So far, this might be one of my favorite works by McCullough. I can see constructing a graduate level course around it, involving the history and works discussed in the book. I feel that McCullough is at his best when he is looking at individual people (as evidenced by the success of Truman, John Adams, and Mornings on Horseback). I'm about 1/4 of the way through, so we'll see if my opinion changes. I doubt it.

Update (7/11/11): Done! I loved this book. Paris is such a magical location, so it was nice to really escape into a non-fiction read. I also saw "Midnight in Paris" recently, which is about many of the American ex-patriots in the next time period.