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What Members Thought
I know McCullough's a popular historian, but he managed some heft in his other books which is lacking here. Too broad of scope, no unifying theme other than geography, indifferently written with banal observations on character and situations in the attempt to tie it together, errors of fact and diction. By the end (as he got tired/bored?) it was a laundry list of Americans who happened to be in Paris.
This will give you the flavor: You can't translate, "C'est bien, ça," as "It is well, that." Yo ...more
This will give you the flavor: You can't translate, "C'est bien, ça," as "It is well, that." Yo ...more
This book had many interesting parts to it - McCullough describes the artistic and literary Americans who were the first to live and create their art in mid 1800s in Paris. The stories of James Fenimore Cooper, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, the sculptor Saint-Gaudens, Sumner and Samuel Morse. You would think that was enough for a book. But there was an entire middle section devoted to the Franco Prussion war which was a bore. Still, the way he describes Paris is magical. Americans loved eve
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A huge fan of David McCullough and of Paris, I was very excited to read this book. Tons of amazing stories about the history of Paris and how notable American's fit into that picture. The story, history and details were much more extensive than I was expecting focusing on the schools of medicine and art through peace and wartime in Paris.
I appreciated most that the reasons I love Paris are the same reasons American's 150 years ago loved Paris, too.
Great for history, American history, European hi ...more
I appreciated most that the reasons I love Paris are the same reasons American's 150 years ago loved Paris, too.
Great for history, American history, European hi ...more
Jun 18, 2011
Kat (A Journey In Reading)
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superawesomekt
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