Paris Was Ours: Thirty-two Writers Reflect on the City of Light

I'm a sucker for books about Paris & this collection of essys by people who have lived in Paris did not disappoint. This is a book that can be read straight through, or dipped into as the mood strikes. It brings all the charm (and sometimes not so much charm) to the reader and, in the end, makes me want to book a flight and go back to that wonderful city.

After reading 32 writers describe their time spent in Paris, it is much easier to see how challenging it can be for Americans to live in the French culture. I have never been to Paris, but I've become enamored of it from afar and I picked up this compilation of essays to get my fix. I feel that I have come away with a deeper understanding of the culture, which in some ways runs contrary to US values. Americans tend to be apprehensive to visit France, as they find the French rude, haughty and condescending. Not surprisingly, the French find Americans to be the same way, but even more so, they see us as entitled, as if we can go into their country and expect them to speak English to us (Sound familiar?) The French find Americans to be sloppy, demanding, rude, loud, and poor abiders of rules. Each of the writers talked about how challenging it was to fit in, as Parisians seem to follow their own set of rules, that seem to change arbitrarily and without notice. And, they can be quick to attack when a newbie fails to follow a rule. One writer talked with shock about how as a teenager she stepped on the grass in the park and a complete stranger (man) came up and slapped her across the face. The book takes many angles as the contributers came from many walks of life. Several writers chronicled their university days, remembering fondly the poor conditions of their apartments and lack of food. A few of the contributers are famous, with one famous chef and a noted writer discussing how they have made Paris their home. One essay was written by a homeless lady who blogged about her daily struggles to protect her children while living on the streets. For most, Paris was described fondly but with frustration. The years spent living in Paris were very challenging... some hated to try to speak to storekeepers, but finally learned the rules of what to expect and how to stand firm. Others found it challenging to find enough cheap food to eat, as they would sometimes walk all over Paris to find it. The irony being that the food that was found was sometimes of such exceptional quality that it far exceeded student faire. The stories offered great bredth and depth regarding both the beauty and the dark sides of the culture. For example, while women are given exceptional benefits in the workplace with long maternity leaves and protected jobs, they are also light years behind in being treated as equals and not as sexual objects. This topic was explored by an author who gave birth to her children in Paris and was astounded by the benefits, while having to accept the other aspects, such as having men make advances on her in lewd fashion, which was apparently common at the time. Parenting also, is apparently much different, as the French culture does not encircle around the child, rather the child must come along to follow rules and get in line with the parent's agenda. In all, this was a fascinating glimpse of a much different culture than ours, one that has been around for much longer yet not changed as much over time. I'm not sure if it made me want to visit Paris more or less than I did when I started. At least I will feel that I understand a little more about it when I do make a trip!

Paris has long exerted a hold on the American imagination. It is the glamorous and enticing and haughty. It draws people, ex-pats and students and others, as practically no other city does. Many of our very best writers throughout the last century spent time in the city of light, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wharton, Stein, Miller, and many more. And their Parisian experience molded them and molded their writing.In the collection of 32 essays, both previously published and original works, Rowlands has collected the Paris experiences of a new generation of writers who have lived in this most intriguing of cities. Their experiences are not all of a kind but their varied writings serve to create a rounded portrait of the multi-faceted city and its inhabitants. Tackling subjects as different as fashion, food, and their famed intolerance of the etranger (among other topics), all of the writers in this collection share their Parisian experience in ways such that anyone who has him or herself visited Paris will recognize truths and swim in their own memories, good and bad, of the fabled city.As is generally the case, certain of the essays are more poignant or better written or simply more enticing to individual readers but overall, the collection is quite strong. It is diverse enough to cover many aspects of life in the city but also specific enough to draw a detailed view of the different arrondissements and the various people who inhabit them. It was fascinating to hop from essay to essay, dipping into life as a writer researching a book, as an African-American student frustrated by the fact of her Americanness defining her, as a homeless mother speaking of the cost to live in Paris and the need for a solution, as a witness to French parenting, and so on. Because of the nature of the book and the length of most of the essays, this was the perfect choice to read intermitently, in the car, at kid events, and the like. It was a small bit of escape in an otherwise mundane task.