Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book

Hot Search

Into a Paris Quartier: Reine Margot's Chapel and Other Haunts of St. Germain

diane johnson

... Show More
As a child, Diane Johnson was entranced by The Three Musketeers, dashing 17th-century residents of the famous romantic quartier called St.-Germain-des-Pr�s. Now, the paperback edition of her delightful book will take even more Americans to the richly historic part of the city that has always attracted us, from Ben Franklin in the 18th-century to raffish novelist Henry Miller in the 20th.

Modern St.-Germain is lively and prosperous, and fifty years ago its heady mix of jazz and existentialism defined urbane cool, but Johnson takes a longer view. "Beside the shades of Jean-Paul Sartre and Edith Piaf," she writes, "there is another crowd of resident ghosts... misty figures in plumed hats whose fortunes and passions were enacted among these beautiful, imposing buildings." From her kitchen window, she looks out on a chapel begun by Reine Margot, wife of Henri IV; nearby streets are haunted by the shades of two sinister cardinals, Mazarin and Richelieu, as well as four famed queens and at least five kings. Delacroix, Corot, Ingres, David, and Manet all lived in St.-Germain; Oscar Wilde died there; and everybody who was anybody visited sooner or later.

With her delicious imagination and wry, opinionated voice, Diane Johnson makes a companionable and fascinating guide to a classic neighborhood as cosmopolitan as it is quintessentially French.

204 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1,2005

This edition

Format
204 pages, Hardcover
Published
May 1, 2005 by National Geographic
ISBN
9780792272663
ASIN
0792272668
Language
English

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for diane johnson

diane johnson

... Show More
Diane Johnson is an American novelist and essayist whose satirical novels often feature American heroines living in contemporary France. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Persian Nights in 1988.
In addition to her literary works, she is also known for writing the screenplay of the 1980 film The Shining together with its director and producer Stanley Kubrick.

Readers also enjoyed

Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 55 votes)
5 stars
23(42%)
4 stars
17(31%)
3 stars
15(27%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
55 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Amal_Ashraf
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
Great read if you've been to the St. Germain quartier of Paris - if not you might get lost in the geography.

Still, a very good picture of some buildings in the quartier - mostly not major or public buildings, for the most part simple apartment blocks, a few churches. Not a what-to-see-where travel guide, but a view of historical figures who'd lived in these buildings and what the quartier and Paris was like in their time.

makes me want to go back with a copy of the book in my hand.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
charredworm
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
The author's personal journey through St-Germain-des-Prés, in a deliciously readable prose. Her main focus of interest is Queen Margot and the 1600s. I think this book is best read if you've already visited Saint-Germain-des-Prés and have some basic knowledge about Parisian history. Otherwise, a great page-turner.
n  "And since there are as many Parises as there are people who live or visit, so there are as many beginnings, each personal and cherished, by which each visitor comes to feel a sort of connection here."n
Indeed.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Gruzownik
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
Gave us some great ideas of places to visit. I read this years ago for another visit and reread it in anticipation of this year's trip. We started it as a read aloud but it was not really good for that. I loved walking the streets I love with Diane and yet again this makes me want to go visit her as I walk down her street. I wonder how often people stop and knock on her door?
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
MarauderNoir
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
The book started off nicely but was very hazy to comprehend all the information and directions given Paris streets are not exactly the same as modern planned roads. Some information could be traced back to the place even today when I visited Rue Bonaparte to identify the places mentioned. A bit of history and a lot of easy reading. This was welcome after reading a heavy book but otherwise I would skip.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
FiddlePie
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
As I remember I liked this one because it offered insight into the history of landmarks of Paris. The kind that was entertaining and simple enough that I could absorb it. I wish I read it before I went to Paris. Reading this book before would give you the list you would want for your own sightseeing. I'm really not your typical tourist who has to see what everyone else sees. I like the off the beaten path sights and the back story to some others. This book is pretty good about giving you those.

QUOTE: Into a Paris Quartier offers delights and surprises, anecdotes and vignettes, and an affectionate, sure sense of place that welcomes us to Diane Johnson's Paris--and invites us to imagine our own.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
RyneB
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
Don't leave home without it (if you can spend time on the Left Bank)! The author writes about St.-Germain-des-Prés, pointing out historical and fictional settings and where famous authors or artists lived etc. It is well told and sometimes personal account. Last time I was in Paris I stayed in this lovely neighborhood and walked around thoroughly enjoying using this book as a guide.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Mohammadalriz
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I've been a fan of the author since Le Divorce and enjoyed this one as well. However, seeing some of the negative comments, I would mainly recommend it to hardcore Francophiles (or Paris-ophiles, more specifically). It's not a guide book, but a well-written exploration of one area of Paris, so probably only once you've exhausted all of the other Paris books and want to get a more in-depth view.
0 0 Reply
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.