No comments about Paris (Travel Journals).

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1 comments about Historic Paris Walks (Codogan Guides: Historic Walks S.).

1. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/06)
   
   Being extremely familiar with Paris, I always look forward to new books on this utterly fascinating city, partly to bring back memories and partly to pick up new ideas on where to go on my next visit there. "Historic Paris Walks," edited by Leo Hollis, certainly worked out in both aspects, although with substantial reservations.
   
   Consisting of a series of 10 walks, the book takes you on meandering walks through Paris, starting with the "Many Origins of Paris" and continuing with walks tied to certain parts of the history of Paris. Each walk gives you a starting and an ending point as well as the distance of the entire walk in both kilometers and miles. It introduces you to the sights along the way, as well as the people, events and ideas linked to the era as well as the area. The little black-and-white map at the beginning of each chapter gives you an idea of the area that it will cover and each chapter starts with a short introduction of the walk, which then continues with the step-by-step instructions and descriptions.
   
   At the beginning of the book there is a 16 page photo essay by Tim Mitchell, which certainly gives some color to the book, but would have probably been much more useful if interspersed with the text in the appropriate chapters.
   
   As fascinating as this book is for somebody who already knows Paris, I found it quite confusing for a possible first time visitor. The lack of a comprehensive map of Paris as well as tiny print on the maps of the walks would hardly make it handy as a walking companion for somebody who is still finding his or her way around the city. The absence of a comprehensive map also makes it difficult to decide which walk to take next and how they might be connected. Although the step-by-step directions are quite precise, I would have found it useful to be given some measure of how far to go in a particular step, either in terms of distance and time. "Continue on the rue Princesse, then take a left onto the rue du Four and walk until you arrive back at the rue Bonaparte. Turn right and head north, crossing the Boulevard St. Germain." As detailed as this description is, I fear that I'd spend more time looking at the street signs than at the sights if I were to follow it precisely. An estimate of how long each of the walks might take would also be useful for somebody who'd want to plan their day better.
   
   The description of the sights along the way is often minimal in some parts of "Historic Paris Walks," but I found the commentary on the people and events shaping the city very enlightening and often delightful. The part that I liked best by far was the added "Information" in each chapter, listing the author's favorite eating places, opening times and changes, bookstores and recommended further reading. It would be worth to buy this book just for the information compiled in those sections.
   
   I would definitely recommend this book for a savvy traveler who is already familiar with Paris as well as any armchair traveler who needs more food for thought. Any first time visitor to Paris would be better served with an ordinary guidebook and a good map of Paris, unless they have the luxury of a really long stay in Paris ahead of them. As for myself, I plan to take "Historic Paris Walks" with me on my next visit for sure.

3 comments about Paris Chef...of the house at the Sorbonne.

1. Situations and characters depicted evince the author's sincere concerns and interests.
   
   The author's evocation of the atmosphere of Paris is almost musical, drawing one into a rhapsodic reverie of Rue Mouffetard, Place Contrescarpe, Musee D'Orsay, and other favorite places. But the novel also reveals to the reader the realities of Aubervilliers, unknown to most tourists (other than in newspaper headlines of burning cars) and concern for the welfare of the immigrant population and the challenges they face economically and socially.
   
   The characters have vitality deriving from the author's care about them and their relationships; the conversation is lively among them. When the thoughts expressed in conversation are didactic, they serve to undergird a main theme of love overcoming lack of understanding and communication
   among people, whether they come from the same or very different backgrounds. Even when people are from similar backgrounds, they may disagree, but there is always opportunity and hope for achieving empathy and greater understanding.



2. This is hands down the worst book I have read in the past several years, and I have read some stinkers. It has virtually no plot, the characters are not developed, and the style is akin to that of "Guideposts" or "Readers' Digest". Don't bother with it. The prior review was too kind. I give it one star because no stars is not an option.



3. At the beginning of the story, I wasn't sure where it was going. Was this an older (admittedly charming) guy on the make, cruising for young women? Maybe Jack is simply trying his wings out, now that's he's retired from a successful career as a consultant. His light-hearted overtures to a rather young lady are tempered by his refreshing sincerity. He is truly interested in who his new young friend is as a person, and what she thinks. I found her easy way of offering a kiss did not ring true. Most young women prefer guys their own age, or at the most 10-15 years older--and I began to suspect that she was looking for someone to bankroll her. As the plot develops, he does in fact bankroll her--sort of. But all this is done with a twist not often see in today's writing (at least not without it being heavily done): he brings church--religion--into the mix. This threw me for a while--and I'm a certified church-goer. However, my surprise may speak more of my outlook than the author's.
   
   Things get interesting, and more realistic, once he arrives in Paris and eventually meets an American woman whom he grows to love.(But again-why must he get involved with a woman still much younger than himself? Paris is renown for it's striking, well-put-together older women who deftly defy all the stereotypes and play the love game better than their younger counterparts.) However, his new love is at least with striking distance of his age and I found the sensuous dances she does for him quite touching, maybe the highlight of the book.
   
   Some of the best writing occurs when he is writing about the university students, and through one of them, his involvement the African refugee community. The character of each student is conveyed with such clarify that they stand as distinct personalities. The author skillfully develops the changes that take place in each one as they flourish under his thoughtful and caring mentoring.
   
   This being said, I have to harp a bit and say that I would have enjoyed a character or two in the book who is of an age with Jack. He is not the only young-at-heart, mature man or woman roaming the streets of Paris and I'm sure he would have been equally attractive to them.
   
   The recipes, and the scenes of the group working together in the kitchen, are another big plus for this book. Being a Southerner, I found it a fresh touch that he threw in a few old-time Southern recipes.
   
   As the book drew to a close, I found that I wanted more out of this author--either a cookbook, or a further narrative to see how Jack and his new lady friend fare in their future together. I have a feeling that the writer will be at his best in the new plot that unfolds for them.

No comments about Fodor-Paris'91.

No comments about Paris: Charming Small Hotel Guides (Charming Small Hotel Guides Series).

No comments about Michelin Red Guide 1995 Paris & Environs: Paris & Environs 1995/685 (Michelin Red Guide: Paris).

No comments about Paris Review Book of Heartbreak, Madness, Sex, Love, Betrayal, Outsiders, Intoxication, War, Whimsy, Horrors, God, Death,Dinner, Baseball, Travels, The Art of Writing, and Everything else in the World Since 1953.

No comments about A visit to the monastery of La Trappe, in 1817: With notes taken during a tour through Le Perche, Normandy, Bretagne, Poitou, Anjou, Le Bocage, Touraine, Orleanois, and the environs of Paris.