Synopses & Reviews
In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orleans to evoke the miraculous visions of Joan of Arc, to Versailles to experience the flamboyant achievements of Louis XIV, or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. Organizing her destinations chronologically from twelfth-century Saint-Denis to the nineteenth-century Restoration at Chantilly, Caro appeals not only to the casual tourist aboard the Metro or the TGV but also to the armchair reader of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Caro's passion for and knowledge of France its soaring cathedrals, enthralling history, and sumptuous cuisine are so impressive that Paris to the Past promises to become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.
Review
"[Caro] is an unabashedly enthusiastic guide. Her love for the places she visits is contagious." Los Angeles Times
Review
"A keen, if sometimes breathless guide to monarchical France and its architecture." Wall Street Journal
Review
"Ina Caro . . . has spent her life studying and writing about France, and she has crammed all of her knowledge into this delightful travel guide." NPR
Synopsis
In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. "[An] enchanting travelogue" (), has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.
Synopsis
"I'd rather go to France with Ina Caro than with ?Henry Adams or Henry James."--
About the Author
Ina Caro, author of the best-selling The Road from the Past, is an authority on medieval and modern French history. She lives in New York with her husband, the acclaimed biographer Robert A. Caro.