Taking Paris: The Epic Battle for the City of Lights

by Martin Dugard

From Martin Dugard, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Killing series with Bill O'Reilly, comes the spellbinding story of the Allied liberation of Paris from the grip of the Nazis during World War II

May 1940: The world is stunned as Hitler's forces invade France with a devastating blitzkrieg aimed at Paris. Within weeks, the French government has collapsed, and the City of Lights, revered for its carefree lifestyle, intellectual freedom, and love of liberty, has fallen under Nazi control--perhaps forever.

As the Germans ruthlessly crush all opposition, a patriotic band of Parisians known as the Resistance secretly rise up to fight back. But these young men and woman cannot do it alone. Over 120,000 Parisians die under German occupation. Countless more are tortured in the city's Gestapo prisons and sent to death camps. The longer the Nazis hold the city, the greater the danger its citizens face. As the armies of America and Great Britain prepare to launch the greatest invasion in history, the spies of the Resistance risk all to ensure the Germans are defeated and Paris is once again free.

The players holding the fate of Paris in their hands are some of the biggest historical figures of the era: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, General George S. Patton, and the exiled French general Charles de Gaulle, headquartered in London's Connaught Hotel. From the fall of Paris in 1940 to the race for Paris in 1944, this riveting, page-turning drama unfolds through their decisions--for better and worse. Taking Paris is history told at a breathtaking pace, a sprawling yet intimate saga of heroism, desire, and personal sacrifice for all that is right.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction, War, Military History, France

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Martin Dugard is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Taking Series — including Taking Berlin (2022) and Taking Paris (2021).

Book Two in the Taking series is titled Taking Berlin, covering the final nine months of World War II in Europe. Taking Berlin goes on sale November 1, 2022.

He is also the co-author of the mega-million selling Killing books, the bestselling non-fiction series in history: Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, Killing Patton, Killing Reagan, Killing England, Killing the Rising Sun, Killing the SS, Killing Crazy Horse, Killing the Mob, and the upcoming Killing the Killers.

Other works include the New York Times bestseller The Murder of King Tut (with James Patterson; Little, Brown, 2009); The Last Voyage of Columbus (Little, Brown, 2005); Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone (Doubleday, 2003), Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook (Pocket Books, 2001), Knockdown (Pocket Books, 1999), and Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth (McGraw-Hill, 1998). In addition, Martin lived on the island of Pulau Tiga during the filming of Survivor's inaugural season to write the bestselling Survivor with mega-producer Mark Burnett.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really having difficulty writing a review of this book for a few reason listed below. The subject matter is one in which I have great interest and I hoped to add to my knowledge of the fall of France in WWII. There was some good information contained in the book, but..............

* the author kept changing tenses, from present to past, which was annoying
* the narrative kept jumping from one location to another which interrupted the flow.
* each chapter is ended with one sentence, such as "And then what", "Time was running out",
"Advantage to DeGaulle", ad infinitum. That got old very quickly.
* Very little of the story took place in Paris to show the attitudes and fears of the residents.

Those complaints may sound petty but they affected my interest in the book. There certainly were interesting sections, especially the in-depth descriptions of DeGaulle's complex personality and expectations. I know that I am an outlier when it comes to this history, so please remember that reviews are subjective and only reflect the reader's opinion. Others, whose opinions I respect, have enjoyed the book, so I guess I am just quirky!!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader of military histories and memoirs, especially those from WW2, I had thought that the story of the liberation of Paris had been told in a book “ Is Paris Burning” , and as a chapter of countless military histories on WW2. What more could be be there to say, I thought.

But along comes “ Taking Paris” by Martin Dugard to prove me wrong. Mr. Dugard writes a fresh, informative and entertaining popular history that should have wide appeal. He accomplishes it by writing in a “ Your Are There” present - tense sort of style, making the reader a witness to events great and small involving people whose names fill histories and biographies and unknown others who also fought, alone, inside occupied France.

Example: one may think as I did despite all my reading, that when the Germans attacked France in 1940 that the entire French army collapsed in front of the Panzers like a soggy croissant. One unit did not. Led by Col. Charles DeGaulle, the French 4th Division not only stopped the Germans, they pushed them back in fierce fighting. Even when the politicians and generals surrendered, DeGaulle fought on. His story is featured in “ Taking Paris” as a man whose stubborn pride overcame all obstacles until the day he entered the liberated city. There were other French soldiers who fought on.
An example of a person whose story is told in the book is Virginia Hall. Known by many names, using many disguises, she survived the war years living under the Germans’ noses as a spy, gathering information and transmitting it back,maintains a spy cadre, and exfiltrating downed flyers , all the while the Gestapo searched for the woman with the noticeable limp ( she had a wooden leg from a hunting accident.) The author’s tale of her escape over the Pyrenees to Spain is thrilling to read.
These personal stories and many more are what make “ Taking Paris” worth the reader’s time. It is the best sort of popular history writing. The novel is factually correct with interesting details, without overwhelming the reader with arcane statistics . With the compelling personal stories it has appeal for everyone. The reader comes to know through clear vignettes the dangerous lives of men and women who fought their brutal occupiers. The clash of wills between the FDR, Churchill and DeGaulle is fascinating reading.
There are maps and footnotes. There were no photos, but this was an advanced reader copy, they may be in the final book.

Summing up: a good book, very well presented .Even those who do not usually read history will enjoy “ Taking Paris”.

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a great addition to my knowledge of World War 2. This time, it is told through the eyes of the French. Dugard does a wonderful job of letting one see the effects of the war by telling it from the perspective of common citizens, international spies, and military leaders. A much easier, less technical read than most World War 2 books. Very good!

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events of World War II and the taking back of Paris are so vividly written with such expertise .

Churchill, Eisenhauer De Gaulle and Franklin Roosevelt, De Gaulle and Patton all have their
parts in the battles and getting back to Paris.

The book was written in such a way that the reader could feel the joy in the final liberation of Paris.
1940- 1944

I won this A R C book from Penguin Random House.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the days leading up to the Nazi invasion of France and the surrender of Paris to the day when the Americans and de Gaulle reclaim the city of light for the French people, the author talks of not only the political maneuvering as well as the brutal actions of the Nazis in order to demoralize and control the French while exterminating any and all forms of resistance.

Dugard may be more well known for his collaboration with Bill O'Reilly and the Killing series and this book does have a similar flow and flavor to its writing. He talks of tank battles as well as sieges taking place under the blistering sun of North Africa. Churchill backing de Gaulle as the leader of a Free France while Roosevelt kept forcing General Henri Giraud. Erwin Rommel who after failing in North Africa was given the job to create the Atlantic Wall to prevent invasion from the Allies - Operation Overlord overwhelmed the wall in Normandy. Noted spies - er, members of the resistance like Virginia Hall, Jean Moulin and Germaine Tillion as well as Nazi collaborators like Father Alesch. And some non-living major characters - the bells of Notre Dame which were silent until the heaviest (at over 14-tons) and largest Emmanuel pealed out the city's freedom from German occupation.

Amusingly enough, he also includes a California stop or two with the making of the movie Casablanca who actually had French refugees that escaped France in it - Marcel Dalio (the croupier at Rick's) and his wife, Madeleine Lebeau (Rick's jilted lover).

It's not a terrible in depth look but it certainly provides some fascinating insights in those years of despair and joy felt by the citizens of Paris and France during those times.

2021-231

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A history of the fighting over Paris during WWII. It is very much in the Bill O'Reilly style. There were some good parts, but not really a serious history.

[Walt · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Bill O'Reilly opines on the cover, heroes and villains abound. That is probably a better description of the book than the actual subtitle. In this emotional-based bro-force narrative, Dugard uses every possible literary trick to set up a good vs. evil dichotomy. The result is a fast moving story that follows a chronological order; but jumps around via location. The ultimate focus is Paris; but surprisingly little of the book takes place in Paris.

Dugard has co-authored work with Bill O'Reilly in the "Killing" series. That style is heavy on emotion, short on substance, and action-packed. The idea is for readers to whip through the book (think short chapters) and build a strong emotional attachment to the protagonists. Consider constant reminders of "trains going East," or heroes spending 10 days in a Swiss chateau making love, or random Nazi war crimes....while either minimizing allied or resistance war crimes that are translated into harrowing and heroic actions. The result is a historical narrative that takes on the qualities of an exciting fictional thriller novel. America! F@ck Yeah!

Readers know that the allies liberate Paris. There are two story archs. One focuses on Churchill, DeGaulle, and the Americans. The other focuses on spies. A key part of the book is glorifying French resistance. Readers are likely unfamiliar with the stories of Jean Moulin, Germaine Tillion, or Virginia Hall. These resistance fighters occupy almost as much page space as Churchill, Patton, DeGaulle, and the ultimate villain Rommel. Rommel? Yes, Rommel is transformed into the ultimate antagonist despite is military brilliance. There is not much evidence to make him evil, so Dugard introduces villains like Klaus Barbie and Father Robert Allech - the cats in this thriller. The big problem here is that while Dugard fixates on the cat-and-mouse game among the spies and spy-catchers, he does not disclose much about what the spies were doing. Only in the last few chapters are there bland passages indicating sabotage and overt gunplay by the resistance. And what role did Moulin, Tillion, or Hall play in those aspects? Seemingly none. The result of this spy thriller is not James Bond saving the world and destroying the bad guy's death ray. It is James Bond dodging the bad guy's henchmen.

This leads to my main criticism for the book, Dugard tries to instill so much drama, that he loses sight of the actual history. This is not fiction it is non-fiction. He probably would have been better off writing a genuine fiction thriller. The details are lost in the suspense. Time and again, the details are omitted to focus instead on DeGaulle's ash tray, Churchill's liquor cabinet, or Virginia Hall's artificial leg. The strict literary device of short chapters requires excluding a lot of information that could offer a better understanding of what was happening and why. Perhaps more frustrating is that there is so little about life in occupied (or allied) Paris, or the cat-and-mouse spy thriller that Dugard clearly wanted.

I came to really dislike the book owing to its emotional appeal. The seemingly random stories stretching from Louisiana to French Indochina, and Italy bored me. The graphic death of a nurse at the Anzio beach head highlights everything wrong with this book: no context, emotional appeal, no connection to Paris or the key characters, random inclusion, and unfocused on the main story archs. When Patton decides to take Paris in the last chapter of the book, there is no climactic showdown. Readers do not even understand what happened to the 25,000 German soldier garrison. They fled, they fought, they surrendered....all within 3 days? WTF? We had chapters on how awful and ruthless General Choltitz was....he just surrenders after 3 days? The allies just casually decide to liberate Paris? Huh?

Overall, I was happy to finish this book. The short chapters mercifully moved it along. Dugard's attempts to glorify allied leaders and extol their awesomeness is tiresome. I appreciated the cliff notes version on DeGaulle's rise. I did not realize that he lost every battle he fought, but somehow gained power through charisma and force of personality (although his allies seemed to regard him as a terrible and unreliable ally). He did win at least one battle - against French forces in Gabon loyal to a rival Free French leader. Considering how Dugard builds up heroes and villains, I remain skeptical on the accuracy of his version of DeGaulle - the weak Frenchman propped up by the allies. I did not like his short take on Rommel. Readers should feel hungry for more details not an emotional appeal to nationalism. Yes, there are real villains in the story - Klaus Barbie - but they are marginalized or included to taint Rommel.

[Matt Brehaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characterization in this non-fiction offering, transforms a historical account into a true story and makes it so much more engaging to the reader. If schools could teach history like this, the world would retain much more of its past in its current populace.

[William Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently completed my reading of Martin Dugard's latest popular history, entitled "Taking Paris" provided to me as an ARC by Penguin (it will be published under the Dutton Caliber imprint). Many of you will have some familiarity with Dugard's work through his lucrative collaboration with Bill O'Reilly on the "Killing" series of books that have become staples on best seller lists. The first thing that struck me about this book is that its style is largely anecdotal and filled with the trivial details that often give us a taste for the past (hence the term "popular history"). Initially, this put me off as I am well versed in military history and was hoping for considerably more depth; however, Dugard's narrative mastery is so pronounced that he quickly won me over. Keep in mind that the title is a bit misleading. The book is not exclusively about the Allies' "liberation" of Paris in 1944 (a conclusion I had, not unreasonably jumped to as a consequence of the title), but uses the City of Paris and its troubled martyrdom during the Second World War as a focal point to concentrate on the fate of France during that titanic struggle. This allows the author to introduce many characters familiar to students of the period, people like
the leaders of the Free French and their rivals as well as the German, British and American military and political figures who figured prominently in the struggle for France from the tragic failures of 1940 to the successful invasion of 1944 (and everything in between). Obviously, given the events Dugard has chosen to focus on, there is
no possibility of an in-depth exploration of often incredibly complex issues. That said, however, this is a marvelous primer of sorts. I recommend it to all those looking to fill in gaps in their own knowledge and most especially for young readers who are unlikely to be well versed in the events and thematic concerns Dugard is exploring. It would make a superb Christmas or Birthday gift for young people fascinated by history, particularly twentieth century history.

[Mark McTague · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before discussing the book, let me say that other reviewers have taken the writer to task somewhat unfairly, I think. The book was criticized for having little to do with the liberation of Paris and far more to do with the whole of WWII in Western Europe, and that a better book was "Is Paris Burning," by Collins and Lapierre. He was also taken to task for the sub-title - The Epic Battle for the City of Lights. I have no insider information about the publishing business, but unless one's name is J.K. Rowling these days, I doubt that the author has the final say in book sub-titles, cover photos, and layouts. After all, that's what grabs the readers' attention in the bookstores. Perhaps "Struggle" rather than "Battle" would have been more apt as there were comparatively few shots fired in the liberation of the city. Also, as the author wrote in the Acknowledgements and Notes at the end, he never intended this to be more than a look at the period June - August, 1944, but that the more he researched, the wider the scope of his interest became. He also points readers to the Collins and Lapierre work, advising them to turn their attention to just that book for an in-depth look at the liberation of Paris. No book, however well-researched, can be all things to all people.

So what made me like it so much? Since it ranges over the whole of the war in Europe (from the perspective of French interests), from May of 1940 until liberation in August of '44, I took it more as a sampler of so many aspects of the war, a number of which I was rather ignorant (and I have done a fair amount of reading in this period). The pacing was brisk, and as the chapters flew by, I found I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days. Yes, if you are either under 30 or have not read much of the Second World War in Europe, you may well find yourself saying "Yes, but what about ....? And what happened before or after that?" and other expressions of impatience. I understand that, but if you look at this as tempting you to read further in the history of this titanic struggle (military, political, economic, socio-cultural --- the topic is gargantuan), then I think you will find Dugard's work quite a useful stimulant. In fact, I was so intrigued with what he told me about the Allied spies working in Occupied France that I bought the book "A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II," a true story of a singularly brave, intelligent, and indomitable woman, and a fellow Marylander whom I'd never heard of. Well done, Mr. Dugard.

[Ed Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing that I didn’t like about this book is that the only note of praise printed on the cover is from political-commentator-turned-sexual-predator Bill O’Reilly. The book is good enough that I would have thought that the author, Martin Dugard, could have found someone to praise the book who isn’t such a loathsome waste of space.*

This book is not a difficult read, particularly for someone who has a decent knowledge of the Second World War in Europe. It has many short chapters (75, to be exact) and Dugard uses them to move back and forth between large-scale geopolitical events (military, diplomatic, etc.) and various goings on in Paris (e.g., specific subversive activities of the Resistance). Although the book is laid out chronologically, the short chapter approach keeps things moving at a good pace and allows the reader to see events in Paris, London, Washington, North Africa and elsewhere in context with one another.

Taking Paris shouldn’t be viewed as the definitive story of Paris in WWII and doesn’t pretend to be. But it does explore in some depth, and very effectively, the matters on which Dugard decided to focus. Perhaps the most interesting of these (and the one with which I was the least familiar) was the rivalry between Charles DeGaulle and Henri Giraud on who was to lead France both during the Nazi (and Vichy) occupation and afterwards. This story had many angles, including that DeGaulle had the backing of Winston Churchill while FDR supported Giraud.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in non-battlefield aspects of WWII (although I must say that Dugard does a good job with some of the battlefield aspect as well, particularly those in North Africa).

* After writing this review, I checked out Martin Dugard on the internet. Turns out that he has co-written many (maybe all) of O’Reilly’s “Killing” series of books. Dugard should be more careful about the company that he keeps.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love history and especially love books about World War II. But some of the books are too dry and boring… they read like treatises. This book was just so interesting and well-written. It provided a lot of detail and analysis, but it also told these events as a great story… and even though you know the ending, it is just captivating and interesting. Folks that have studied WW2 really closely may not think it offers a lot of new facts and information, but for everyone else, I think it is a really interesting book on an incredibly interesting topic.

There are so many lessons to be learned about France’s surrender and failure to really fight the Germans. Churchill was right that there would no peace through surrender with Hitler. Nazi Germany was so evil and France suffered greatly from their occupation. You cannot negotiate with evil people/countries… and countries need to be prepared before it is too late… like the French in WW2. They were not armed and prepared as Hitler began his quest to dominate Europe.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Case of a good idea, but poor execution. The fall of Paris, the Resistance, and its liberation would make a fascinating story, but this book was far too scattered. The book loosely followed DeGaulle, Churchill, Patton, and Rommel, along with a few Resistance leaders, but it probably would have been better suited to follow DeGaulle, Churchill, and the Resistance. Also, the author had some turns of phrase that made for very strange reading.

[Robert Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like his other books (with and without Bill O'Reilly), Dugard is able to provide an in-depth look at history without simply spouting dates and numbers. It's a behind-the-scenes look, and one gets a feeling that we could actually be in the room when history is made. Highly recommended for those interested in our history.

[Zach Hiroms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good entertaining read, nothing incredibly new here, I don't believe, but it was well written and fun to read. Wrapping these events around the French narrative made this very interesting and isn't usually the direction these go, but I really enjoyed it.

[Tami L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful walk through the French/German conflict and Hitler's preoccupation with taking Paris. If you love Paris or are interested in WWII, this is a great read!

[Abby Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a very soft spot in my heart for Paris and France because I've been there. And I've stood on Omaha Beach near the anniversary of D-Day and seen the love they still have for the American soldiers. So, I did tear up at the end of this book when everything came together to free Paris.

I never cease to be awed and overwhelmed at the sheer amount of "history" in WW2. I could spend my whole life studying it and still stumble across some aspect I'm not familiar with. The politics, some of the fighting in Africa, and some of the resistance I want well versed in. This book helped flesh some of that out for me.

This book is straightforward, simple, easy to follow, and engaging enough to read for hours. I highly recommend it.

Warning: torture methods described and some adult content.

[John Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful popular history by Martin Dugard. Very readable and hard to put down as his swift narrative writing style with short chapters is like reading an exciting novel, not a dry military history. A riveting history filled with interesting and in formative facts. This brief history begins with the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940, through the battles in North Africa, landings in Italy and the final D-Day battles to retake Europe in 1944. The book concludes with the triumphal retaking of Paris by allied forces. All the prominent persons are portrayed such as Churchill, French General De Gaulle, Patton, Eisenhower, Roosevelt and German General Rommel. The heroic French Resistance were accounted for throughout. I was fully engaged it was a well worth read.

[Colton Hudspeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story telling was great; however, the constant use of fragmented sentences began irritating me by the end of the book though… each chapter used the same setup, such as:

“He grabbed a load of bread. Peanut butter and jelly. Knife. Spread on the bread. Tasty.”

Should it have bothered me so much as to dock a star from 4 to 3 stars? Maybe, maybe not, but it did.

[Frank Signore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, light touch that is endlessly fascinating in describing the monumental events and the personal stories of this momentous time. Moves you along at warp speed. In the style of the "killing' series Dugard wrote with Bill O'Reilly.

[Katie Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting in depth look at the liberation of Paris during WW2

[Evan Song · Rating 4 out of 5]

The United States of America runs shit. Don’t mess with us

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only scratches the surface of the subject matter. Reads very quickly but left me wanting more detail.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

In May 1940, the world is stunned as Hitler’s forces invade France with a devastating blitzkrieg aimed at Paris. Within weeks the French government has collapsed, and the City of Lights has fallen under Nazi control – perhaps forever. As the Germans ruthlessly crush all opposition, a patriotic band of Parisians known as the Resistance secretly rises up to fight back. The longer the Nazis hold the city, the greater the danger its citizens face. As the armies of America and Great Britain prepare to launch the greatest invasion in history, the spies of the Resistance risk all to ensure the Germans are defeated and Paris is once again free. Dugard, coauthor of the “Killing” series with Bill O’Reilly, has written a riveting, page-turning drama involving the biggest historical figures of the era: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, General George S. Patton, and the exiled French general Charles de Gaulle. “Taking Paris” does for Paris during World War II what “The Splendid and the Vile” did for London. Dugard knows how to make history read with as much pace as the best fiction. For military historians, is a great read.

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author describes in detail the actions and relevance of several people who had prominent roles during WW2, particularly concerning the invasion and eventual liberation of France.  They include Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, German general, Erwin Rommel, British spy Virginia Hall, French assassin Pierre Georges ("Colonel Fabien"), French resistance hero Jean Moulin, French General Marie-Pierre Koenig, French ethnologist Germaine Tillion, Catholic priest and Nazi collaborator Robert Alesch.

[John Turley]

Taking Paris is an enlightening read. I thought that I knew a great deal about the principals of WWII;however, Martin Dugard expanded my knowledge particularly of de Gaulle and Rommel. I've visited Paris many times, and yet he acted as my personal guide through so many of the historic WWII areas of the city. This is one of the reasons why reading Taking Paris became highly personal to me. I became engaged in the story with new details even though I knew most of the facts and the outcome. In this vein, it is comparable to The Day of the Jackal. This is the beauty of Taking Paris, the story has been told many times before with Martin Dugand adding new information and facts that lead to deeper understanding and research.

I did not appreciate de Gaulle's difficulties in his ascendancy to the leadership of France. To his tribute, he was such a natural fit as General of the Free French Forces, PM and later as President of France that I assumed that he glided to power. Why not de Gaulle for the leadership of France? I was intrigued by the infighting and political jockeying for power with a further appreciation of Roosevelt's political and diplomatic acumen and maneuvering vis-a-vis the future of France. I was astounded to learn that FDR had another choice other than de Gaulle in mind for the top French position. De Gaulle struggled to realize his greatness which made his prominence on the world stage all the more remarkable.

General Leclerc is another favorite figure from WWII. I was thrilled to learn more about him and the manipulation of his name to protect his family during the Nazi Occupation. By the same token, I learned more details about Jean Moulin, the leader of the French resistance, the Maquis. I knew that Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo's "Butcher of Lyons" was evil, but not to the extent that Martin Dugard reveals.

I realized another side of Field Marshal Rommel as a ruthless, hardened and determined warrior. Popular history portrays Rommel as a romantic German commander, somewhat of a good guy within Hitler's tyranny, despite the fact that he led a relentless and merciless juggernaut against the Allies. Rommel would not think twice about the total destruction of his opponent. I still admire Rommel from a historical perspective;however, he is more realistic to me thanks to Dugard's portrayal of him as a field marshal dedicated to victory at all costs. One tends to pass over the thousands of men on both sides who died or were horribly injured and maimed as a result of his triumphs and especially his defeats. It is good for humankind and history that he was stopped at El Alamein.

I do not favor Churchill's "soft underbelly of Europe" proposition. Indeed, it was lined with steel. Perhaps it diverted German forces to another front. The author informed me of the significance of taking an Axis capital at that point in the war.

I do not wish to get lost in my focus on major personalities from that memorable time. The entire story,Taking Paris, by two opposing sides, is riveting. I understand more why my father talked endlessly about his assignment with the Judge Advocate General's Office in Paris. He loved his time in the City of Light as an American soldier. He introduced me to his favorite Parisian drink, Champagne and vodka. He returned to Paris several times in his retirement. I regret that he is no longer with us since he would enjoy reading and discussing Taking Paris with me. He'd probably be moved to write to Dugard as well with high praise.

[Bill Tress · Rating 2 out of 5]

The taking of Paris by Germany in World War II is a story that has been told before but still resonates with history buffs like me. Anyone who has visited Paris is in love with the city, its history and beauty.
Dugard begins his story with the German blitzkrieg through the low country, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Blitz caught all the attacked Countries off guard, it is the often-repeated story that Countries rely of the technology and officer Corp that fought in a previous war; and therefore, the response was with antiquated tactics and equipment. Our author points out that Belgium and France fought on horseback against tanks!
Dugard has a writing style that does not tell history well. The evacuation of Dunkirk is an excellent example. Other historians describe this evacuation with nuance. The French fought gallantly, they put themselves between the English and the Germans saving the English forces. The fight on the beach was heroic and the evacuation was a miracle. Rudyard Kipling described this evacuation as follows: “out of the streams and rivers of England came the fathers and grandfathers of those trapped troops. They went across the channel in anything that would float and took their sons off that beach”. This narrative gives me goose bumps! Unfortunately, Dugard gives us none of these details, and his narrative has no references to the considerable research on this important event.
He describes the crisis in Paris well, from indifference to panic. There were many heroic acts, at their own risk people saved as much of their history as possible. Efforts were made to save this historic city, and a total capitulation was made to keep it from being ruined in bombing raids; Paris became an open city. Any reading of this capitulation of Paris to the Nazis is sad. The Nazis rolled into the capital of France and placed the Nazi flag on the city’s historic buildings. An old newsreel of this event has French citizens watching this event and openly crying, it was an emotional time. Dugard’s flair for the dramatic works well here!
Dugard’s tale does not qualify as history but it’s a good story about historical events. This reader has a few questions about the accuracy of statements made by Dugard. Maybe just small items yet demonstrate a lazy approach.
I have had an interest in Virginia Hall and have read biographies about her exploits. She is from Maryland and lived in a suburb of Baltimore, Dugard refers to her as Canadian! Dugard tells a tale of Patton coming in front of Eisenhower where Patton cries and Eisenhower laughs. In Dugard’s version, Eisenhower shows Patton a message from Marshall to send Patton back to the States because of a speech he made that offended the Russian allies. Then another message from Eisenhower to Marshall saying if Patton goes home Eisenhower will also go home. I have not found any historical record of this alleged meeting and reprimand. In another commentary Dugard states that Roosevelt planned on the US and England to occupy France after the war. This was somewhat shocking because I have never heard of these encounters and my research does not support them. Dugard’s lack of footnotes frustrates the reading of this book. We have historical events told in melodramatic terms with questionable accuracy and no footnotes. If a reader wants a pleasant review of the liberation of Paris and other stories of World War II it is worthy, but it is not in the pantheon of novels on this subject.

[Alexander Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking Paris is a pseudo-historical book that details a few slices of the history surrounding the surrender and eventual recapture of the French capital of Paris during the years of the Second World War. The book is authored by Martin Dugard of ‘I do the research and writing for Bill O’Reilly’ fame. With that said, I didn’t dislike the Killing Books, and I probably somewhat enjoyed them for being small, easily digestible looks at slices of American pop culture.

In ‘Taking Paris’, Dugard takes a similar approach to the books that he ‘co-authors’ with O’Reilly. The writing is relatively fast-paced, with a style that’s more fictional narrative than staunch historical writing. As someone who loves themselves a good ‘narrative history’, I can get behind this style, even if Dugard’s writing is more narrative than much else. After all, this man isn’t a historian. He’s a former business worker who dabbled in writing for magazines before transitioning into books with the aforementioned former news anchor. The fact that this book lists no resources and has no bibliography should tell you that this shouldn’t be taken as historical text but rather a narrative retelling inspired by documented events.

Now that I’ve satisfied the portion of my brain that recalls my days as a graduate student pursuing a history degree, I can safely inform you that I did enjoy this book. I enjoyed it for what it is: a light reading that provides an interesting ‘spin’ on historical events. Dugard highlights a number of people of varying importance, with some chapters highlighting smaller members of the Resistance while countless others do focus on major players like Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, and Rommel. As someone familiar with the history, it’s not much knew about the leaders, but I found some of the stories of the smaller bits and pieces of the Resistance and war effort to be pretty interesting, albeit many of them tragic in some way, shape, or form.

My only real ‘complaint’ with the book is that the actual ‘Taking Paris’ part feels relegated to the last ten percent of the book (it might be more or less than that, but by the time you reach this part, the book has already felt like it was trying to wrap up). The action between May and June of 1944 and June and August of that year is told very quickly. While I understand that Paris was essentially given up by the Nazis, it still feels more like this book is telling the story of ‘some world leaders and Resistance members operating during the time of Paris’ occupation’ rather than any real story centered in Paris. After all, Paris is visited less in this book that North Africa or London. In the afterword, Dugard mentions that originally the book was just going to be in 1944, and through his research, he extended it backwards to 1940. I’m curious what, if any, form that original book may have taken, given there’s only a dozen or so chapters directly pertaining to the retaking of Paris.

But again, despite this, the book’s a fine way to spend a few hours. It’s a nice way to ‘dip your toes’ into the events, but like many of these pop culture-esque books, it just left me wanting to find an actual historical text that details many of these events.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If Taking Paris: The Epic Battle for the City of Lights had a slightly more truthful title, it would probably be something like Losing, Debating Over, and Then Eventually Re-Taking Paris. Not nearly as catchy, but it better describes the trajectory of this tale: how the Nazis captured Paris with relative ease, the Allies' years of strategizing to kick them out, and a few short chapters covering the re-capture itself. Short in this instance is a positive: Taking Paris is broken into over seventy brief chapters, each one designated by time and place. This keeps the book moving at a brisk pace, and is a welcome break from the overlong chapters that can normally be found in history books.

Although the book is written in the third-person, the author's opinions can be sensed through the prose at times. Dugard clearly has a tremendous amount of respect for Charles de Gaulle, the imposing French military commander who refused to surrender to Hitler and led the Free French almost entirely alone, but he has less regard for the French people who, with some exceptions--such as the Free French themselves and the soldiers who openly despaired at failing to repel the Germans--he depicts as fairly selfish and squeamish. We learn about de Gaulle's relationship with Churchill, which was uneasy, and with FDR, which was downright antagonistic (the only foreigner de Gaulle seems to have gotten along well with was Dwight Eisenhower). There are also stories about lesser-known civilians, such as a French priest who was secretly collaborating with the Nazis and a disabled American woman who went undercover for the Allies in Paris. Most unexpected is Erwin Rommel, the brilliant German general known as the "desert fox" for his campaign in Africa, who is portrayed with surprising sympathy. Dugard does not fail to note Rommel's enablement of civilian casualties and Jewish persecution, but he also strips back Rommel's fearsome persona to reveal a solitary and melancholy man who was terrified of failure and eventually grew disillusioned with Hitler.

If I had one complaint about Taking Paris, it would be that not much time is devoted the Allied invasion of France itself, with more space being dedicated to the years leading up to it. (Unless I am misremembering, the author also forgets to mention that FDR died before the war ended when recapping the major players' lives after taking Paris at the end of the book). That being said, it remains a well-written and informative read for anyone looking to learn (and enjoy reading) about this perilous episode in world history.

[Adam Carnehl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to begin with this one...

I appreciate the scope of this book as well as Dugard's method of continually jumping around from one personage to the next, one theatre to the next, one perspective to the next. I haven't read a nonfiction World War II book quite like this, with the exception of John Steinbeck's "Once There Was a War" (which is an incredible book). In that, Steinbeck moves around quite a bit, but what makes that such a masterpiece of journalism is that Steinbeck was present for the events he narrates and he focuses on ordinary people, giving the reader a completely different perspective on the Second World War.

Dugard also jumps around, which kept me spellbound because I always wanted to know what happened to this or that general, fighter, or leader. But, Dugard's writing has several annoying characteristics. He will take any opportunity to randomly point out that, at this or that particular battle, people in some other place were probably making love, or, that this or that man died before he could make sweet love to this other person one last time. This characteristic is quite juvenile. It's as if he simply couldn't pass up any opportunity to note that over on another block at the same time a certain resistance meeting was taking place, people were sweating as they made love.

Another annoying thing. Sentence fragments. All over. All the time.

Plus, Dugard loves ending every single chapter in the same predictably dramatic way every time, e.g. things such as, "It wasn't the last time the two would cross paths." Or, "She sat down. The invasion was coming." Or, "The smoke suddenly cleared. The green light was given."

Yet, the very worst aspect of Dugard's book is that "taking Paris" (the 1944 liberation of Paris) is only the final, very brief chapter! How can a book be called "Taking Paris: The Epic Battle for the City of Lights" when the resistance battles in the streets are only briefly alluded to, and the advance by Leclerc's 2nd Armor is summarized in two paragraphs? The writer has taken us from Paris to England to D.C. to North Africa to Sicily to Anzio, etc., but if most readers are like me, we want to know what the uprising was like, what Leclerc said and did, and what later happened to von Choltitz. The Wikipedia articles for "Liberation of Paris" and "Dietrich Von Choltitz" are, unfortunately, more detailed, scholarly, and complete than what one will find in this book. It was fast; it was a romp at times; but it would never make my list of WWII 'must-reads."