Some observations while in Paris...
358911
This book is good, no doubt. However, here's what I observed on my 6 day trip to Paris, France in 2002...

1. their food supply is much cleaner in France, than here in the USA. I looked at the ingredients of many foods while I was there... there are much LESS (or no) additives, preservatives, artificial stuff, and probably not as many GMO's to begin with either! I doubt they have as much hormone-laden meats, along with antibiotics, pesticides, etc. Let's face it, all these toxins will overburden your metabolism and make it harder to loose weight over time.

2. I observed many women in France smoking like crazy, as in light up one cigarette after another in a short period of time... Especially while sitting outside with a coffee at a cafe/restaurant. We all know that nicotine can help curb hunger for the most part, so it's a no-brainer that smoking could keep your weight down over the long haul. And when smoking it's combined with coffee addiction, it will work even better to suppress hunger!

I still think it's a thought provoking book, and will update this review once I finish reading it. So far so good!
304097
I read this to understand Paris before going next year. The author explains the development of the city with some of the political intrigue involved.
2801361
I used these cards on a visit to Paris a few weeks ago, and I have to say that I found them much more beneficial than the several guide books that I also had. Each day I would just pick the area I wanted to explore, take out the cards from this pack from that area, and use them as a general starting point to explore the area.

There is a really interesting selection. All of the main "touristy" areas are covered, but what I found much more interesting were the slighlty more off the beaten track walks. They help you discover some of the "other" sides to Paris.

Each card has a map on one side, and a written guide on the other which includes notable sights, shops, cafes etc as well as the suggested start point Metro station.

The only thing that might have been added was a Metro map.

I was very pleased with this product and I will use the City Walks for other cities that plan to visit in the future.
599839
I no longer travel to France, so I keep up with the European/French news by reading Le Monde.

I keep up with my French, this way, too; and love reading about the cities I traveled to so many times;
Paris, Chamonix, Nice, and of course Italy and Switzerland, all of which are in the news occasionally.

It is like visiting my favorite places in Europe, again.

Viva la France!
4901680
I really enjoyed this book so much. It brought back many memories of visits to Paris, a city I love. What he says about Parisians is absolutely true. They really can be exceedingly rude although, they can be helpful too but only, in my experience, if you speak French to them. Actually, when I speak French, most of them spend 10 minutes correcting my grammar and accent before giving me the information I need! Next time I go to Paris, I'm going to the places David Lebovitz recommends. Although some of the book contains useful information and a selection of lovely recipes, it's the humorous way that the author writes about his life and experiences in Paris that makes this book so good. It even had me laughing out loud.
2955649
I, too, love Paris and have spent years there as a student. I was delighted to find anecdotes about all my favorite pastry shops - and some others - and very excited to try the recipes. However, I agree with several other reviewers that not all of the recipes in Greenspan's book  are not quite up to par. This comes partly from the fact that there are some desserts that Americans do better - the tea cake, being an excellent example. Greenspan's recipe came out dense and dry and absolutely could not compare to my usual cake. That said, there are several great recipes: the chocolate mousse technique Greenspan offers is very unique, delicious and quick, the madeleines tasty, the tarte tatin good. But I would hesitate to make any of these for a dinner party before trying them myself, seeing the collection is so mixed and many recipes simply not what you'd expect.
3673700
Some very interesting insights into culture and outlooks of some Eastern European areas not as well trod.

A quick read, and some interesting travels
1266501
This is a clever little book. The author takes a trivial incident from a day in Paris and tells it in a few dozen different ways, usually in less than 1 page.

I got a kick out of it and I was very impressed with how different he could make the same event sound using different stylistic approaches. It's a trip. To be fair though, towards the end of the book I got a little tired and I thought the author was forcing it, coming up with some unreadable takes.
2153796
When I saw the word "Paris" in the title I instantly assumed that Paris was the central topic of the book.  But although it contains a wealth of information about that city in the 1830-1900 timeframe, the book is mostly a description of American artists and physicians who visited and trained there, and this is especially true in the last third of the book.  Given David McCullough's writing ability, you will find this book worthwhile whether you seek to know more about American artists, art criticism, or nineteenth century French history.

Having previously read several books that provided brief "overview" histories of France, I wanted to drill down to a single century and obtain a more detailed account of what it must have been like to live in Paris during that timeframe.  And even though that does not seem to have been the primary intent for this book, I can still happily say that it more than met my quest -- it allowed me to see and almost personally relive the experience of actually living in Paris, witnessing the city as it changed, the history of the day, and the importance of Americans to France, and of France to America.  Happily, the citizens of those two countries have not always criticized each other as they do today.

The only criticism I can make is minor -- the author very frequently includes background biographical information which he apparently considers necessary, but really amounts to nothing more than trivia.  As an example, why would anyone really care that a particular artist's mother was the daughter of a Pittsburgh banker of Scotch-Irish descent, or that the father was the first mayor of Allegheny City, Pa.?!  The omission of all such froth might have eliminated at least 50 pages of this 460-page work.  Nevertheless -- 5 stars!
3530312
Paris is such a gorgeous city and a guide who can give a bit more insight into this amazing place. Of course, if you've been many times, this is not a guide for you. However, this is a great guide for someone who's never been or who's exploring a bit more of the city than perhaps he/she did the last time they came. As with most Lonely Planet guides, this one is a little quirky, with some back-alley places that you might not find in a more mainstream guide. Set up so it's easy to read, with plenty of introspective reviews and tidbits, Lonely Planet's Paris is a must-read for new visitors.
1673487
I needed this book for studying abroad program on the african american experience in Paris. Each chapter describes several writers, musicians, artists of African American descent and their experience in Paris. This book differs from another book From Harlem to Paris, since each chapter is organized according to an overall theme or general trend of a time. Chapters are as follows, freedom overseas: african american soldiers fight the great war, bringing the jazz age to paris, depression and war: pars in the 1930's, life on the left bank, the golden age of african american literature in paris, new perspectives on race, and african americans in paris today. We find out about the different literary writers like James Baldwin, Chester Himes, and Richard Wright for example. And artists like Josephine Baker and Bricktop, We find that certain parts of Paris like Montmarte and the Latin Quarter serve as places for african americans to gather either in clubs, restaurants and live. We understand the fact that during world war one and two the african americans sought exile in Paris as an escape from American racism, however this trend changes after post war. This is a great foundation reading for anyone who wants to explore Paris in the footsteps of African Americans before them. This book is also easier to read than Michel Fabre's From Harlem to Paris.
2853429
Returning to Paris next month, and planning to stay in St Germaine area, and wanted to learn more about it, and what to see there. Fun read, and very interesting. Will be great having this on my Kindle to refer to as we walk the streets of Paris.
1174621
excellent story but could have had more details....I too read the article about the apartment in Paris and the pictures made me wonder about the story behind the forgotten apartment...guess I m still wondering .
373355
I had just finished a number of fast-paced reads and found it hard to get into the slower pace of this book.  I'm glad I did and enjoyed the author's various stories about Paris and France.  I learned a lot about French culture in a personal voice.  At first, I had a difficult time getting a clear picture of Frederic and what the circumstance of their meeting was and what inspired her strong feelings etc.  (Feeling strong enough to relocate to France.)  It wasn't until the move into central Paris that I saw Frederic as a living breathing person.  I give the book 3 stars because I feel something missing--that feeling one gets when many "ah-ha" moments are acheived in a book.  I did not experience that kind of satisfaction upon finishing it.
907110
It was an engaging store, but a little jumbled in some places.lots of things happening, but I really wanted more depth of characters and most the feel that I was in Paris.
4939550
This is a case of how one is captured by a book; for me, it was the title and the cover more so than the actual content. Allow me to explain. First, the title....who WOULDN'T want to experience that and when you find out it's set in Paris, it's almost a guarantee. They are known as the city of lights for a reason and their beautiful architecture speaks for itself. Second, let's look at that cover. Every time I look at it I get lost in the waterways of the top image or imagine myself strolling down the lamp lit street below. The subtle use of color in both give them a warm glow, inviting the reader to take that first step on the pathway to greater things.

Beyond the beautiful cover and promise of a remarkable time though, the story within isn't entirely disappointing...it's just not quite what my imagination thought it might be. You see I was prepared for a sweeping narrative with bookishness to spare and while there were literary references along with the discovery that others (as in visitors to the city) could appreciate them as well, there was a lot more real life that seeped in between the lines.

In all my reading excitement, I think it slipped my mind that this was in fact a MEMOIR, a travel one nonetheless. I'm not opposed to the genre, as I've read and shared my experience with them before, but unfortunately this one didn't quite meet my expectations. Will it meet yours? Hard to say...but if you do decide that French is the language of reading love for you, grab your beret, a glass of wine and settle down for a journey through life from a residents point of view.

(Full review can be seen on my blog site as listed in my profile. Book was received in exchange for an honest review.)
3688717
Great idea, and adorable, but magnets are a bit weak & writing is a quite tiny.  Still, fun & somewhat helpful for getting an overview of Paris.