What Book to Read in France
#85
Join Date: Apr 2003
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If you don't stop making fun of my nom
de guerre I'll have to llamabaste you!
Cigalechanta: I'll have to get that
book for sure 'cause I stayed at the
Beat Hotel for six months in 1960/1.
A very eye-opening experience for a
very 'verte' girl! It's now a 5*
boutique hotel and the street is
being gentrified to death. Ah,
où sont les ......blah, blah, blah.
de guerre I'll have to llamabaste you!
Cigalechanta: I'll have to get that
book for sure 'cause I stayed at the
Beat Hotel for six months in 1960/1.
A very eye-opening experience for a
very 'verte' girl! It's now a 5*
boutique hotel and the street is
being gentrified to death. Ah,
où sont les ......blah, blah, blah.
#86
Grandmere, I mentioned "Room at the top" based on the Braine book. It starred Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret.
Email me after you play Paris and let me know if you like it. I wore one of my old Rykiel's into town to do errands.
Email me after you play Paris and let me know if you like it. I wore one of my old Rykiel's into town to do errands.
#87
Join Date: Dec 2003
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IMO the closest was "Cold Comfort Farm." The screenplay was by our friend Malcolm Bradbury, who did an amazing job of transferring the feel of the book to the film. The cast didn't hurt, of course.
#90
Mimosa, that was my name also, before registration.
Underhil, you will like, also if you have not read, Maives Gallant, "Paris Notebooks,"
All of Janet Flanner's books. (she wrote for the New Yorker under the name of Genet,And then we have "The very rich hour of Adrienne Monnier." She had a book shop called, "La Maison des Amis" and helped her friend, Sylvia Beach find a place across the street called, "Shakespeare and company." For those in my area, know that years later it was bought by my fellow city Bostonian and I read his daughter now runs it. I'll look to you for updates.
Another book for that period that you mention underhill, is "Being Geniuses Together"by Robert Almon and, "Exiles"
by Michael Arlan. These are out of print but you will or may find on amazon. There's also a book, if interested still, is "This Must be the Place." By Cody, who was the bar tender at, I think, the Jockey club. I'll have to look it up in my book.
Underhil, you will like, also if you have not read, Maives Gallant, "Paris Notebooks,"
All of Janet Flanner's books. (she wrote for the New Yorker under the name of Genet,And then we have "The very rich hour of Adrienne Monnier." She had a book shop called, "La Maison des Amis" and helped her friend, Sylvia Beach find a place across the street called, "Shakespeare and company." For those in my area, know that years later it was bought by my fellow city Bostonian and I read his daughter now runs it. I'll look to you for updates.
Another book for that period that you mention underhill, is "Being Geniuses Together"by Robert Almon and, "Exiles"
by Michael Arlan. These are out of print but you will or may find on amazon. There's also a book, if interested still, is "This Must be the Place." By Cody, who was the bar tender at, I think, the Jockey club. I'll have to look it up in my book.
#91
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Well! Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I never imagined my request would generate so much discussion. I especially delighted in the mention of so many great old books:
The Tuchman, Hemmingway, Mavis Gallant, Bonjour Tristesse, the hypnotic, exotic Alexandria Quartet, and more recently Debt to Pleasure and Perfume. I was obsessed with the last two and although I talked about them to everone, never found anyone else who had read either one. Also read all of 1919 by MacMillan, learned a whole lot, but I still cant picture where in Paris the buildings are where the talks took place.
Noone has mentioned "Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen" by Kate Taylor, Canadian, takes place in Paris and France over two centuries, as well as contemporary Toronto and Montreal - a hat trick, - and a real "page-turner".
My efforts at such short notice turned up a lot of outofprint, and sold out order delivered in 24 hours, but I managed to find Alan Furst Pale Star, - never heard of him but it looks fascinating, - I love spy novels and especially if they are set in Europe, - in this case seems to be France and pre-war Europe. Cant understand why I never read him before. So thank you for that. Also on my return I have others to anticipate - Japrisot, Black, Sedaris among others. Also noone mentioned the Inspector Maigret stories by Georges Simenon, - lots of French food and drink in his stories too.
We could probably go on but I'm on my way soon, bolstered by heightened anticipation.
Carol
The Tuchman, Hemmingway, Mavis Gallant, Bonjour Tristesse, the hypnotic, exotic Alexandria Quartet, and more recently Debt to Pleasure and Perfume. I was obsessed with the last two and although I talked about them to everone, never found anyone else who had read either one. Also read all of 1919 by MacMillan, learned a whole lot, but I still cant picture where in Paris the buildings are where the talks took place.
Noone has mentioned "Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen" by Kate Taylor, Canadian, takes place in Paris and France over two centuries, as well as contemporary Toronto and Montreal - a hat trick, - and a real "page-turner".
My efforts at such short notice turned up a lot of outofprint, and sold out order delivered in 24 hours, but I managed to find Alan Furst Pale Star, - never heard of him but it looks fascinating, - I love spy novels and especially if they are set in Europe, - in this case seems to be France and pre-war Europe. Cant understand why I never read him before. So thank you for that. Also on my return I have others to anticipate - Japrisot, Black, Sedaris among others. Also noone mentioned the Inspector Maigret stories by Georges Simenon, - lots of French food and drink in his stories too.
We could probably go on but I'm on my way soon, bolstered by heightened anticipation.
Carol
#96
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Mimi, you do lots of reading! I was inspired to go to the library today and check out more French guidebooks for my upcoming trip, and I found this book: Perfume from Provence, by Lady Winifred Fortescue, with a preface by Patricia Wells.
The dust jacket says "Fify years before Peter Mayble's acclaimed "A Year in Provence" and "Toujours Provence" were published, "Perfume from Provence" was a best-seller in England."
It's about a British lord and lady who emigrated to the south of France following the collapse of the pound in the early 30s. It's filled with their experiences and adventures in a town near Grasse.
The dust jacket says "Fify years before Peter Mayble's acclaimed "A Year in Provence" and "Toujours Provence" were published, "Perfume from Provence" was a best-seller in England."
It's about a British lord and lady who emigrated to the south of France following the collapse of the pound in the early 30s. It's filled with their experiences and adventures in a town near Grasse.