Synopses & Reviews
Thrust into the unlikely role of professional "literary walking tour" guide, an expat writer provides the most irresistibly witty and revealing tour of Paris in years.
In this enchanting memoir, acclaimed author and long- time Paris resident John Baxter remembers his yearlong experience of giving "literary walking tours" through the city. Baxter sets off with unsuspecting tourists in tow on the trail of Paris's legendary artists and writers of the past. Along the way, he tells the history of Paris through a brilliant cast of characters: the favorite cafés of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce; Pablo Picasso's underground Montmartre haunts; the bustling boulevards of the late-nineteenth-century flâneurs; the secluded "Little Luxembourg" gardens beloved by Gertrude Stein; the alleys where revolutionaries plotted; and finally Baxter's own favorite walk near his home in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
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“Fabulous . . . the perfect companion for anyone inspired to hop over to France after seeing Midnight in Paris” NPR.org
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“A man with a great appreciation of what makes Paris tick.” Newsday
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“One of the smartest nonfiction titles for summer reading ... Baxter tracks both the citys history and the many celebrated figures who have savored the art of walking in one of the worlds most beautiful capitals.” Christian Science Monitor
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“A lovely book ... Full of unexpected pleasures ...Parisians claim that walking walking around Paris is an art form in itself, and Baxter proves them right. Chicago Tribune
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“Anyone who loves Paris and loves to walk will feel this book was written just for them. ... Charming.” USA Today
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“A splendid memoir ... Reading The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is the next best thing to a Paris vacation.” Boston Globe
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“We are the beneficiaries of John Baxters considerable, vivid love for the expatriate life in Paris. ... The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is as close as a reader can get to the feel of a languid spring walk along Baron Haussmanns boulevards.” Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
Aman with a great appreciation of what makes Paris tick. Newsday
Fromthe author of Immoveable Feast and We ll Always Have Paris comes aguided tour of the most beautiful walks through the City of Light, includingthe favorite walking routes of the many of the acclaimed artists and writerswho have called Paris their home. Baxter highlights hidden treasures along theSeine, treasured markets at Place d Aligre, thefavorite ambles of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and Sylvia Beach, andmore, in a series of intimate vignettes that evoke the best parts of Paris smany charms. Baxter s unforgettable chronicle reveals how walking is the bestway to experience romance, history, and pleasures off the beaten path...notonly of La Ville-Lumiere, but also, perhaps, of life itself."
Synopsis
"Splendid... Reading The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is the next best thing to a Paris vacation." -Boston Globe
"Anyone who loves Paris and loves to walk will feel this book was written just for them." -USA Today
In this enchanting national bestseller, acclaimed author and long-time expat Paris resident John Baxter draws on his experience guiding literary walking tours through the city to proved a delightful walker's guide to France's capital. Baxter sets off with unsuspecting tourists in tow on the trail of Paris's legendary artists and writers of the past. Along the way, he tells the history of Paris through a brilliant cast of characters: the favorite caf s of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce; Pablo Picasso's underground Montmartre haunts; the bustling boulevards of the late-nineteenth-century fl neurs; the secluded Little Luxembourg gardens beloved by Gertrude Stein; the alleys where revolutionaries plotted; and finally Baxter's own favorite walk near his home in Saint-Germain-des-Pr s.
Synopsis
“Aman with a great appreciation of what makes Paris tick.” —
NewsdayFromthe author of Immoveable Feast and Well Always Have Paris comes aguided tour of the most beautiful walks through the City of Light, includingthe favorite walking routes of the many of the acclaimed artists and writerswho have called Paris their home. Baxter highlights hidden treasures along theSeine, treasured markets at Place dAligre, thefavorite ambles of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and Sylvia Beach, andmore, in a series of intimate vignettes that evoke the best parts of Parissmany charms. Baxters unforgettable chronicle reveals how walking is the bestway to experience romance, history, and pleasures off the beaten path . . . notonly of La Ville-Lumière, but also, perhaps, of life itself.
About the Author
John Baxter has lived in Paris for more than twenty years. He is the author of four acclaimed memoirs about his life in France: The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France; The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas; and We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light. Baxter, who gives literary walking tours through Paris, is also a film critic and biographer whose subjects have included the directors Fellini, Kubrick, Woody Allen, and most recently, Josef von Sternberg. Born in Australia, he lives with his wife and daughter in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, in the same building Sylvia Beach called home.