Paris Was Ours by Penelope Rowlands
Paris Was Ours is a charming collection of stories, memories, anecdotes and essays about life in Paris--from the perspective of non-Parisians.
One of my favorite stories involves a single mother who takes her 2 year old son, William, with her when she moves to Paris to do research on a biography of Colette. Unlike her elderly mother, who speaks barely comprehensible French, young Guillaume soaks up his new language like a sponge.
Another tale involves a young Cuban wife whose husband is sent to Paris as punishment. (Moscow was considered the plum assignment.) Even his sheltered wife realizes that they've lucked out and decides to make the most of this opportunity.A third story involves a poor student who loses his eyeglasses and has to keep borrowing eyewear from bespectacled young ladies across the city.
If this book doesn't make you want to call Air France and make a reservation, I don't know what will.
One of my favorite stories involves a single mother who takes her 2 year old son, William, with her when she moves to Paris to do research on a biography of Colette. Unlike her elderly mother, who speaks barely comprehensible French, young Guillaume soaks up his new language like a sponge.
Another tale involves a young Cuban wife whose husband is sent to Paris as punishment. (Moscow was considered the plum assignment.) Even his sheltered wife realizes that they've lucked out and decides to make the most of this opportunity.A third story involves a poor student who loses his eyeglasses and has to keep borrowing eyewear from bespectacled young ladies across the city.
If this book doesn't make you want to call Air France and make a reservation, I don't know what will.
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