years & years, or are just discovering them .. this is THE story of their lives together. Grab this book before it goes out of print again !!

I am not a scholar and I am not sure that I would have the patience to read Gertrude "dans le texte". Yet I have a dilettant interest in these women of the first half of this century who seemed to have had a strong influence on the Arts and Litterature (Stein/Toklas, Cones, Sitwells...). I picked up this book by chance off the bookselves of my friends -- Liz and Jeff -- a rainy day by the Delaware River. I not only finished it off but enjoyed it tremenduously. I found the writting interesting, detailled (what a treat to get so many details of that era) and refreshing by its ease of access. Do read this book -- I am now onto other Stein/Toklas books (most certainly Alice's recipes).

One of the best dual-bios of these two ladies (and I've read this book both in German and English.) This book makes both of them very real, moving them beyond the literary/lesbian icons that they've become in the last 60+ years. Read this in conjunction with James Mellow's CHARMED CIRCLE and you'll be hooked both on Gertrude and Alice and the artistic era between the two World Wars!

We've been to Paris at least half a dozen times, and have a small library of guidebooks with walks in them. But the Paris WalkPack is easy to carry, and even easier to read. It's like shopping in a great boutique. Someone else has done the hard work of figuring out what we'd like, and the only choices we had to make were what to eat and drink at the end of the walk.

It also serves up little interesting tidbits that give a lot of flavor, but not more than one would ever want to know.

Any American who wants to feel like they are walking in Paris with a savvy and supportive friend would be well served by walking with the Paris WalkPack.

I'm writing as publisher of Frommer's to say that The Great Paris Walk Book is one of the most delightful, honest, reliable travel companions I've ever had. The only thing that makes me sad is that we didn't publish it ourselves. Howard is the ultimate insider, taking you from one "find" to another, and turning tourists into travelers. I never go to Paris without it.
--Michael Spring, Publisher, Frommer's Travel Guides

Collectively, we have probably spent more than a year in Paris. And being inveterate walkers, we were doubtful that we would find any surprises in yet another "great walks book". But we did. In addition, the elegant packaging is brilliantly arranged for portability, and the insights and humor definitely make the book unique. We can only hope that the Howards are planning a very extensive series!

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