The Secret Life Of The Seine

by Mort Rosenblum

The Secret of the Seine is a rich and quirky travelogue that guides its reader through the history and the heart of France. Mort Rosenblum, world-weary foreign correspondent, takes us aboard his 54-foot launch made of Burmese teak and brass, tied up alongside the barges in the center of Paris. He introduces us to the characters who share his life along the river, ranging from eccentric movie stars and reclusive novelists to the barge families still trying to earn a living moving freight through the canals of Europe. He then hauls in the bow line for an unforgettable tour of the river itself from its source to its mouth. Along the way his focus shifts from the art of navigation to the art of wooden boats to the art of Monet. But above all, The Secret Life of the Seine is about pleasure, a love story between man and boat and the river they live on, a discourse on the sensual beauty of France and the art of living well.

Genres: France, Travel, Nonfiction, Paris, Memoir, History, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1994

Reviews

[zed]

Author Mort Rosenblum, journalist for various media outlets, had to move from his idyllic lodgings in Paris near the River Seine. Along with his partner Jeannette they purchased a houseboat and in the early 1990’s made it their home.

Rosenblum has written a slow and meandering travelogue that is a combination of a few historical and geological anecdotes along with the life he sees along the Seine. This might be a love affair but he does not paint the Seine as some blissful paradise, in fact the life of the disappearing Bargees and their bitterness to change and outsiders looms very large in the telling. There is coverage of floods and the ever infamous Parisian sewerage system that in the times of heavy rains wreaks havoc with the wellbeing of the Seine. Le Havre at the mouth he describes as the “….ugliest city in France, possibly the world.”

One rather clever Frenchman stated that the secrets were no longer going to be secret after this book was published and at the time of reading that statement I thought he had a point. But not much really enthralled this reader to want to dive into this so called hidden world such was the dawdling pace of the prose. Good for a holiday read maybe but I was hardly inspired to get of my behind and head off to go see these so called secrets, and this from someone who has made visit to France a couple of times and has vowed to return such was its impact.

Be that as it may this read had its charms and a fair bit of wit at times so recommended to anyone that may have an interest in the famous river.

[Michael]

Great writing for a great river. Rosenblum knocked out a homer of a travel book here with plenty of nicely done boat talk, too. He lived on the river for a while, something that appealed to me when living in Europe, but it was too far out of reach.

Rosenblum seems to have gotten out of reach lately. He is a consistently good, often great writer. I hope he's working on something.

[Betsy]

This book made me want to rent a barge and cruise the European river and canal network. It's a wonderful insight into a lifestyle rare in the US.

[Eric_W]

The Seine is a river that enchants virtually everyone who sees it. Its banks are replete with history and beautiful scenery, and, while it's no Mississippi, it has shoals and sand bars enough for river men to constantly mark the twain.

Rosenblum decided to write a book about the Seine's secret life that he discovered almost by chance. He and his girlfriend lost the lease on their apartment so they purchased a fifty-four foot ex-yacht from some friends who coincidentally had to return to England. La Vieille - appropriately named because it has multiple meanings in French: the old bitch, the old lady, one's wife - had been their home for many years.

Soon Rosenblum learned why they had enjoyed it so much. The busy traffic the port of Paris handled the equivalent of a million truckloads of material - means that sleeping is often like being subjected to a multitude of minor earthquakes. It's not a good place if you habitually drop your keys. A next door neighbor dropped hers overboard and the services of an entire department frogmen were needed to retrieve them.

The Seine had a downside. Often the river's contents could make an environmentalist gag, and scientists have discovered fifty-seven different kinds of pollutants. Historical traditions occasionally reflected excess. In 1958, watching from a bridge, one could see log-like objects floating past Closer inspection revealed the bodies of Algerians killed as reprisal for Frenchmen murdered in Algiers. Tradition required the bodies be dumped in the river. Where they eventually landed is perhaps better not asked. Today, a huge net traps everything that comes down the river, and anything resembling human remains is investigated and reported.

[Kathy]

Like any good travel writer (at least the ones I want to read), Rosenblum goes beyond prosaic description and gets into the heart of his country. Country in this case is the river Seine and the lands through which it meanders, and the "heart" is Rosenblum's houseboat/barge and its fellows trying to stay in the river life they love. The journey is not always pleasant but seems to be truthful and ever interesting.

[Daniel Freedman]

I enjoyed this book very much. Some of us can't afford a peniche or have the where-withall to sail one down the vert banks of the Seine. Mort's views of the river and those who live on it are wonderful. I guess this is about the ultimate Vie de Clochard. Of course it's not all wine and brie. Lots of twists and turns from Ville to ville and lock to lock. Have to see the gardens of Givernay and champagne country. Ooh la la!

[Crystal]

This is the personal story of a guy who lives on a "peniche" (a barge) on the Seine River. His modern references are a little dated as the book was written in 1994, but he artfully captures the spirit of the river. His historical commentary was a little dry in some parts, but I truly enjoyed the accounts of his personal adventures; the second half of the book was better than the first half.

[Ken]

As I step into this book, I'm taking some advice from ChatGPT, when I asked it the question "What is the best way to read it?"

The answer was to Set the Mood

Find a quiet, comfortable place to read.
Play soft French or classical music for ambiance.
Pace Yourself

Read slowly and savor the text.
Break the book into sections, like a chapter or two at a time.
Engage with the Text

Highlight and take notes on interesting passages.
Look up references to historical events, artists, or locations.
Visualize the Journey

Use a map of the Seine River to follow Rosenblum’s journey.
Explore images of the locations mentioned.
Connect with Themes

Reflect on your own experiences related to the book’s themes.
Discuss the book with friends or a book club for shared insights.
Immerse Yourself in the Culture

Enjoy French cuisine like wine, cheese, and baguettes while reading.
Learn basic French phrases or cultural tidbits from the book.
Journal Your Thoughts

Keep a reading journal to document your reflections and insights.

So with that in mind, I'll start on this journey. The book was written in 1994 and things have probably changed some since then, especially after they began cleaning up the river for the 2024 Olympics.

[Cheryl Vickroy]

I bought this book to complement a trip on the Seine from Paris to Normandy and it accompanied me on the journey. As I was busy doing and seeing things while travelling and this book meanders quietly like the river itself, it took me a month after my return to complete it. My slow pace was influenced by my lack of 'barge expertise' :-)

I was most interested in learning more about the Seine itself and the nearby cities we visited. The many musings of the author on how he came into his peniche (barge), the craft itself and how he and his wife accommodated their lives to living on the river and all that entails were mildly interesting but very slow paced. I ended up skimming much of that and almost didn't finish this book!

But I was so far along, finally after much digression arriving at the sections on the land west/north of Paris out to Normandy where my interests lay.

I'll say it contributed to my already established body of knowledge of France and the French, and there are some gems of text I will use in my travelogue about our journey on Polar Steps that I'll share w/ family.

[Julia Bucci]

“Ten years later, I saw the city for the first time again. I was at the wheel of my old wooden house, steering among the thirty-five sets of stone or steel arches that span the Seine from one end of Paris to the other. By then I had seen most of it from car windows. Walking, I had savored and smelled it. This time, from the inside out, the way its settlers had lived it since those Stone Age boatmen at Bercy, I could feel it.”

[Sharon McNeil]

Good information, but presented in a stream of consciousness manner. The authors up and down the length of the Seine, and criss-crosses Paris and the smaller towns along the river. One must refer to the hand-drawn maps frequently to get your bearings.

But, again, very interesting information!

[Marian]

Because I've always loved France, I loved this book. Even if I hadn't always loved France, I'd have loved this book. Easy to read, witty, and full of interesting people, history, descriptions and lore.

[Kaye]

Read at my father's suggestion and enjoyed.

[Jessica]

A book about a river should definitely flow better than this.

[Victoria]

I lived on the same bank as Mort Rosenblum, Port des Champs Elysees from 2014 to 2017, and it was wonderful to read about the people that had populated these banks long before I was ever there.

[Emma I]

A free mini library find that seemed fun but I couldn’t get into it.

[Barbara]

This was a reference book for a river cruise on the Seine

[Derek Whipp]

Super cheesy, bad jokes, sophomoric perspective but good escapism

[David Hyder]

The author is describing a lifestyle, and an economy, that is for the most part impossible from the American point of view. For historical reasons: excepting the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio rivers and the Erie Canal rivers haven't meant much for transport in the US.

[Max Marbles]

This guy was a semi-retired war corespondent who was given the cushy job of being the bureau chief in Paris. By circumstance one of his men is given a position somewhere else and Mort having recently forced to give up his apartment takes over for the guy. Cept... the apartment happens to be a canal boat. Mort's adventures and acceptance of being "on the water" results in a book about the Seine and like the incredible "Beautiful Swimmers" by Warren, Mort lays it all out there and it goes down like a feast.

[Jennifer]

I began this book during my April school vacation. Many of my friends were traveling and this book satisfied my Wanderlust. The book is written by Mort Rosenblum, an American author and journalist. He tells about his life living on a houseboat on the Seine River in France. I enjoyed reading all of the stories about the people he met on his journeys, the different regions of France and even the logistical things about living on a boat that I had never really thought about. This book was really outside of most aspects of my everyday life and I learned a few things too.

[R Fontaine]

The Seine is so much more than the worldly river
of epic history. It is in many ways the stitches that hold France in such historic and romantic memory.
The Seine's magnetism seems to draw characters up and down its winding rural and city banks. The 'Secret Life' also draws the dreamers who imagine living on the river and in this case the author, who left one life to dive into another with the purchase of a 54 foot barge anchored in the center of Paris.

[Meme]

More about France and this time all about the history, towns and (of course) Paris, from the source near Dijon to Le Havre on the Atlantic as well as Rosenblum's adventures in HIS barge. He was formerly the editor of the International Herald-Tribune in Paris. It makes me want to do the same thing by land and by water.

[Page Wench]

Delightful read that literally takes you on a cruise from the source of the Seine to where it flows into the English Channel. Rosenblum does let you stretch your legs on land once in a while, too. The people, natural beauty, politics, practicalities, history, ebb and flow are all covered here in varying degrees of detail.

[Bimbo]

A very charming grand reportage styled as an impressionist painting. It helps a lot if you already have some affection for Paris, French (or some other) countryside, river life, history, etc. So much better, if you ever dreamt of spending some time on a river boat. I ticked all these boxes. Rosenblum is a good writer and (can't hide my envy) a bloody lucky bugger. :-)

[Mary]

I really enjoyed the first 3rd of this book about the upper reaches of the Seine, but past that it became somewhat repetitive, even repeating short statements of fact. It was not organized well, and seemed to jump around. I think it needed more editing. I got a little tired of the flippant voice. which I think was supposed to be humorous.

[Linda]

When one thinks of the Seine, one automatically thinks of Paris - the poems and songs are numerous. Rosenblum takes the reader beyond Paris and into the countryside of the Seine - a rich and interesting read.

[Helen]

Guide to life along the river. We get to know the floating village between Pont de l'Alma and the Pont de la Concorde first and then setting out from Paris the outlying provinces to the rivers source.

[Debbie Ellis]

Unable to finish this book. It is written well with much description and clarity but it does not seem to flow in one pattern; he skips around from the history of the Seine to people he encounters on their boats. Also, his history writing is too in-depth for me and I like history.

[Barbara]

A whimsical mind trip down the Seine, from Paris to Honfleur. I learned a lot: do you know what a peniche is? Light reading, good for falling asleep at night. I imagine it would be a big hit with boat people.