Book description
In 1995, Adam Gopnik and his wife, and their infant son left the
familiar comforts and hassles of New York for the urbane glamour of
Paris. Charmed by the beauties of the city, Gopnik set out to experience
for himself the spirit and romance that has so captivated American
writers throughout the Twentieth century. In the grand tradition of
Stein and Hemingway, Gopnik planned to walk the paths of the Tuilleries,
to enjoy philosophical discussion in cafes in short, to lead the fabled
life of an American in Paris. Of course, as readers of Gopnik's beloved
'Paris Journals' in the New Yorker know, there was also the matter of
raising a child and carrying on with everyday, not so fabled life.
Evenings with French intellectuals precede middle-of-the night baby
feedings; afternoons are filled with trips to the Musee d'Orsay and
pinball games; weekday leftovers are eaten while three star chefs debate
a 'culinary crisis'. With singular wit and insight, Gopnik manages to
weave the magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful book. In
1995, Adam Gopnik and his wife, and their infant son left the familiar
comforts and hassles of New York for the urbane glamour of Paris.
Charmed by the beauties of the city, Gopnik set out to experience for
himself the spirit and romance that has so captivated American writers
throughout the Twentieth century. In the grand tradition of Stein and
Hemingway, Gopnik planned to walk the paths of the Tuilleries, to enjoy
philosophical discussion in cafes in short, to lead the fabled life of
an American in Paris. Of course, as readers of Gopnik's beloved 'Paris
Journals' in the New Yorker know, there was also the matter of raising a
child and carrying on with everyday, not so fabled life. Evenings with
French intellectuals precede middle-of-the night baby feedings;
afternoons are filled with trips to the Musee d'Orsay and pinball games;
weekday leftovers are eaten while three star chefs debate a 'culinary
crisis'. With singular wit and insight, Gopnik manages to weave the
magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful book.
