Metro Stop Paris: An Underground History of the City of Light

Metrostop Paris by Gregor Dallas is a pleasant guide to the city for someone who already knows it very well - like London, you do tend to navigate yourself around in relation to which metrostop you're closest to - however, I found myself wondering how those who don't know Paris so well enjoy Dallas' frequent tangents off into realms of time and space unknown that veer wildly away from the metro stations themselves. I personally enjoyed reading a little fact for a change, bombarding the boyfriend with particularly fascinating snippets and thoroughly enjoying the random points, obscure characters and themes in the city's history. However, I am, I have realised, a literary fiction girl through and through and I very naughtily skipped one show more chapter towards the end, desperate to leave the real world behind and return to some make believe instead......tralala.

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This is a somewaht quirky tale of the history of Paris told through the strategy of exploring Métro stations of historical significance. It is interesting in many areas, but does not cover all the literary users of the Métro in their writing. I am thinking particularly of Raymond Queneau's, Zazie dans le Métro, and other Oulipo efforts. Twelve station areas are covered from Denfer-Rochereau to Pere Lachaise on lines 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 12.

Gregor pokes around various little known historical vignettes of Paris. The theme "metro stop" apparently is only a device; he seems to have picked the vignette first and then located the nearest metro stop. In any event the book is well written and entertaining. It will add to your understanding of Parisian and Frencvh culture and history.