Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light

by David Downie, Diane Johnson (Foreword), Alison Harris (Photographer)

“Beautifully written and refreshingly original . . . makes us see [Paris] in a different light.”— San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
 
Swapping his native San Francisco for the City of Light, travel writer David Downie arrived in Paris in 1986 on a one-way ticket, his head full of romantic notions. Curiosity and the legs of a cross-country runner propelled him daily from an unheated, seventh-floor walk-up garret near the Champs-Elysées to the old Montmartre haunts of the doomed painter Modigliani, the tombs of Père-Lachaise cemetery, the luxuriant alleys of the Luxembourg Gardens and the aristocratic Île Saint-Louis midstream in the Seine.

Downie wound up living in the chic Marais district, married to the Paris-born American photographer Alison Harris, an equally incurable walker and chronicler. Ten books and a quarter-century later, he still spends several hours every day rambling through Paris, and writing about the city he loves. An irreverent, witty romp featuring thirty-one short prose sketches of people, places and daily life, Paris, Journey into the City of Light ranges from the glamorous to the least-known corners and characters of the world’s favorite city. 

Photographs by Alison Harris.
 

Praise for Paris, Paris

“I loved his collection of essays and anyone who’s visited Paris in the past, or plans to visit in the future, will be equally charmed as well.” —David Lebovitz, author of The Sweet Life in Paris
 
“[A] quirky, personal, independent view of the city, its history and its people” —Mavis Gallant
 
“Gives fresh poetic insight into the city . . . a voyage into ‘the bends and recesses, the jagged edges, the secret interiors’ [of Paris].” —Departures

Genres: Travel, France, Nonfiction, History, Essays, Memoir, Cultural

303 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

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

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

On completion:
Who is this book for? I mention this problem below in a partial review. Maybe you want a book offering a little bit for everyone. I prefer a book that has a central focus. A book for weekend tourists, a book for expats and that for a reader seeking information on the city’s history will be three very different books.

I don’t know what you may be seeking from this book. I wanted to know interesting details about the city’s past. Some, but not enough, of the chapters did offer insights that satisfied me. I wanted it to capture the feel of the place, and how its denizens behave. The only chapters that came close to doing this are the one on cafés and the one on the author’s night perambulations. You learn a bit about the booksellers along the Seine and the boat people and posh Parisian dog owners….but these are not your typical Parisians. I don’t think this book captures the French Parisian mentality.

This is a book of essays. Some essays are in fact very similar to other essays. Information is repeated. If you want a chapter on cemeteries have one and put all related information there. The book should have been better organized.

Then there is the tone. There is lots of whining. Rather than the author stating clearly that he dislikes a particular trend he insinuates it. The author is opinionated; you are getting his point of view. He is one for nostalgia; change is usually bad. While he does list the improvements of particular modernizations you hear from his choice of words what his general sentiment is toward the change, and it is most often negative. The gist is that things were definitely better before. He doesn’t offer constructive solutions!

The author has a separate essay on Parisian dogs. He is NOT a dog owner. Only occasionally does he and his wife dog sit. He writes about hair styling salons for dogs, clothing stores for dogs, dog cemeteries, dog taxi services. You hear his ridicule clearly. OK, jeweled collars and such are ridiculous, but he simply has no idea what it is like to be a dog owner. He has nothing good to say. This is just one example of what I mean by opinionated writing. You begin to wonder to what extent other topics are presented in a balanced fashion.

Some sentences were beyond my comprehension. What is the author trying to say? Maybe the problem lies with me, but I didn’t always understand what the author was trying to get across. I didn’t think his explanation for the term bobos was adequate. There I turned to Wiki for clarification.

I hope you understand now why I gave this book only two stars.

If you choose to read the book, don’t listen to the audiobook narrated by Max Winter! (See below.)

************************************

I have listened to half:

Wow, the book definitely does improve once it starts talking about the people of Paris. What people? The booksellers along the Seine, the boat people, Modigliani, Coco Chanel and the French symbolist painter Gustave Moreau. I didn't know at all about Moreau and there is a wonderful museum just devoted to his artwork!

If I complain, I must also point out when a book improves. It certainly has.

**********************************

I have listened to about 1/3 to 1/2 so far:

I am having serious trouble with this book.

The author throws around names, politicians and authors, but often they are mentioned over and over again. Balzac, Victor Hugo and Emile Zola are his favorite authors. It is like, look what I have read, what I know, where I have been.

MUCH is derogatory. So much whining.

Who is this book for? A weekend tourist? An expat living in Paris? Someone wanting the background story of Paris and its history? Or is the focus Paris today and modern trends? What is offered is a mix. Parts are walks don a particular street and what the author saw at number 258 or 161 or 352. This means nothing if you don't have a photo or don't have the street in front of you. These sections are for the weekend tourist.... perhaps.

BUT, a recent chapter read was about Les Halles, the old food market replaced by Forum des Halles, a huge subterranean shopping mall. You don't go to Paris to shop there. Does a weekend tourist want to know about this ugly, cold, sterile shopping mall filled with vacancies? Maybe all you need to know is NOT to go there. Sure, you go there if you have to find something particular, and then you get out. Then pages are spent on the numerous failed attempts to make improvements. (A new center is planned.) And....we are told how to spell shampoo and how it is pronounced! I don't quite see why that was thrown in.

There are some bits of interesting history, for example, Roman history, the origin of the city's name and about the ancient Cimetière des Innocents replaced by the Père Lachaise Cimetièr. But actually what I most liked was looking at images on Wiki of what you can see there.... Does the book have adequate photos? There are fantastic tombs to be seen. Again the weekend tourist is told where they can see that or that person's tomb. Maybe that is important for you.

Why do we have to be told how many trees and bushes are in this park or that park?

You don't get the feel of Paris AT ALL! The next essay is about the people of Paris. Will it cover only those of fame? Will we meet the people you would bump shoulders with on a stroll in Paris or sitting next to you on a park bench?

Make up your mind, Downie, who is this book written for?

For a short trip to Paris I would recommend an "Eye Witness Travel Guide". Full of pictures, great maps and helpful museum, hotel, restaurants and transport information. I swear by them.

AND for God's sake if you have decided to offer a book on Paris in an audio version get a narrator that knows French! My audiobook is narrated by Max Winter. He cannot pronounce boules. He cannot even decide how he will pronounce Medici; he tries several pronunciations.

I don't understand why there are so very many positive reviews for this book. Could this guy have so many GR friends?

I will continue, but my temper is running short. The next essay/chapter better be good.

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mitterand marked the Louvre as a dog might.

Does the world really need another love letter to Paris? I suppose I could ask whether the world needs love letters at all. While they are not strictly necessary, I think more people would rather have them than not. As these books go, this is one of the better ones -- certainly better than anything I've read by the better-known Adam Gopnik or John Baxter. Like them, Downie is an American, but one who grew up mostly in Italy and had been splitting his time between Rome and Paris for over twenty years when this book was written.

Downie's a better-than-average writer with a critical eye -- you will not find him raving about haute cuisine or couture in this book, and the only episode of classical fawning I could find was in a seemingly-misplaced essay about Coco Chanel. Included in this collection are ten essays about specific places in Paris, ten about specific persons or groups of people and ten about events that take place there. Much of this covers territory that I haven't read about before, such as a seduction school (French men apparently having gotten distracted in the past forty years) or an essay on dog owners:

Satan is such a suburban name, sniffed Samba's matron as we edged our way by on a lakeside path. Scirocco's glamorous owner agreed, using a gloved finger to indicate the unfashionable outskirts on the far side of the park, where Satan and his tattooed owner, la patronne, as she put it, appeared to be heading...The two ageing socialites, who did not seem to know each other previously, now shared conspiratorial confidences as their purebred animals licked and mounted each other.

I have four older siblings, and all four of them suffered through a middle-school French class taught by the legendary Madame Kluckner. According to my older siblings, she was old as dust, boring as hell and absolutely unforgiving of a thirteen-year-old's mangling of her mother tongue. So I entered her class with great trepidation, though it turned out not to be so bad. All I remember is that she was old enough that her lower lip dangled somewhat free of the rest of her face and was coated in stunningly red lipstick, which wasn't really in fashion at the time. At least five times a day, it seemed, she referred to LeJardinDe Looooxembooooouuuuuurrg, her lower lip flopping around alarmingly during these drawn-out syllables. Many years later, I enjoyed my visit there and enjoyed the essay with which Downie kicked off this book.

On one side of the pool sat a solitary young man pretending to read Le Monde. Across from him posed a comely young woman, the real object of his attention. She looked wistfully at the white marble sculptures of Acis and Galatea embracing rapturously in the fountain's grotto. Above them lurks the menacing Polyphemus, a greenish bronze monster twice their size. The young woman's eyes swept over the pool to the ivy garlands, to the half-opened newspaper and finally to the young man's handsome face. Each time her gaze fell upon him, Le Monde trembled.

I could continue quoting chunks of this, but if you're the appropriate audience for this, you already know.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have decided to read this book because of my wife's enthusiastic review, as follows ...

... I have lived in the South of France each summer for the past 7 years, which also includes at least one month in Paris each year. I read about 6 to 7 books each year about Paris, my favorite city. David Downie's book, Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light is one of the best I have ever read. What a fun book to read. Downie takes some obscure things, i.e. the poles on the sidewalks to keep cars from parking there, and makes them interesting. His book has opened my eyes to see more as I walk around Paris. Paris people, places, and things all made fun, interesting and informative. I will enjoy my walks around Paris even more now that I have had the pleasure of reading David Downie's wonderful book.

ps. maybe someday I'll convince her to join GR and post her own reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may think you know Paris, but do you know the secret Paris, the less well-known places in Paris that are a part of the city's history? David Downie, together with his wife, photographer Alison Harris, takes you to these places...Père-Lachaise cemetery...boats on the Seine...a museum to Modigliani...Buttes-Chaumont Park...Coco Channel...the beginning of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela...lighting of the city...cafe life...thirty-one beautiful visits around Paris in time and space.

[Katie Ziegler (Life Between Words) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gol-LY it took me long enough to read this. Because every chapter is an essay of its own, there were some I loved, some that were ok, and some that didn't capture me at all. I will say that having never been to Paris, or even France, some of what Downie talks about were hard to follow. One might appreciate this book even more if they were more familiar with the city. But I do hope to go someday, and I will definitely revisit this book when that day comes. It'll come. It has to come.

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Downie has lived in Paris for over three decades and this book is a series of vignettes about aspects of Parisian life that will appeal to lovers of the city, visitors, neophytes, and anybody who would love to read what amounts to a travel blog of various neighborhoods, people, aspects, and distinctly Parisian cultural aspects. I loved most of it, liked other aspects, and breezed through a handful of the essays. However, if you already love Paris, you'll enjoy this book. At times, particularly in the first section, this book might be a useful guidebook for visitors. At its best, I feel like I am walking through Paris with an extra guide, visualizing the city as I remember it and appreciating new aspects. For Paris enthusiasts.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in April of 2011 -- it is the updated and re-released version from 2011 that I had and which I reviewed on my blog here: http://analienparisienne.wordpress.co...

And here is the intro to that post:
PARIS, Paris: Journey into the City of Light is a collection of 31 essays about La Ville Lumière in which historical and personal narratives enlighten readers about Paris’s present. Author David Downie has distilled decades of study and experience and blended it with his unique adventures as a 25-year resident of Paris, resulting in chapters that are not only rich, but accessible reading because of Downie’s down-to-earth personality infusing the text. Downie writes in the chapter entitled “The Janus City,” “… in this old Europe of which Paris is still the cultural capital, to look forward we must first look back” (p. 284). The essays, which are anchored in Downie’s own curiosity about and explorations of the city, are ballasted in historical perspective. Fine photos by his wife and professional photographer, Alison Harris, anchor each chapter with a unique perspective. Like a good whisky, the reading goes down smoothly, and one feels satisfied from first taste to lasting finish.

[switterbug (Betsey)]

I decided to read this, at a leisurely place, while I am reading novels, in preparation for my Europe trip in the spring, which includes the City of Light. I got this, as it was highly reco'd for us discerning readers and travelers who want to read about the places in Paris that are not as well known or understood, places connected to history that many would bypass.

" David Downie is the master of educated curiosity. With him we discover Paris, a seemingly public city that is, in fact, full of secrets—great lives, lives wasted on the bizarre; forgotten artisans; lost graves (lost till now); the ‘papillons nocturnes’; and the ‘poinçonneur des Lilas’. I have walked some of the city’s streets with him, and reading this book is just as tactile an experience.” —Michael Ondaatje

“[A] quirky, personal, independent view of the city, its history and its people. Residents will recognize a place they can vouch for and not the clichés so frequently conjured up to match the legends. Visitors and newcomers are bound to find Paris, Paris reliable company as they discover the city’s beauties and pleasures and its problems too.”—Mavis Gallant

"Downie is a saunterer, wandering down the narrow ancient streets of the Île de la Cité, picnicking in storied graveyards like Père-Lachaise, observing a seduction at Jardin du Luxembourg with a birder's patience…. captures the sort of people and places missed by those jetting from starred bistros to hotels with showers.”—Dan Rubin, The Philadelphia Inquirer

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a couple of months to read this book, not because it wasn't good, but because I wanted to savour each essay. At first I dove in, approaching it like a linear travelogue, but I quickly realized that I wasn't giving enough attention to each topic. So I read a chapter at a time between other books, and really enjoyed each chapter.

I loved how much history and flavour the author offered for his topics. If I get an opportunity to return to Paris, I will carry this book and use his descriptions of places and events to enhance the experience.

[Graziella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepped me to fall hard for Paris. Wonderful off-the-beaten path wanderings, beautifully-described discoveries in an already well-chronicled city. His chapters illuminate fascinating overlooked details of history, personality and architecture.

[John Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed yesterday on my blog, Part-Time Parisian


What a combination. David Downie is part flâneur, part hard-nosed reporter, part scholar — and all writer. Combine that with his eye for the common man and you get “Paris, Paris,” the indispensable guidebook for the curious visitor less interested in the overworked tourist sites than in the small nooks and crannies it’s difficult to find unless someone like him has already blazed the trail.
One of the best pieces of news I’ve heard recently is that his classic “Paris, Paris” will be published as an audiobook. The physical book has been through two versions (2005, much updated and expanded in 2011 as part of Broadway Books prestigious “Armchair Traveler” series). It’s also available in both Kindle and Nookversions, available respectively from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (This review is based on the Kindle version.) There’s a sparkling foreword by Diane Johnson, author of the “Le Divorce” series.
Much of the pleasure of this book comes from its illustrations, handsome black-and-whites expertly made by Alison Harris (Mrs. Downie), a lifelong Parisienne of American parents and a photographer of considerable reknown. The Downies live in the Marais, and one of the most charming essays, “Life’s a Café,” illustrates life there in a nutshell. Madame Renée and her husband José start every day but Sunday at 6 a.m. by dragging “the banged-up tables and chairs out of their cafe and set[ting] them up on the cobbled terrasse under our bedroom window” — and then reverse the process between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. It’s a slice of city life you won’t find in Omaha, and it should pretty much put to rest the idea that all the French work 35 hours a week.
“What would Paris be without its cafés?” Downie asks. “If nothing else, cafés animate the city, that’s to say they keep it awake with noise and mostly legal stimulus. They’ve been around for centuries.” Or, measured another way, the Downies have lived above Madame Renée and Jose for “18,250 chair-and-table draggings.”
And then there’s Downie’s habit of long walks — the flâneurpart of his personna. How about this from the first essay, on the Seine, illustrated with a charming pictures of a couple of fishermen trying their luck in the river from a cobbled quai.
“Not long ago, after a failed research mission to the National Library on Paris’s extreme eastern edge, I glanced down the river from the Pont de Tolbiac and realized that, despite my wanderings, I’d never actually followed the Seine downstream across the city to the quays of the 15th arrondissement. How long a walk could it be?”
So set out he did. And the answer is that it’s a very long walk indeed, especially with uncomfortable shoes, but it passes one interesting site after another and prompts reminiscences of plentiful vignettes from Paris history, not all of them pleasant or honorable but history nonetheless. I’ve seen the barges on the river, but I had no idea they carry twenty-five million tons of freight a year. But, as you learn in a later chapter titled “The Boat People of the Seine,” their way of life is an imperiled one threatened by the march of progress, just like a lot of the memories we of middle age and beyond see disappearing.
He and Mrs. Downie have turned an avocation into a business by offering guided walking tours.

Paris is a walking city. My wife Jan and I spend a couple of months there every year and fall immediately into the locals’ habit of walking everywhere they go, and when that’s too far or time is tight, of taking public transportation — the outstanding métro system our our favorite, the city bus. Tracking one’s transportation options used to involve carrying around a map book, but that problem has been solved by the excellent choice of apps on the market. I discussed some of those in this post.
“Paris, Paris” is divided into three sections, “Paris Places,” “Paris People,” and “Paris Phenomena.” Downie obviously spent time on their titles, otherwise how would he have come up with “Dear Dead Vincent van Gogh”?
Among the places, don’t miss his essay on Luxembourg Gardens. (One other thing he hadn’t done, other than walk the length of the Seine, was spend an entire day in Luxembourg Gardens. I’m going to try to do both this year.)
Among the people, Coco Chanel stands out, but close behind is his warm look at the life of the bouquinistes, the intrepid book salesmen who make their living from the dark-green boxes mounted on the walls overlooking the river. It’s a nice appreciation of a society whose members look after each other, pass their locations down from father to son, and wait for years for the chance to move to a better location. Oh — a bouquiniste is a seller of bouquins, or books, but it’s more complicated than that. Read the chapter and learn that boxes are all painted the prescribed green, “wagon vert,” and the sellers are allowed to devote one of their four boxes to souvenirs and tchotchkes. It’s the only way they can make ends meet. Pity.

[Beverly Geer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to Paris for the first time last October. I did what I hope every person does before traveling to Paris. I read. I read a lot. I read about Victor Hugo, I read books written by Victor Hugo. I read a book from The National Geographic about Paris, and a book by Rick Streve. I read articles and history books.
I was trying to make myself like Paris. Paris was never on my bucket list of things to do. But then my husband bought your book, Paris, paris and I became interested. Two things especially; The Bouquinistes and the bollards. I wanted to see the green boxes and walk the history of Paris by viewing the bollards.
We stayed for 6 days. Long enough for me to fall in love. Long enough for Paris to become a bucket list after the fact.
Every morning I sat outside my café, drinking multiple cups of coffee au lait (heaven) staring at the multi colored bollards. I cried in front of the green boxes. Paris became so much more than the Louve, the Cluny or Notre Dame. It was more than the history and the honor of being able to visit such a truly beautiful city. I (we) walked Paris. Truly walked. Got lost. Got found. Paris became real.
Thank you for writing. I can only hope someday to return.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. If you think you love Paris now you’ll love it even more after reading this compilation of essays about the City of Light. Author offers delightfully educational tales of the world capital through its quartiers and notable denizens over the centuries.

Often I listen to audio books at an accelerated pace, wanting to wrap things up once the basics of the storyline have been established. But with this one I kept playback on the standard speed because the narrative was so deliciously enjoyable and I wanted to savour every sentence. That’s about the highest praise I can offer a book. Reminded me of long ago days/nights when I lived in Paris and had the opportunity to enjoy and reflect on every slow moving moment. Ou sont les neiges d’antan, as they say…

[Craig Roorda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. My wife and I traveled to Paris a year ago before we had read this book and wish we had read it prior to our travel. It gives you so much insight into the history of Paris and the uniqueness of the city itself. It goes into the less traveled areas giving you insight and stirring up a desire to walk the city to discover the "undiscovered" areas most Americans miss. My favorite chapter "A Lively City of the Dead" goes into detail about the many famous people buried there and their unusual stories. Whether you've been before or are about to go, I highly recommend the read.

[Carol]

I have read this book before, just prior to our May trip to Paris and enjoyed it immensely. The details, especially about aspects of Paris, like the boat people, I knew nothing about, are amazing and David Downie layers the information, in splendid prose. Today I took the book to sit and read to a friend who is dying. Read aloud it is even more wonderful. We both felt so pleased and satisfied. If you love good reading and Paris you can't go wrong here.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

To a Francophile, this is a "must read". If you love Paris, you'll love this book. The author delves in detail into a variety of Paris locales, making one want to go check out these places. I'm looking forward to bringing this book with me on a future trip to Paris. The jeu de mots with the title is truly apt.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way Downie writes. Will look for his other books. To enjoy this book, you need to be interested in Paris. Downie took me off the beaten path with his experiences in the many neighborhoods of the city. It is a history book and travel journal all in one.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely stunning read about Paris, appropriate for both dreamers and expats. Read an interview with the author, David Downie, on my site: http://www.lostincheeseland.com/2011/...

[David Downie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the author and cannot review this book. For reviews please visit Amazon.com, RandomHouse.com or my website http://www.davidddownie.com
Thank you!

[Story · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was okay but I got tired of the author's negativity.

[Missy Miedema · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of essays did, admittedly, take quite a long time to finish. I LOVED some of the essays--they made me feel like I was sitting in Paris at that very moment--and I liked a lot of them, especially the historical essays about particular people or places. Some, however, were very repetitive (cemeteries, for example) or just, well, very slow. Overall, I read this book through the lens of someone preparing for a first trip to Paris, and it made me even more excited and knowledgeable about visiting the City of Light!

[Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you really love Paris you'll enjoy this book. I really love Paris in a "been there a few times" kind of way. The author loves Paris in a "lived there for over two decades" kind of way. With that comes a certain degree of cynicism that a casual Paris fan might find off-putting. But it also comes with a depth of knowledge a casual travel writer might not posses.

He also writes with a wry sense of humor and addresses some less obvious aspects about Paris. The book covers everything from cafe' life to Paris' disturbing dog obsession. As a whole the book was very interesting and included some less covered aspects of Paris.

However, as someone that holds Paris in a unrealistically positive light I prefer to think of Paris as unblemished. Whereas the author knows it in a deeper, more realistic manner that bleeds through the pages.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of essays by David Downie about Paris, the city and it's hidden treasures and not so hidden ones. The essay on Le Père Lachaise cemetery is exquisite. The book is a wonderful unusual guide to the city. If you've visited the city or are planning to visit it's a very nice way to plan your visit or to remember.

[Deigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some interesting chapters in this book but I think unless you have a really good knowledge of the geography and layout of Paris so much of the descriptions of where things are and where he walked is meaningless and it just sort of feels like this guy is showing off. If you can read around all of that location information there is some interesting stories about the people of Paris.

[MaureenMcBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An artful and intimate personal tour of Paris by an American who has lived there for 25 years, this book combines history, interviews and observations to help visitors better understand what they're seeing in the City of Light.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book. Enjoyed the writing style & sense of humor/observation. Very interesting prospect to write about the different neighborhoods of from a walker's point of view. After reading this little book, I became homesick for Paris even though we had just been there.

[FiveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read. David Downie talks about Paris, Paris in the interview with FiveBooks and recommends his favourite five books on the subject: David Downie on Paris

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. I just discovered David Downie and I love his writing. I am lucky enough to have become FB friends with him and am meeting him in May. This book should be read on a tablet so that you can Google all of the places that he talks about. Now, I REALLY want to go back to Paris!

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful series of tours helped prepare me for my first visit to Paris. Between David Downie's history lessons and his present day observations, I felt like I was in familiar territory and even impressed my daughter with some interesting tidbits. Definitely an enjoyable and informative read.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my review of this book at my blog, Cindy's Book Club:

My Review of Paris, Paris