Seven Ages Of Paris
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In this luminous portrait of Paris, celebrated historian Alistair Horne gives us the history, culture, disasters, and triumphs of one of the world's truly great cities. Horne makes plain that while Paris may be many things, it is never boring. From the rise of Philippe Auguste through the reigns of Henry IV and Louis XIV (who abandoned Paris for Versailles); Napoleon's rise and fall; Baron Haussmann's rebuilding of Paris (at the cost of much of the medieval city); the Belle Epoque and the Great War that brought it to an end; the Nazi Occupation, the Liberation, and the postwar period dominated by de Gaulle--Horne brings the city's highs and lows, savagery and sophistication, and heroes and villains splendidly to life. With a keen eye for the telling anecdote and pivotal moment, he portrays an array of vivid incidents to show us how Paris endures through each age, is altered but always emerges more brilliant and beautiful than ever. The Seven Ages of Paris is a great historian's tribute to a city he loves and has spent a lifetime learning to know. - Publisher.
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I both read and listened to this book over a time period of several weeks, and, to me, a person who is unfamiliar with a great deal of European history, I found it to be a great look at Paris through time. I expected it might be a stodgy read, but it was surprisingly opinionated and gossipy, with lots of little stories that make the people and the movements and the city feel three-dimensional. Reading this book with its huge backdrop of centuries, with the strong leaders and the ridiculously ineffective leaders, with its wars, with its dramatic governmental changes—it was oddly calming to read this history during a time of a pandemic, with horrific challenges to democracy here in America, reminding me to persevere, just as Paris has done.
I have always been fascinated with Paris and in fact it is one of the cities I wish to call home in the future (London being the other), so when I spotted this book I knew I had to pick it up! Often times books like this can be bogged down with names, dates etc. and quickly become dry reading and although this book was certainly filled with those things I never found it boring or hard to get into, just the opposite in fact! If you are interested in the history of Paris and want to read a wonderfully written account then this is the one to pick up!!
