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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This is the most delightful of the series of Paris memoirs written in the last fifty years. Gopnik comes to admire the city and its culture; in doing so, he loses the awed tone most people use to write about Paris and instead simply shares his daily explorations. For an American reader, Gopnik...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Seemed really self-centered. While some of the pieces about life in Paris were mildly interesting, the tone was really annoying.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Seemed really self-centered. While some of the pieces about life in Paris were mildly interesting, the tone was really annoying. ”
Molly L wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“amazing story. The author really brought the city of shanghai and the time period to life. What an amazing human story set in a historical setting.”
Kim S wrote this review Saturday, October 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Enjoyable book about a family moving to Paris as a work assignment and raising a young boy. ”
VG Hemingway wrote this review Friday, October 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Adam Gopnik's portrayal of Paris is at once both light-hearted and intellectual. He manages to see microcosms in his everyday experiences, and in tying these experiences to a bigger truth/observation about the world, he is able to understand cultural nuances in different places, as well as universal truths among people. His uncanny ability to see things as both an observer and a participant in his roles as Parisian and American, coupled with his gift for polished, well-crafted essays makes this book a satisfying read. With lots of laughter, character and heart.”
Tine F wrote this review Sunday, September 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a book I kept thinking I would read from the time it first appeared a couple years ago. As I read more of Adam Gopnik's writing in the New Yorker, I found he just got better and better, with a certain sweetness of attitude, as well as a sharp eye for the normally unnoticed detail. This book about his and his wife's decision to take their very young boy and move to Paris, is a lovely observation of what it would be like to be plunked down in a very different place, different language (though his family had made numerous trips to France when he was growing up and he was pretty proficient in French), and to settle in and make friends, a home, and have a great adventure.”
Marka H wrote this review Tuesday, September 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is the intellectual's/academic's Peter Mayle. Writer Adam Gopnik along with his wife and 8 month old son move to Paris for five years. There are a lot of charming anecdotes about Parisian life and also a lot of waxing philosophic about life, politics, art, beauty, culture etc. Some funny, some romantic, and sometimes it loses me completely, but the best parts are when Gopnik expresses his almost inexpressible deep love for the beauty, mystery, sadness, and light and shadow that is Paris.”
Jocelyn B wrote this review Sunday, September 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Maybe because I lived in Paris many years ago, I enjoyed reading about Gopnik's experiences there. ”
Charles S wrote this review Wednesday, August 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you love Paris, you will love this book. The lucky author got to live there and he describes his sojourn with humor and love. I used to own this book but I gave it away to another Paris enthusiast. ”
Judith H wrote this review Sunday, March 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Understanding life in a foreign country. The obvious is hidden.”
Rich A wrote this review Sunday, March 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The book was mildly amusing, but at times it was a little too personal. I suppose that's the point of a memoir, but I suspect I was looking for more about the travels and times in Paris than about whether or not their son liked Barney.”
Traveling Teacher wrote this review Monday, February 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
