Four Great, Four OK, Four Blah
I gave this book three stars because I only found four of the twelve vignettes to be interesting. What I didn't understand was why he needed to have the metro stops since most of the stories had nothing to do with the actual stop or the area? Actually, they start off right at stop one and talk about the area, but by the time he gets to Pere LaChaise he hardly does more than mention its' namesake.

Dallas strikes me as one of these Americans who goes to Paris and falls in love with the city because it's so French. Well, I fell in love with Holland because it's so Dutch, duh. I also like the Swedes and Sweden, but I don't get all gaga and mushy about it. It reminds me of when I was young (way back) and my friends Mom went to Europe and commented on how well the young people in Rome spoke Italian (even the children).

In truth Paris is as French as New York is American, in other words, not very much. Any cosmopolitan city will have lots of interesting stories of their own and isn't any more impressive than any other. Rome has a lot better ruins than Paris because Baron Haussmann tore everything down. There are few if any pre-1789 buildings left in Paris because mostly there wasn't that much worth saving. Just because something is old isn't any reason to keep it around (hear that McCain). Sometimes the worthwhile things are destroyed in wars, it can't be helped. Just be happy for those things that have been saved.

Anyway, if your looking for some intriguing places to go to in Paris it's worth taking notes. Just don't expect to learn much about some of the areas mentioned in the book. I could just as easily have been called, "Twelve Stories About Paris".

Zeb Kantrowitz

Well written, unusual
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this unusual volume. I have to preface the review by saying I have zero interest in writers, politicians, and opera personnel, so there were many biographical sketches I skipped over. That doesn't detract from the wonderful historical flow of the essays, organized around Metro stops. Some areas skimp a bit (entire books have been written about Pere-Lechaise for example) while others go on a bit too long. Still, it's like having a personal, well-informed and literate guide leading you from one attraction to another. I read through it in a couple evenings - I suppose that theoretically, it might work best to take along on a trip as you stroll around some of the areas, stop at a park or cafe, and read the associated chapter and appreciate the history you are reading about. Still, I can't imagine doing that.