A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light

by David Downie

"A top-notch walking tour of Paris. . . . The author's encyclopedic knowledge of the city and its artists grants him a mystical gift of access: doors left ajar and carriage gates left open foster his search for the city's magical story. Anyone who loves Paris will adore this joyful book. Readers visiting the city are advised to take it with them to discover countless new experiences." ― Kirkus Reviews (starred)

A unique combination of memoir, history, and travelogue, this is author David Downie's irreverent quest to uncover why Paris is the world's most romantic city―and has been for over 150 years.

Abounding in secluded, atmospheric parks, artists' studios, cafes, restaurants and streets little changed since the 1800s, Paris exudes romance. The art and architecture, the cityscape, riverbanks, and the unparalleled quality of daily life are part of the equation.

But the city's allure derives equally from hidden sources: querulous inhabitants, a bizarre culture of heroic negativity, and a rich historical past supplying enigmas, pleasures and challenges. Rarely do visitors suspect the glamor and chic and the carefree atmosphere of the City of Light grew from and still feed off the dark fountainheads of riot, rebellion, mayhem and melancholy―and the subversive literature, art and music of the Romantic Age.

Weaving together his own with the lives and loves of Victor Hugo, Georges Sand, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, Nadar and other great Romantics Downie delights in the city's secular romantic pilgrimage sites asking , Why Paris, not Venice or Rome―the tap root of "romance"―or Berlin, Vienna and London―where the earliest Romantics built castles-in-the-air and sang odes to nightingales? Read A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light and find out.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, France, History, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Bestselling author of novels (crime, thrillers) and over a dozen nonfiction books, has divided his time between France, Italy and California since 1986. A former journalist and guide. Creator of the Commissioner Daria Vinci series; the first Daria Vinci Investigation is Red Riviera (June 2021), the second Daria Vinci Investigation is Roman Roulette (summer 2022). www. davidddownie.com

Reviews

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read. If you love Paris, or just the idea of Paris, then I recommend this book. Not your typical collection of dates and places, instead Downie explores the age of Romanticism. He covers the authors and artists of the period, and strives to place you inside the salons and dinners they frequented. Downie has the admirable ability to make you feel you are there. Travel back in time a hundred years and find out why Paris became the city of romance. And why the more things change, the more they remain the same!

[Elatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Downie's newest will physically locate you in the Paris neighborhoods of the Romantics -- their salons, cafes, workspaces, assignation flats, promenades and even cemeteries. You will discover a new Ile Saint Louis from the high-toned one you know, for instance -- 150 years ago, Bohemia existed there, and can still be traced. Was the Marais always chic? No -- it was both Royal and Bohemian, and ruled by Victor Hugo, more famous than any writer would ever be again. The Montmartre of the Romantics was hilly, grassy, with pasturing goat herds and excellent air. The windmills were utterly for real, and the artists' studios were vast, light and cheap.

If you have ever wondered how Balzac, Hugo, Delacroix, George Sand, and Baudelaire bodily inhabited Paris, how long it took them to walk from one haunt to another, and how much of what they did and saw is available to you today, then read this book. Seeing their art and poetry in a new context that no one but David Downie could provide, you will want to make a date to meet a like-minded friend under the bust of Chopin in the Luxembourg Gardens, and set off make their trail your own.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been to Paris but Paris has always been on my mind and David Downie’s latest book, A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light beautifully illustrates why that is so!

I am an ardent student of the Romantic period, both vocationally and avocationally but Downie’s complete emersion into this era is beyond anything I have ever encountered. He adores Paris more than any just about anyone. And his knowledge of its people and history has been gained through personal experience and exposure to them in a quite visceral manner. After reading two pages, I knew I could trust him to be authentic and accurate and I was totally enamored with who he is due to the way in which he reveals himself through the telling of the stories of the lives of the key figures from this mystical time in Paris.

One aspect of the book that I find to be helpful, especially for those not well-versed in this era, is an appendix which gives a thumb-nail bio of each main character involved in the Romanticism movement in Paris. As well, the illustrations, photographs and prints scattered throughout the book keeps the reader aware that this is a real place and these are real people whose lived are being explored and exposed!

All in all, I heartily recommend A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light for anyone who has been, is going to or is just curious about Paris and its exciting role in the world of the arts!

[Nigel Masterton · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading David Downie's book I might suggest you shall now be itching to fly to Paris and walk with the romantics be it in Montmartre, the Jardins de Luxembourg, the Marais or along the Quai de Voltaire. This book oozes atmosphere created with brilliantly evocative writing and takes one back to the second half of the 19th century where you are a flaneur in Paris with Balzac. Gautier, Delacroix, Sands and countless others as your companions. I confess to being one of those who has always just loved visiting Paris and, thanks to David Downie, I am beginning to understand what it is that draws me back again and again. This book helps make clear why it justifiably merits being labelled probably the world's leading romantic city, Don't delay, tuck David's book under your arm, get yourself there and feel the beating pulse of the romantics for yourself

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A literary ramble through Paris, with emphasis on the leading figures in 19th Century French letters, with a dash of art and artists. This book could also be looked at as a valentine to the City of Light by an American expatriate. But perhaps it is best thought of as a whirling carousel of figures such as Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, and George Sand -- the figures appear, disappear, and reappear as our author/hero visits places of interest throughout Paris. The leitmotif is supplied by Alphonse Karr (1808-1890): "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I really enjoyed reading this book (and feel inspired to seek out some 19th Century French novels I've yet to read --I've barely scratched the surface of Balzac, par exemple -- and would love to re-visit the city itself). Of course, there are some frustrations: Why so little about art...and even less about music? Why no more about the various churches of Paris? But such complaints are against the book the author did *not* choose to write, and are rather beside the point. I do believe, however, that the book would have benefited from some maps -- either on the endpages or small ones at the beginning of each chapter/section.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've just finished David Downie's A Passion for Paris, and I have to agree with an assessment of the flaws of Downie (albeit, flaws of the author in his writing of a different book) I ran across. There's no doubt that Downie is supercilious, that he throws in French words when English words are perfectly satisfactory, that he provides no bibliography for his books. Still...he writes about Paris, and I treat books about Paris like I do beloved grandchildren, and that seems justifiable to me, somehow.

Downie takes on the romantics and their romances---Hugo, Sand, Baudelaire, Balzac, and more---in this book. I must admit that I found myself skimming through the details of the various lovers these greats took on. I'm not much of a Romantic myself, and that probably skewed my feelings about this book. I had Expectations as well, and I think we all know that these are good for nothing except to be Quickly Dashed.

[Diana Belchase · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Downie brings Paris into your living room so authentically, you'll swear you can smell croissants baking!

[Connie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been to Paris, but I travel vicariously through books like this one. On April 5, 1986 David Downie "crossed the Seine on the Pont Des Arts". He moved into a tiny, little room on the 7th floor of an 1800's building high on a hill. He never left. He found himself on an epic quest to expose "the romantic secrets of the City of Light". And that, he did.

Other books focus on the Eiffel Tower, the Left Bank, the Notra Dame cathedral, and all the shopping, coffee, and fine dining you can gorge yourself on. Mr. Downie has lived in Paris. He experienced Paris like no other. He spends a lot of time in the Pere-Lachaise Cemetary (his favorite place), which is full of gorgeous trees, benches, and the final resting places of most of the greatest motley group of Romantics. There he has time to think, contemplate, and study the different tombs or statues erected there. It was there that he had an epiphany. It wasn't Paris alone that was so romantic. It was a combination of many (some are very risque and unimaginal couplings that Mr. Downie will elaborate on) different things that make people believe what Paris is to them, and what Parisians know. Ah, the city that holds so many secrets. If only you would have asked.

What I loved most about the book is getting to learn who these very famous artisans were and what Romanticism meant to them. I am sure they had their favorite places that were torn down in the name of progress, and that might have torn a small spot in their hearts, just as I had. In the twenty-first century at Mt. Rushmore (Keystone, South Dakota), my favorite childhood place, the gift shop with glass walls - you could practically see right up Washington's nostrals, was torn down. I can at least get a glimpse of it in the film "North by Northwest". Nostalgia is a funny thing. Over time your true memories fade and nostalgia fills them in with exaggerated ones, or even better ones. Paris is full of information, places to see that are rarely seen, people who were famous and how they carved out a small piece of Paris for themselves, which influenced the next generation of artists. This book has it all. If you go, let this book show you the real Paris that Mr. Downie writes about and gives excellent directions. This is truly a best seller. Watch for it!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Downie’s exploration of Paris is given a splendidly personal touch in this fascinating combination of memoir, history, literary criticism and travel book. I defy anyone to read it and to not want to go instantly to Paris and wander around with this book as a guide. He examines the age of Romanticism and its lasting legacy and how Paris is still the Romantic city to beat all others. He looks at all the famous writers whose descriptions of Paris are still so relevant today. It’s a wonderfully engaging and informative book, and he conveys his own enthusiasm for the city so vividly. Meticulously researched and packed with anecdote, this is a book to refer to again and again. Excellent.

[Od Busakorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book while visiting Paris in the summer of 2015. The book certainly enriched my time in Paris with history of French politics and arts. Engaging back stories of the important Romantic artists and writers made visits to historical attractions like Victor Hugo's house and salon on Place des Vosges, Père Lachaise Cemetery, and many museums and gardens, or simply strolling along the Seine that much more enjoyable and meaningful.

Among the juicier stories is one of a Parisian elite bohemian circle centered around George Sand, the bisexual artistic celebrity and prolific writer, and other famous figures like Balzac, Hugo (as well as his wife Adele and her ugly lover Saint-Beuve), and Chopin among others. The many tangled love affairs among these people add sauciness to learning French arts and history. I can't help remembering that the cast of Chopin's hand at George Sand's salon (Chopin was one of Sand's lovers) was rather smallish.

This is much more than a travel guide book and deserving of its title "A Passion for Paris." The author clearly has deep passion for Paris and good knowledge about it to match. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in arts and history, lovers of Paris, especially if they are visiting the City of Light.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a personal reminiscence by the author and a paean to the pedestrian pretentiousness of the July Monarchy, Second Empire and the early Third Republic (1830 to 1880). Nothing says over-the-top like the writers and painters of the so-called Era of Romanticism. The one saving grace of the book is the author’s complaints that the haunts of the Great Romantics have been turned into an Anaheim-by-the-Seine.

Who were these people? The writers were Balzac, Baudelaire, Muger, George Sand, Dumas Pere, Merimee, de Vigny; the poets were de Nerval, de Musset, de Lamartine and Gautier; others were Chopin, Franz Liszt, Pradier, Stendhal, Sainte-Beuve, Delacroix, Flaubert and many minor members of the creative arts.

Victor Hugo is considered to be the founder of the generation who became the Romantics when he wrote the play “The Battle of Hernani”. “Hernani was the story of the rising of the people during the July Revolution, that led to the abdication of the last Bourbon King Charles X and the installation of the “Citizen King, Louis Philippe, the Duke d’Orleans” in 1830. A year, later Hugo would write the first ‘modern’ novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

They wrote about the harshness of life and lived by the creed that there is ‘beauty in the ugly’. Many grew up in nightmare-ish conditions of the lowest poverty, while others with the proverbial silver spoon. They lived in apartments that once belonged to the aristocracy and unheated garrets that were little better than shacks. Some became rich and some struggled their whole lives, while others made fortunes and lost them.
Many like Hugo and Sand were married but had affairs with both men and woman.

Their writing reflected their lives and in many cases documented the cruelty and debasement that was so prominent in their novels. Sand was known to wander around the ‘ruder’ parts of Paris with prostitutes on her arms. Hugo was famous for his mistresses that he shared with many of his contemporaries. Nadar was known for taking his pet lobster for walks on the streets of Montmartre.

My favorite among this group is Adolphe Thiers, who was a Prime Minister in both the Second and Third Republic. In between the two republics, he wrote polemics against both the July Monarchy and the Second Empire. But what made him my hero was his personal life. This is a man who seduced another man’s wife, then his eldest daughter (whom he married) and then her younger sister. At one point he lived with all three.

In between relating the lives of these romantics, Downie described the places they lived and the times they lived in. He expounds on architecture, the destruction wrought by Hausmann as he ‘modernized’ Paris, and anything else that crosses his mind. This is a very singular memoir and paean at the same time. Well, the historical context is rewarding.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

[Bill Marsano · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Bill Marsano. David Downie, who has lived in Paris for many decades, can’t stop himself from ceaselessly exploring it and writing about it — and his obsession is greatly to our benefit. His ‘A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light’ is the result of his years of relentless exploration, and its focus is on the 19th Century, with a wink and a nod to the 20th as well. That period is remarkable for two things. One, Baron Haussmann, at the behest of the Emperor Napoleon III, ripped the slum-ridden heart out of Paris and gave us the physical city we know today. (Haussmann’s reconstruction is what makes Paris literally the City of Light. His broad boulevards, faced with new low buildings, all of nearly the same height, all with similar façades, and all of the same reflective creamy color, make daylight last so much longer here than it does in skyscraper cities). Two, a large, astonishing and disparate constellation of artists, writers, painters, sculptors, actors and others arose in Paris in that century, and they made the capital of France the capital of artistic ferment. Downie, who is an inveterate flaneur or ‘urban saunterer and idler,’ has trod all over Paris, collecting the facts and gorgeous gossip relating to Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, Eugène Delacroix, Alexandre Dumas, Émile Zola, Félix Nadar, Chopin and more. Many more. He knows who they loved or married or betrayed, who slept with whom and who feuded with whom (and with what result: gunfire was not unknown). He knows where the bodies are buried, what parks they’d visited and even what benches they’d sat on. He knows their homes and haunts, their studios and trysting places (at least one of them is a church). His method: just knock on the door and expect to be made welcome. If there’s no answer, “it has been my pleasure, over the decades, to await the mail carrier or the deliveryman of unsuspecting residents to gain surreptitious access” (such is his charm that he’s rarely thrown out). This astonishing and delicious book, which includes photos by Alison Harris, Downie’s wife, and numerous old engravings of its notorious subjects, is virtually a trip to Paris between hard covers. (‘Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light,’ Downie’s memoir of how he arrived in Paris as a besotted youth who dreamt of nothing else and somehow managed to neither starve nor freeze to death, is also well worth reading. You’d better buy both).—Bill Marsano is a writer and editor of too-long experience and a frequent traveler in France.

[Mabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may add to this review later, because I have a lot to say about the book and the man who wrote it. I learned a lot because of the research I did on some of the things he said, because he presents as facts things that I don't agree are facts. (I was right.) For instance, he describes Sacre-Coeur Cathedral as that "monstrosity on a hill". His contempt seems to stem from his plainly Progressive/Leftist point of view, which includes a very strong anti-clerical bias. One of the things I learned was not to read books purporting to be historically accurate that have no bibliography, or indeed list sources of any kind. I would not read another of his books because he is so prejudiced in favor of Liberalism. According to him, all the evils of the world have been caused by Conservatives.

He lauds the Paris Communard of 1871. This is when I learned, not from HIM, that the first Communist revolution in the world took place in Paris almost 50 years before the Russian Revolution. Why did I not know that? Why does nobody I've asked not know that? We should. Lenin was so thrilled when he learned that HIS revolution had exceeded the time the French Commune lasted, which was about two months, that he danced in the snow in Moscow. That has left a picture in my mind that will not go away. He also states that the Islamist terrorists in Paris are a small minority of the Muslim population and that they "probably have good reason" to behave as they do. REALLY? Are we talking about the same people who just last week beheaded French citizens in broad open daylight? He is an American, raised in San Francisco, but lives in France and Italy, as he has done for decades. They can have him.

I do have a book to recommend to David Downie: The Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail.

[Christie Munson Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book called to me as I browsed the selection of reads at the Tucson Festival of Books a few years back. I continue to indulge in French-related memoirs and history books on my list, and this book was a good addition. I thoroughly enjoyed the one part memoir, one part travel essay, one part history lesson this book provides of 1800s-era Paris. Downie's writing style, through marvelous and meticulous detail, not only informs the reader but entertains.

I loved reading about the writers and artists of the time, as the author invited me along on his own tour of Paris's main tourist areas and lesser-known nooks and secret locations. I was giddy when reading Part Five of the book, "Romantic Romps in the Luxembourg Garden, Latin Quarter, and Saint Germain des Prés," as my very own romance (with a Frenchman of course!) began here too. I believe Paris is always a good idea...and so is reading this book!

[Betsy Rehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Includes some interesting antidotes about 19th century French authors and artists, however, the author is, in my view, overly exuberant describing his personal impressions of everything he encounters.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information in this book is very rich, but the writing is so affected and fanciful that it detracts from the fascinating facts the author is sharing with the reader.

[Terry Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read about the history of romance in Paris. Author David Downie takes us to neighborhoods, buildings, cemeteries, squares, and small pockets of the charming city where famous writers and lovers in history lived and loved. Downie gave me new insights into many historical figures, including Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, Marie Dorval, Gustave Flaubert, Victor Hugo, Félix Nadar, Gerard de Nerval, and Charles Nodier. I was familiar with many of the figures, others were new to me.

Downie makes an interesting, prescient observation on page 85 when he discusses the history of melancholy in Paris and how the collective mood affects French politics. He notes that in America, the Republican Party is falling apart because of increasing pressure from the right. Downie is spot-on.

The book is a relatively quick read, made easy with short chapters and numerous photographs to give faces to the names on the page. I agree with another reviewer who noted that it would have been helpful to have a map of Paris showing the major places Downie takes the reader, including Île de la Cité, the Marais, Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Montmartre, etc.

[Luvs2read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history / guide to Paris and where to find the remnants of the Romantic period. I like that the author is so familiar with Paris and knows where to go off the beaten path to find the true history of Paris of the mid 19th century. I'm inspired to rewatch the movie Impromptu, about George Sand's pursuit of Chopin--Liszt, Marie d'Agoult, Delacroix, and others are characters. I'm also thinking about museums and areas I'd like to visit when I'm next lucky enough to get to Paris. Nice read.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Nonfiction, History, Travel, Bibliophilic)

What a lovely book to take if we ever moved to Paris and had time to explore in depth! The geography and history of ‘literary celebrities’, especially of the Grand Epoch, are covered in rich detail.

As a book for a casual reader, it was not so interesting.

I received my ecopy from NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

3½ stars

[Carol Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting account of Paris during the Romantic Age written by someone who knows Paris and the authors, artists and composers very well. It would be an invaluable book to have while strolling the streets of Paris and discovering houses, parks, and theatres associated with Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac and George Sand and their companions.

[Claire Q · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, the bottom line here is that the writing was pretty good, but the subject matter [mostly Victor Hugo and George Sand] wasn't something I was interested in 300 pages of. I had hoped it would be more about the author's personal experiences with the city.

[Cleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating encounters with the eccentric artists and musicians in Paris during the 1800’s.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and written. The author's views on Haussmann differ from mine. Apparently he'd prefer the rabbit warren of pre-Haussman Paris to the beauty of today's city.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but textbook-like

[SchatzieTraveler44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book in many ways but the last quarter dragged a bit for me - too pedantic in parts, though I loved the final chapters on Balzac!

[Cecile Sune · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Passion for Paris by David Downie takes us on a tour of Paris from the Père-Lachaise Cemetery to Montmartre. Instead of writing about the famous American expatriates of the 1920s, the author chose to shed light on the Romantics of the 19th century: Félix Nadar, Victor Hugo, Charles Beaudelaire, Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, Eugène Delacroix, Alexandre Dumas, Émile Zola, etc.

David Downie guides us through the City of Light to show us where the Romantics lived, worked, loved and died. I found it fascinating how all these artists knew each other and were friends, lovers or enemies. In fact, they all lived within walking distance of each other, and most of their apartments, houses or studios are still standing. Some have been converted into museums, but others are privately owned.

The author has an impressive knowledge of the writers and artists of the time. In addition, he is not afraid of exploring sites normally not open to the public. His wife, Alison Harris, took most of the photographs that appear in the book, and they illustrate the text perfectly. I must say though that I found a few chapters to be a bit too long, especially the one about Paris’ architecture. It didn’t interest me as much as the rest of the book. In the end though, A Passion for Paris will appeal to Francophiles interested in French art and literature.

A Passion for Paris was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

To read the full review, please go to my blog (Cecile Sune - Book Obsessed).

[Yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this book higher, indeed it would have had three stars but for the final chapter. Quite a few "smart" people who read seem to think that an author born in the previous century and previous centuries to that that were writers could somehow fit into this day and age. Well they couldn't. If they could be born again in the here and now they wouldn't be who they were then. There is no one in the least like Balzac now and there could never be. It's pointless to say any of these French writers or anyone else like Oscar Wilde could be anything like they were in their time and fit into now.
Furthermore one has the distinct impression that the author has a severe problem with the woman George Sand was and any other woman like her, for another example, Gertrude Stein. There do seem to be many men that have an issue with women that act like men. In clothing and in promiscuity, it is repellent that a woman would behave this way. This is made apparent when, without reference, George Sand is labelled a "militant feminist", what does that even mean? Did she wave a gun around to get attention for women's rights? Did she write a treatise on Women's Rights like Mary Wollstonecraft? Did any of her female characters wave guns around and demand justice? It's as a ridiculous a claim that the Front de Gauche is "extreme" left. While this is a very good book in some ways it's just a pity that the author, who obviously loves French literature could be so shallow.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part love letter to Paris and part literary romp through that city, A Passion for Paris" takes a look at the history of the Romantic movement and its inextricable link to the city of Paris. With all of the big names of the Romantic movement working and playing in Paris, it works well to talk about both the city and the movement together! The author is very knowledgeable on the Romantic movement and makes it very exciting for the reader to follow him through that city on the trail of some of the biggest names in the Romantic movement.

Paris is someplace I've always dreamed of going and one thing that I really like this book is that the author gave great insight into what the city was like during the Romantic period and why it drew so many big names of the movement to its streets and parks. The author's passion for the topic certainly shines through and it rubbed off on me as the reader! I love just about any book on traveling and what makes this book unique is that it takes you on a trip to Paris through a very specific lens. You can see what the big authors of the Romantic movement or seeing and what they were doing. It's very cool!

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Paris or getting a behind the scenes look at the Romantic movement. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

[John Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of David Downie’s Paris books, as I am, you shouldn’t miss his new one. It’s entitled, romantically enough, A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light, and was published only a few days ago to general acclaim — even from some of the crankier reviewers.

The best compliment I can pay the book is that its overall quality and level of interest are up there with Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light (2011) which I consider one of the finest introductions to Paris you can find anywhere. I refer to it regularly during my visits there, along with his fine smartphone app, David Downie’s Paris: Time Line.

A Passion for Paris is the story of the Romantic period in Paris, the period most Americans think of as Paris itself — the nineteenth century from Victor Hugo onward. Downie’s knowledge of the city is encyclopedic, as you’d expect from someone who’s lived in and written about it for decades. He and his wife Alison Harris, an outstanding photographer who contributes to his work as well as having her own practice, also offer walking tours of the city, which I’ve taken. They are excellent.

(For more, and information about Downie's outstanding iPhone app Paris Timeline, see my blog at http://JohnPearceAuthor.com )

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled when I got this ARC from BookBrowse-- Paris is the city of my soul so having a review copy of David Downie's A Passion for Paris was a gift in the midst of a dreary winter's end! For anyone in love with the City of Light, Downie's wonderfully written book offers new (and often irreverent) insights into what many feel is the most romantic city on earth. This delightful book now occupies pride of place among many others on my bookshelf written about Paris...and will go with me on my next trip so that I can follow Downie's footstep through that beautiful city. I highly recommend this entertaining and educational read!