Paris In Mind

When I first picked up this collection I was so overcome with jealousy that I couldn't finish a single essay; it seemed to be full of successful writers living (albeit many are long dead) in Paris and all they seemed to be writing about was rue-de-this, Luxembourg-gardens-de-that, lunch-with-Dior-de-other - so many worlds away from my tram ride to South Melbourne that I had to put it down.
Luckily I made the executive decision to skip any essays that made me genuinely envious and flip towards the back of the book - Dave Barry's observations of 'An Aesthetically Challenged American in Paris' drew me back in and as I read Sylvia Beach's memories of setting up Shakespeare & Company I was so excited for her I could barely get off the tram show more when I got to my stop.
So I'm still working my way through the essays and eventually I'll get back around to finding out who's having tea with Joyce or wandering off to their other house on the Riviera or hanging out with Hemingway - and I'll try to put aside my covetous inclinations and accept, graciously, the gift of their Paris flavoured words. show less

Mixed review here. I liked that the editor tried to include a wide variety of writers, topics (although all had to do with Paris), and opinions. But some of the essays were far better and more interesting than others and I felt that she could have chosen more carefully.

Mark Twain's essay, taken from The Innocents Abroad was OK, pretty amusing, but his comment at the end, that "by far the handsomest women we have seen in France were born and reared in America" leaves me questioning his honesty, or his ability to engage with French people when he was there.

Janet Flanner's essay was excellent whereas John Adams' was really, really boring. James Baldwin came last and provided one of the best, if not the most amusing or romantic portraits show more of The City of Light.

Overall, I thought this was a book well worth reading both for the different perspectives, as well as for a source of more titles to look for for my future reading. show less

This book on Paris includes many essays, book excerpts, letters, and journal entries from authors, presidents, founding fathers, and many more. I would have to say my personal favorite was the excerpt from Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain and Sylvia Beach as she reminisces about the opening of Shakespeare & Company. Not all of the contributions held my attention so I merely skipped over those. But there were several that I truly found riveting. For anyone who LOVES Paris, this is a book you may want to pick up.

bought in Oakland while visiting Lori