Into A Paris Quartier: Reine Margot's Chapel And Other Haunts Of St. Germain

Acclaimed author Diane Johnson brings to life the legendary St. Germain-des-Prs quarter of Paris--her adoptive home for many years--with riveting stories that explain its continued mystique in the heart of the world's most alluring city.

Paris has always held a special appeal for Americans -- its cosmopolitan culture, its great boulevards, the majestic sweep of its history. But what really makes Paris irresistible is a deeply personal connection that's not found in any guidebook but rather in a particular cafe, a chance encounter, a side street whose charm inspires an affection at once instant and indelible.

For acclaimed novelist Diane Johnson, that feeling focuses on ST.-Germain-des-Pres, and in this delightful book she takes us on an affectionate tour of her home neighborhood, where the Three Musketeers swaggered, La Rochefoucault honed his cynically delightful maxims, and Gertrude Stein played den mother to a Lost Generation of American expatriates. Evoking both a rich past that has everywhere left its mark and the vibrant urbanity, Johnson brings a keenly curious eye and an eloquent pen to this fascinating, welcoming portrait of the Paris she knows and loves so well.