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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Not what I anticipated.

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.

I want to go to there!!!!!!

A gift from the lovely Leilah!

This was like being a casual stroll in the mind of someone who OD'd on their French history as it relates to their own time and personal space. This is not to say it was a bad thing. You get bits and pieces and you can follow what you find here to more bits and pieces that help give the reader a better grasp of the rabbit hole they've fallen into. I can go to Natalie Barney and Sylvia Beach and have my own delightful overdose. And I intend to. I mean, I'm already in the place (mentally) so I might as well get a better lay of the country...

This was a really interesting book. If you've ever spent a decent amount of time in Paris, you should definitely read this. Johnson does a great job of explaining that special feeling of the Latin Quarter. She goes through the history of several different apartments in the area, and does a great job of putting into words why so many people, Americans specifically, fall in love with Paris and never seem fully able to leave it behind.