Paul A. Myers

Although sold as an inexpensive Kindle e- book, this is actually a brief (~20 page) essay on the life of Somerset Maugham. Its information is taken primarily from two dated (and not altogether reliable) sources -- Ted Morgan's 1980 biography and Robin Maugham's dubious 1978 "Conversations with Willie". Maugham's villa on Cap Ferrat (on the French Riveria) gets superficial mention and lacks information readily available in biographies as well as magazine articles written while Maugham was still ailve. Overall, this essay contains little that couldn't be gleaned from Wikipedia. Indeed it contains direct hyperlinks to Wikipedia pages, along with four photos from the Wikicommons pages, three of which have no direct relevance to the supposed subject (for example, one is of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor posing with Pres. Richard Nixon). However, as an added bonus we do get a photo of the author (Paul Meyers) in short pants. Readers can decide for themselves as to whether that is worth the 99 cents. :-)… (lisätietoja)

This was an interesting book. What was the diplomatic and political actions in France leading up to the start of WWII? What treaties and alliances in Europe set the wheels in motion for Hitler to get Germany moving? There is a backstory about an American diplomat and a French ministry worker meeting, dating and falling in love, but the true story is the political intrigue in who knows what and how will the information end up in public hands?

I liked the book, it wasn't written in a flowing way, and I did put it down several times, feeling that I wasn't getting into the story. But I finally realized that it is written as a non-fiction book (and the vast majority of the book is non-fiction), and whether or not I got into the story really didn't matter, because I would pick it back up again to see what was going to happen next.

I received this as a Good Reads First Read.… (lisätietoja)

Sandrine Durand is a vibrant young student and journalist covering the political and fashion scenes of Paris in 1934. Working for both a French and an American paper, Sandrine sees two sides to every story, reporting the straight facts for the Americans and the details for the French. Saucy and flirtatious, Sandrine is coming into her own and establishing her independence amidst the free-thinking citizens of Paris, but she is no ingenue. When opportunity strikes, Sandrine takes it.

The novel's rich detail evokes lively, early 20th century photographs of Parisian cafe scenes and cityscapes, bringing the era to life. The novel opens with mounting political turmoil, but Sandrine's presence adds a fun and lively quality to the story, balancing the dryer facts of the historical events that serve as the novel's background. Sandrine's French and American friends prove to be just as lively and intriguing as the hopeful journalist; the energetic bistro scenes between Sandrine and the American journalists at the Oasis were some of my favorite moments in the novel.

The first half of the novel takes some time to develop; much of the action revolves around a series of civil uprisings that occurred in Paris early in 1934. The story picks up when Sandrine and her friends are introduced. I found that I enjoyed the social aspects of the novel more than the political history, but I appreciated the insight that the historical details provided as I was unfamiliar with the history of Paris's pre-WWII politics.

Gricel @ things-she-read.org… (lisätietoja)