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"Love is nothing but the fruit of a long moment": A Paris Memoir
Paris at the turn of the century: odd jobs, odd times, odd women.
"You get all kinds coming to Paris: the rich, the poor, the curious, the exiled, the hopeless, those who don't really feel at home anywhere else, be it from failure, disappointment, crime or culture, and those who come, stay awhile, reap the city's most obvious benefits, and leave. These last are the unfortunate ones. Those who stay longer, for whatever reason, heartbreak, poverty, love, indolence or apathy, would eventually, I hope, live to see the beauty of the city as it is, and not as it is preconceived. You can buy a good French meal in any major metropolis nowadays, and, from what I've seen, one luxury hotel is much like the next. What makes Paris Paris is the canal, the Seine, its parks (like individually cut diamonds), the late-night brasseries, the all-night bars, the early-morning Arab cafes where men gather for a smoke and a drink, then another smoke and maybe another drink before heading off to work; the churches that seem to bloom everywhere, in back alleys, over railways, behind apartment complexes, like something ineluctable and irrepressible in the soil itself and that once helped form and flavor a particularly French feeling towards the world. It's found as much there as in a Poussin, David or Manet, or a piece by Saint-Saens, Debussy, or Messiaen, or a song by Piaf, Gainsbourg or Brel. It's the soul of Paris and no guidebook I know of has ever brought me anywhere closer to understanding it."
"William Prendiville's Paris will have readers who don't know the city wanting to live there, and will have those who know it longing to return. These are memoirs which catch the rhythm of people who live hand-to-mouth, day-to-day, until they come to think of Paris as the place they can never leave." Allan Massie
"You get all kinds coming to Paris: the rich, the poor, the curious, the exiled, the hopeless, those who don't really feel at home anywhere else, be it from failure, disappointment, crime or culture, and those who come, stay awhile, reap the city's most obvious benefits, and leave. These last are the unfortunate ones. Those who stay longer, for whatever reason, heartbreak, poverty, love, indolence or apathy, would eventually, I hope, live to see the beauty of the city as it is, and not as it is preconceived. You can buy a good French meal in any major metropolis nowadays, and, from what I've seen, one luxury hotel is much like the next. What makes Paris Paris is the canal, the Seine, its parks (like individually cut diamonds), the late-night brasseries, the all-night bars, the early-morning Arab cafes where men gather for a smoke and a drink, then another smoke and maybe another drink before heading off to work; the churches that seem to bloom everywhere, in back alleys, over railways, behind apartment complexes, like something ineluctable and irrepressible in the soil itself and that once helped form and flavor a particularly French feeling towards the world. It's found as much there as in a Poussin, David or Manet, or a piece by Saint-Saens, Debussy, or Messiaen, or a song by Piaf, Gainsbourg or Brel. It's the soul of Paris and no guidebook I know of has ever brought me anywhere closer to understanding it."
"William Prendiville's Paris will have readers who don't know the city wanting to live there, and will have those who know it longing to return. These are memoirs which catch the rhythm of people who live hand-to-mouth, day-to-day, until they come to think of Paris as the place they can never leave." Allan Massie
206 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 27, 2020
There are lots of memoirs about life in Paris, but few capture the city in the solitary, reflective manner that William Prendiville does in "Love is nothing". The descriptions of the various characters were so true that I could picture (and name) most of them. (Caveat emptor: I have known the author for almost my entire 19 years in Paris so I mean it literally when I say I can name the characters). A fun and engaging read - a great introduction to William Prendiville's unique style.
Bill Prendiville has been a Parisian ex-pat for nearly as long as I have and he recounts in his jovial and ironic manner some stories in which I know several of the protagonists. The writing is paced and descriptive and pleasant to read. Definitely an interesting perspective on life for ex-pats in Paris that would appeal to both those dreaming of going to Paris and those dreaming to leave it! Enjoy!
Bill Prendiville has been a Parisian ex-pat for nearly as long as I have and he recounts in his jovial and ironic manner some stories in which I know several of the protagonists. The writing is paced and descriptive and pleasant to read. Definitely an interesting perspective on life for ex-pats in Paris that would appeal to both those dreaming of going to Paris and those dreaming to leave it! Enjoy!
December 3, 2014
I really enjoyed this collection of stories about an expat's life in Paris. The tone of the narrator is key to the success of this book: his eye for humour and his honest, unassuming voice that remains respectful and civilized no matter the circumstance (a tip off to his Canadian roots, I suppose!). His love for Paris comes through loud and clear and embraces not only the Paris of lights in her haute couture, but, also the Paris at home in her cramped flat sans make-up. This is no maudlin love story, but, the real deal. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews