Comments on: Book Review: There’s No Place Like Paris! by Helene MacLean

By: My Inner French Girl

My Inner French Girl — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:50:00 +0000

Bonjour, LBR! I actually did not have the good fortune to pick up a copy of this with the cover. The photo I posted is one I swiped off an eBay listing. But I believe that actually was Susanne Suba's illustration on the cover as well. It really would make an excellent vintage Christmas present for someone!

Salut,
Marjorie

By: My Inner French Girl

My Inner French Girl — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Run around Paris, merci for stopping by! I just checked out your blog and totally love it! I'm a sucker for blogs with lots of great photos.

Salut,
Marjorie

By: My Inner French Girl

My Inner French Girl — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:44:00 +0000

Colleen, you sold me on the title alone.

I apologize for not responding to all of these comments sooner! As I think others have noticed, Google has not been very timely when it comes to notifying bloggers of comments to their posts!

Salut,
Marjorie

By: La Belette Rouge

La Belette Rouge — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:38:00 +0000

Bonjour, Marjorie!
What a great find. I love the cover alone and even if the content wasn't great I would want it just based on aeshetic reasons.

And yet, as you so beautifully report, there is so much more to the book than a pretty face. Thanks for finding this little treasure. It always so great to find a new/old book on France!

The illustrations sound charming. You sold me!
Merci,
LBR

By: Randal Graves

Randal Graves — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:24:00 +0000

Colleen, if it’s spiritually akin to Bunny Suisides, then it’s certainly worth checking out!

By: Run Around Paris

Run Around Paris — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:57:00 +0000

What a cool book…that would make a great vintage Christmas present!

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:04:00 +0000

Randal,

Speaking of "romanticiz(ing)ourselves, overlook(ing) our flaws, our unfounded biases, etc etc"....

Here was a woman, though from the victorian era, who put together an entertaining read. The Clumsiest People in Europe: Or, Mrs. Mortimer's Bad-Tempered Guide to the Victorian World Opinionated as this woman was she doesn't put a rose-coloured lense in front of the reader.

This book sits next to my Bunny Suisides book collection.

Good times.

By: My Inner French Girl

My Inner French Girl — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:56:00 +0000

Randal,

Ah, would that that were true. I think I can speak for many women when I say that the mirror I hold up to myself is all too frequently distorted to reflect a person too flawed, IMHO. But I understand. I found that when I was overseas, I saw American culture through a different and very illuminating lens.

Of course, I also found myself being much more pro-American than I ever am here on home soil. Funny how much more patriotic we are when abroad. Heck, I even found myself defending Bush a time or two.

Salut,
Marjorie

By: Randal Graves

Randal Graves — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:59:00 +0000

I second Collen’s recommendation of that book, and though certainly academic, Horne is one of the historians gifted with the ability to tell a tale, not simply rattle off an assembly line of facts.

That’s an excellent quotation. We sometimes need that third party examination in order to get a better view of ourselves. Which ties into your last line. We romanticize the past, a place, and I know us Francophiles have certainly done that about Paris and France itself from time to time. And we also romanticize ourselves, overlook our flaws, our unfounded biases, etc etc. Hence, the need for that mirror.

By: My Inner French Girl

My Inner French Girl — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Bonjour, Colleen! Coincidentally, that particular book is on my pile to read at this very moment. Right now I'm reading Paris, Paris, by David Downie, which will be next week's book review. So far, so good!

Merci for the recommendation!

Salut,
Marjorie