"In July 1905, in Paris, a young woman, a bride, becomes Marie Schad. In April 1984, in London, Marie Schad is declared to be no more--indeed, to never have been, and returns to France. Paris Bride pursues this no-woman in a wild attempt to glimpse her face in the modernist crowd. With increasing desperation the pages of Stephane Mallarmé, Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, Louis Aragon, André and Walter Benjamin are all ransacked for traces of Marie. What is pieced precariously together is an experimental life--a properly modernist life, a life that, by its very obscurity, lives the obscure life of modernism itself.
A must-have for the best wedding inspiration and resources in Paris. America’s love affair with Paris spans generations. For many, Paris is the epitome of sophistication, good taste, style and romance. The Paris Wedding is a full-color, idea-packed, goto guide for globally minded trendsetters who are in love with the style and romance of Paris. Not just a resource of practical information for those planning a wedding IN Paris, but The Paris Wedding is also a stand-alone handbook full of stylish tips and glamorous photography to help add that Parisian je ne sais quoi to any celebration. Kimberley Petyt is the owner of Parisian Events, a wedding and event-planning agency catering to English-speakers in Paris. She writes the popular blog “Parisian Party: Tales of an American Wedding Planner in Paris” (parisianevents.com/parisianparty/). She was also a monthly columnist for the nationally distributed The French Paper, where she wrote for more than a year about living and working as an expat in Paris. Petyt and the business have been featured in print publications such as Real Simple Weddings, Get Married Magazine, Essence Magazine, Eco-Beautiful Weddings, Cosmopolitan China, and France Magazine. Most recently, she was featured in the New York Times Magazine “Summer 2011 Travel” issue, highlighting her skills as a cultural liaison for brides seeking to marry in Paris. Ms. Petyt lives in Paris.
At her retirement home in Wedding Tree, Louisiana, 91 year-old Amelie O'Connor is in the habit of leaving her door open for friends. One day she receives an unexpected visitor - her late husband Jack's ex-fiance. Kat Morgan wants to know the truth behind a story that's haunted her whole life. Finding out how Amelie stole Jack's heart will - she thinks - finally bring her peace. As Amelie recalls the dark days of the Nazi occupation of Paris, The French War Bride reveals how history shapes the courses of our lives, for better or for worse.
Winner of the Ruth Schwartz Award Jeanne Chatel has always dreamed of adventure. So when the eighteen-year-old orphan is summoned to sail from France to the wilds of North America to become a king's daughter and marry a French settler, she doesn't hesitate. Her new husband is not the dashing military man she has dreamed of, but a trapper with two small children who lives in a small cabin in the woods. With her husband away trapping much of the time, Jeanne faces danger daily, but the bravery and spirit that brought her to this wild place never fail her, and she soon learns to be truly at home in her new land.
A memoir in essays that expands on the viral sensation “The Crane Wife” with a frank and funny look at love, intimacy, and self in the twenty-first century. From friends and lovers to blood family and chosen family, this “elegant masterpiece” (Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Hunger) asks what more expansive definitions of love might offer us all. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, THE GUARDIAN, GARDEN & GUN "Hauser builds their life's inventory out of deconstructed personal narratives, resulting in a reading experience that's rich like a complicated dessert—not for wolfing down but for savoring in small bites." —The New York Times “Clever, heartfelt, and wrenching.” —Time “Brilliant.” —Oprah Daily Ten days after calling off their wedding, CJ Hauser went on an expedition to Texas to study the whooping crane. After a week wading through the gulf, they realized they'd almost signed up to live someone else's life. What if you released yourself from traditional narratives of happiness? What if you looked for ways to leave room for the unexpected? In Hauser’s case, this meant dissecting pop culture touchstone, from The Philadelphia Story to The X Files, to learn how not to lose yourself in a relationship. They attended a robot convention, contemplated grief at John Belushi’s gravesite, and officiated a wedding. Most importantly, they mapped the difference between the stories we’re asked to hold versus those we choose to carry. Told with the late-night barstool directness of your wisest, most bighearted friend, The Crane Wife is a book for everyone whose path doesn't look the way they thought it would; for everyone learning to find joy in the not-knowing and to build a new sort of life story, a new sort of family, a new sort of home to live in.
From the author of Hidden Gardens of Paris, The Streets of Paris is Susan Cahill's wonderfully unique guide to present-day Paris following in the footsteps of famous Parisians through the last 800 years. For hundreds of years, the City of Light has set the stage for larger-than-life characters—from medieval lovers Héloïse and Abelard to the defiant King Henri IV to the brilliant scientist Madame Curie, beloved chanteuse Edith Piaf, and the writer Colette. In this beautifully illustrated book, Susan Cahill recounts the lives of twenty-two famous Parisians and then takes you through the seductive streets of Paris to the quartiers where they lived and worked: their homes, the scenes of their greatest triumphs and tragedies, their favorite cafes, bars, and restaurants, and the off-the-beaten-track places where they found inspiration and love. From Sainte-Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite to the cemetery Pere Lachaise to Montmartre and the Marais, Cahill not only brings to life the bold characters of a tumultuous history and the arts of painting, music, sculpture, film, and literature, she takes you on a relaxed walking tour in the footsteps of these celebrated Parisians. Each chapter opens with a beautiful four-color illustration by photographer Marion Ranoux, and every tour begins with a Metro stop and ends with a list of "Nearbys"—points of interest along the way, including cafes, gardens, squares, museums, bookstores, churches, and, of course, patisseries.
A New York Times bestseller For readers of Eat Pray Love, Under the Tuscan Sun, and The 4-Hour Workweek, comes a funny, romantic, and inspiring travel memoir about a woman who quits her job, moves to Paris, and finds love—and herself. Exhausted and on the verge of burnout, Janice MacLeod cuts back, saves up, and buys herself two years of freedom in Europe. In Paris, Janice meets Christophe, the cute butcher down the street—who doesn't speak English. They embark on a whirlwind Paris romance, and she soon realizes she can never return to the world of twelve-hour workdays. But her dwindling savings force her to find a way to fund her dreams again. So Janice turns to her three loves—words, art, and Christophe—to figure out a way to make her happily-ever-after in Paris last forever. Not only is this a charming nonfiction love story, but it's also filled with financial tips, including MacLeod's list of "100 Ways to Save," and other practical advice to make your dream of living abroad reality. Paris Letters invites you to experience the magic of Paris, find inspiration in Janice's journey, and perhaps, ignite your own quest for a life less ordinary. Praise for Paris Letters: "Janice MacLeod's charming Paris Letters takes us on her starry-eyed discovery of Paris, the joys of learning the French language, a unique career in art and, best of all, the romance of a lifetime! C'est bon!"—Lynne Martin, author of Home Sweet Anywhere "Written as though to a best friend telling her story over lattes—or café crème. Relatable and inspiring ... cleverly crafted with wit and unexpected wisdom"—New York Journal of Books "Aspirational fiction? No, a true story to inspire similar dreamers out there."—National Geographic's "Intelligent Travel" A wonderful gift for the armchair traveler, artist, and people who love to travel.
National bestselling author Robin Wells weaves a moving epic that stretches from modern-day Louisiana to World War II-era New Orleans and back again in this multigenerational tale of love, loss and redemption. Hope Stevens thinks Wedding Tree, Louisiana, will be the perfect place to sort out her life and all the mistakes she’s made. Plus, it will give her the chance to help her free-spirited grandmother, Adelaide, sort through her things before moving into assisted living. Spending the summer in the quaint town, Hope begins to discover that Adelaide has made some mistakes of her own. And as they go through her belongings, her grandmother recalls the wartime romance that left her torn between two men and haunted by a bone-chilling secret. Now she wants Hope’s help in uncovering the truth before it’s too late. Filled with colorful characters, The Wedding Tree is an emotionally riveting story about passion, shattered dreams, unexpected renewal and forgiveness—not only for others, but for ourselves.
