In a recent thread today (Your Paris Secrets), we started talking about a wonderful book by Tracy Chevalier called The Lady and the Unicorn which is a charming fictional account of how this series of tapestries - which hand in the Musée Cluny - came to be.
It got me thinking.... what other books might one suggest reading to either get in the mood for a Paris trip or help to relieve some Paris-sickness (that bitter-sweet illness that affects most of us who%26#39;ve been and can%26#39;t wait to go back!)
Let%26#39;s limit suggestions to entertaining fiction as there are tons of non-fictional historical tomes out there regarding Paris.
Anyone?
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there have been a couple of great threads on this. I did a search and couldn%26#39;t find them so I%26#39;m hoping beyond hope they haven%26#39;t been deleted for being too old. Perhaps a more savvy searcher (IrishRvr are you listening? up for a challenge?) could help. :(
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BJL ... I won%26#39;t comment on the other thread as you say it was off the thread topic.
My friend gave me both %26quot;A Year in the Merde%26quot; and %26quot;Merde Actually%26quot; to read and also she gave me %26quot;%26quot; Into A Paris Quarter by Diane Johnson. I have read the later and really enjoyed it the other two I have to read yet.... Christmas and the horrible storms has taken a lot of my time ... so I have not been able to find time to read them yet.
I did print up the old post for lists of books. I will search for it .... I think there were two threads....one on historical figures and one a book list of good reads.
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thanks Discover... I thought I had them bookmarked but can%26#39;t find them now and am just ill about it.
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Here one :
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k75961…
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Hi Discover and JustGrace,
Well, we%26#39;ll just have to get a new one going! There are surely new members who might have something new to contribute. And, not having seen the older MIA posts, I can%26#39;t comment as to content, but again, would be nice if we could limit this thread to entertaining fiction - just to be more focused.
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BJ - no problem starting a new one but the old one was for you to see... lots of fiction recommendations that sounded interesting. One was a series of mysteries taking place in each arrondisement.... I%26#39;ll have to check amazon to see if they%26#39;re on my wish list though I haven%26#39;t read them myself.
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Hi JustGrace - our posts passed in cyberspace... :-) Thanks for the link to the old posts.
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Here is another thread but this one still isn%26#39;t as complete as the one from last year. ( or maybe I am thinking of a %26quot;frommer thread of book lists!)
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k53940…
Anyway it is good to start a new one .... new posters can add more books !
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Found it! some is non-fiction but I wanted to post all the fiction for BJ.
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k44383…
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Ah, one of my favorite topics! I am so in love with Paris that I read everything I can find that will give me a taste of the Paris which I miss. I%26#39;ll be back there in the spring so in the interim I fill up on books about Paris. I%26#39;ve read the ones mentioned--%26quot;A Year in the Merde%26quot; is one of my favorites--and I%26#39;ve recently read this author%26#39;s (Stephen Clarke) new book , %26quot;In the Merde for Love.%26quot; These books are not fiction but not history either. They%26#39;re books by people who went to live in Paris, fell in love with it, and had some funny experiences as they adapted to a new culture. Some others I loved are %26quot;Almost French,%26quot; %26quot;Paris to the Moon,%26quot; %26quot;French or Foe,%26quot; %26quot;We%26#39;ll Always Have Paris,%26quot; and %26quot;Into a Paris Quarter.%26quot; The former are light hearted, funny books but everything in them is realistic. They are also an education in French culture and daily life. It%26#39;s great reading. Some older books are worth reading too. Books by Julian Barnes and Edmund White are wonderful. One of my favorites is %26quot;The Flaneur,%26quot; by White. It gives you a real feel for Paris neighborhoods. I%26#39;ve also bought books on walking tours of Paris which have given me new information on things to see, but also give me the feel of being back in Paris. If you%26#39;re interested in literary Paris, e.g. %26quot;the lost generation%26quot; (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, etc.) be sure to read about the book store right near Notre Dame Cathedral called Shakespeare and Co. It%26#39;s not the original shop, however, but still interesting. The owner knew the original owner, Sylvia Beach. To learn more about this period, read %26quot;Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation.%26quot; it was published in 1983, so you%26#39;d have to get it at a library or online or order it from a bookstore.
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