I Prefer Paris

Interview With Janet Skeslien Charles, Author of The Paris Library

I am happy to publish my interview with Janet Skeslien Charles, author of the bestselling book, The Paris Library, which was the selection for my Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month for February 2021. If you haven’t read the book yet, I highly recommend it, it’s an inspiring story that will rewake you to the importance of books. 

CLICK HERE to order your copy of The Paris Library.

How did you come up with the idea to write The Paris Library? 

I’m interested in journeys. Growing up in rural Montana, I was fascinated by my neighbor, a war bride from Normandy. Even as a child, I knew she was incredibly brave to leave behind her friends and family for a new life with a G.I. My first novel, Moonlight in Odessa is about an email-bride. I’m an American in France, and before that I worked in Ukraine. I wanted to write about starting over, and about the way place shape us. I wrote about my own struggles to learn new languages and customs. I want readers to know that they are not alone.

When I got a job at the American Library in Paris, I became intrigued when my colleagues talked about the incredible staff members who kept the Library open during World War II. I researched the Directress Dorothy Reeder and found her 15-page report marked ‘Confidential.’ Reading it gave me chills. I knew I wanted to write about the Directress. You can read her impressions about life in Paris during the Occupation. I hope you’ll find it as fascinating as I did.https://www.jskesliencharles.com/behind-the-book

How long did it take you to finish the book? 

The book took ten years to write. For several drafts, the book was called The War Bride, and the focus was more on the main character’s life after World War II. I was on a do-it-yourself writing retreat with Anne Marsella when I realized that I needed to cut thirty pages and focus more on the Library.

What were the surprises, insights, and disappointments, if any, you found doing your research? 

Even after I finished the book, I had a hard time letting go of the real-life characters. I kept researching and learned that the Directress Dorothy Reeder, who defied the Nazis in order to hand-deliver books to Jewish readers, later worked at the national library in Bogotá, Colombia, where she trained librarians. She also raised money for the Red Cross in Florida. Dorothy Reeder worked on three continents in the 1940s. How amazing!

Was there anything shocking or upsetting you found out during your research? 

I spent a decade researching World War II, reading about and watching footage of one of man’s most brutal eras. Reading the “crow letters” in the Holocaust Museum in Paris was very painful. It was hard to see such hatred. In the book, a character was attacked in a very specific way, and I watched a documentary of French women who were also punished in this way. The women are still so ashamed about it that they refused to face the camera as they answered the questions. How heartbreaking to see that their shame has not dissipated decades and decades later.

Were all the characters based on real life people who worked in the library? 

There are several real-life characters in the book, from the Directress of the Library to the Head Librarian to the Nazi “Library Protector.” I felt very lucky to be able to spend time with descendants of the librarians. 

I know you are originally from Montana. What was impetus to write a parallel story based in Montana? Is the character Lily partly self-autobiographical and is the town in Montana based on where you grew up? 

I started thinking about this novel when I was ten years old. Because of my French neighbor, I longed to visit France. I came here as a teaching assistant (assistante de langue vivante) and later got a job at the Library. The two story lines came together.

The part of Lily that is auto-biographical is her longing to leave her small town. She thinks that bigger is better and wants to live in a city. When we are young like Lily, we don’t always know how lucky we are.

To me, the whole point of The Paris Library is the transmission of stories, through books but also through listening to other people. In this way, we keep loved ones alive. Lily, a teen in Montana, has taken in all of the stories of the people at the American Library. Without Lily's story, my book has absolutely no point. The joy of life is sharing our stories and listening to others.

The book has been a remarkable success so far, with five printings so far in the U.S., and it’s been translated in over 30 languages. The reviews from critics and readers have been excellent. Which reviews/comments resonated most for you and if there was any negative reviews/comments, was there any you thought that were unjustified? 

Everyone has the right to their opinion. The novel resonates with some people and doesn’t resonate with others. I would disagree with only one review. It stated that the Parisian librarians who were dealing with the Nazis and Gestapo could have done more. This criticism is easy to make from an armchair in 2021. These librarians walked a fine line to keep the American Library in Paris open. Because of their courage against all odds during the war, the Library remains open today. 

You worked at the American Library in Paris. Can you tell us what your job was and what the experience was like? Did working there plant the seeds for you to write the book? 

I was the programs manager and had the privilege of inviting speakers – novelists, journalists, art historians – to speak every Wednesday. At each event, it was inspiring to hear writers speak, but nerve-wracking, too, because we never knew if 20 or 200 people would attend.

The members make the Library special. What is fascinating about the place is the cross-section of readers – students, writers, folks on a budget, millionaires, conservatives, liberals. People whose paths would normally never cross find communion at Evenings with Author events. Sixty nationalities are represented in the membership. 

I arrived in Paris in 1998. Though I was a member as well as a volunteer, I did not hear about the story of the courageous librarians who carried books to Jewish readers until I worked at the Library in 2012. 

What actors would you envision if they adapted The Paris Library into a film or TV series? 

The director Audrey Chapuis, is glamorous, dedicated, and insightful. She would make a wonderful Dorothy Reeder. (I include a photo of her and Miss Reeder side by side.)

CLICK HERE to order your copy of The Paris Library.

Marvelous Marais Tour

Please join me for my live Marvelous Marais Tour 

April 7- 4PM-Paris Time, 10AM-East Coast, 9AM Mid-West. and 7AM California/West Coast time 

CLICK HERE to reserve your place – You don’t need a Facebook account to watch it 

I look forward to seeing you there. 

Book Giveaway: Paris Blue by Julie Skolnick

American Flutist and author, Julie Scolnik, has kindly offered a second give away of her book through my blog.  We did one for her when the book first came out in 2021, and it resonated deeply with Eye Prefer Paris readers. Since there are so many new subscribers now, since then we decided to promote a second giveaway. 

From acclaimed concert flutist and the artistic director of Mistral Music comes an inspirational and heartfelt memoir about young love, heartache, and the role of memory in our lives. Set against a magical backdrop of classical music and Paris in the late 70’s, Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love is a true fairy-tale memoir (with a dark underbelly) about the tenacious grip of first love.

 

PARIS, 1976: Twenty-year-old American student Julie Scolnik arrives in the City of Light to study the flute when, from across a sea of faces in the chorus of the Orchestre de Paris, she is drawn to Luc, a striking (married) French lawyer in the bass section. This deeply moving tale of an ebullient young American and a reserved Frenchman will transport readers to the cafés, streets, and concert halls of Paris in the late seventies, and, spanning three decades, evolves from deep romance to sudden heartbreak, and finally to a lifelong quest for answers to release hidden immutable grief. A deeply felt, bittersweet reflection on how youthful passion changes you and clings to you forever.

The 10^th person who makes a comment on the link below, will receive a copy of the book. 

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2024/09/book-giveaway-paris-blue-by-julie-skolnick-.html

Here is the USA Amazon Link.

Here is French amazon link. 

Scolnik has garnered over 20 awards since its publication, and a quote on for its cover by John Irving.

Book Giveaway: Untold Paris: The Secret History of the City of Light by John Baxter

 

As always, I am proud and happy to give away a new book by John Baxter, Untold Paris: The Secret History of the City of Light.

John is the most prolific writer I know. He writes at least one book every years, plus publishes lengthy and entertaining posts on his Substack platform. 

Here’s the synopsis of Untold Paris: The Secret History of the City of Light: 

How was Ernest Hemingway received by the city he wrote so much about, and where did he rub shoulders with other literary greats? Are Parisian waiters really as rude as their reputation, and why do they race each other down the street in the annual Course des Garcons de Café? And where can you find fascinating remnants of the city’s history of violent revolution, jazz music, and bold artistic movements?

From the reality of the city’s café culture and its literary luminaries, to some of its more curious landmarks, obscure events, and unusual inhabitants, Untold Paris will give the first-time visitor a vivid impression of the city and offer seasoned travelers a new vision of the city they love.

The people, the quirks, peculiarities, charms, and eccentricities; the history and secrets. Welcome to the untold Paris.

John has been kind enough to offer a free copy of Untold Paris to Eye Prefer Paris readers. 

The 12^th person who makes a comment on the link below, will receive a copy of the book. 

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2024/07/book-giveaway-untold-paris-the-secret-history-of-the-city-of-light-by-john-baxter-.html

CLICK HERE to purchase a copy of Untold Paris: The Secret History of the City of Light.on Amazon (Kindle copies are only $4.99.) 

 

Book Giveaway: Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

 

I am thrilled to announce the publication today of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles. Janet wrote the best-selling book The Paris Library in 2021, which has been translated into 37 languages.  

The synopsis of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade: 1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

Janet has generously donated a free copy of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade to give away on Eye Prefer Paris. 

The eight person who makes a comment on the link below, will receive a copy of the book. 

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2024/04/book-giveaway-miss-morgans-book-brigade-by-janet-skeslien-charles.html

Here’s the link to purchase a copy of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

https://www.jskesliencharles.com/order-the-book

Book Giveaway: Of Love and Paris by John Baxter

I am always excited when John Baxter writes a new book, and his latest is Of Love and Paris Romantic and Obsessive Liaisons, which looks to be a juicy and entertaining book.

Here’s a synopsis of the book.

The French may not have invented love, but they perfected it, and the laboratory in which they did so was Paris. James Joyce called the city "a lamp for lovers, hung in the wood of the world."

From the Middle Ages, Paris has drawn those who wish to experience the limits of love – intellectual, spiritual, and carnal. In Of Love and Paris, John Baxter turns the spotlight on some of them, from the medieval troubadours who seduced court ladies with flowery verse to Man Ray, whose camera conferred immortality on his lover and model Kiki, and Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, who turned their moans of sexual pleasure into music. The grandes horizontales of the belle epoque, accomplished technicians of eroticism who drew the rich and powerful of both sexes to Paris, had their modern incarnation in Gala, who left the bed she shared with poet Paul Éluard and painter Max Ernst to seduce the young Salvador DalÍ.

Love in Paris, however, can take unexpected forms. Was the devotion to Marcel Proust of his housekeeper CÉleste Albaret any less passionate than that of Anne Desclos to Jean Paulhan, for whom she composed "the strangest love letter any man ever received"—the notorious novel Story of O, the predecessor of Fifty Shades of Grey? Love has a multitude of faces, and some of the most mysterious and surprising are unveiled in Of Love and Paris.

John has been generous enough to offer two copies of Of Love and Paris.

The fifth and tenth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2023/09/book-giveaway-of-love-and-paris-by-john-baxter-.html

will receive a copy of Of Love and Paris.

CLICK HERE to purchase a copy on Amazon.

 

Book Giveaway: Café Society by Joanie Osburn

I am truly excited to be giving away a copy of Café Society -Time Suspended: The Cafés & Bistros of Paris by Joanie Osburn. I have received dozens of books in the past 17 years to giveaway on Eye Prefer Paris, and Café Society is one of my favorites. The comprehensive, coffee table book is divided into 14 Parts along with hundreds of glorious photos the author, Joanie Osburn took in the 30 plus years she has been coming to Paris.

1. Paris and its Cafes
2. The Look and the Feel
3. The Food & Drink
4. Café Society
5. The People Who Make Café Society
6. The Time of the Day
7. The Time of the Year
8. Les Quartiers: Historic, Trendy, & Local Haunts
9. In Search of Lost Time
10. The Paris Café in the Early Twentieth Century
11. Looking Forward: Trending in a Good Way
12. A Little History: From Coffee to Café
13. Au Revoir …et a bientôt
14. Adresses

The book is exquisitely designed by my friend and great designer Louise Brody, and I’ve browsed through it at least a half a dozen times so far, fully devouring it.

The tenth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2023/05/book-giveaway-café-society-by-joanie-osburn.html

will receive a copy of Café Society.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address.

If you don’t win the contest, I still urge you to buy Café Society, you will treasure it.

CLICK HERE to order on Amazon

I had the pleasure of interviewing Joanie Osburn, the author, when she was in Paris last month promoting the book at her favorite café, Le Select on Blvd. Montparnasse. Below are the questions and answers.

When was the first time you visited Paris and what was the first café you visited?

Decades ago, between Junior and Senior year at university. Café Flore and Deux Magots, of course, and there were no lines to get in.

I love the clever cover of the book. Please tell us about your cup collection.

Wherever I travel, I find that cafés are where you can get the sense of a place, the attitude of the people, the energy and spirit. The espresso cups are a beautiful memory for me of each café in each city or village I’ve visited.  The design of each cup is beautiful on its own and I love how they look together.

If someone only has a few days in Paris, what three cafes do you recommend they go to?

Each arrondissement has wonderful cafés, so I do recommend wandering and finding some that are filled with locals. On rive gauche I like La Palette on art gallery street, rue de Seine, and Le Select in Montparnasse, among multitudes of other favorites. On rive droit, Au Petit Fer à Cheval, Fouquet’s, and Café Charlot are always lively and consistently good.

How many years did it take you to put together the book and how did you organize your research?

I started with the idea twenty years ago, but we had a very busy architecture studio, a showroom at the San Francisco Design Center, and a café and retail store in Napa, so I had to abandon the work until we slowed down these enterprises. I began working on the book in earnest in 2018. By then I had thousands of Paris café photos that I had taken with various cameras for decades. I organized the book into chapters, defining the key points of café life I wanted to highlight, and built the book in much the same way as a design project. It was released by my publisher December 27, 2022.

What are your top cafes for food?

Since my book is about the cafés and bistros of Paris, I’m going to include Bistro du Peintre, Le Mesturet, Café Varenne, Le Comptoir, L’Escargot Montorgueil, and Chez Paul.

What’s your favorite neighborhood in Paris and why?

Montparnasse is my territory. It was ground zero for artists, writers, and intellectuals from around the globe in Les années folles (our roaring 20’s) and I can’t stop reading every book about that time and those people. Nor can I stay away from the five haunts that have remained and retained their spirit: La Coupole, Le Select, Le Dôme, La Rotonde, and La Closerie des Lilas.

If you can invite one person, living or dead, to a café, who would it be?

Audrey Hepburn is having a moment in Paris now, so let’s invite her.

The book has been sent to several VIPs. Can you tell us who they are?

President Macron, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, and President Biden all have the book. It’s available at Amazon, Rizzoli, Barnes and Noble, Shakespeare and Co., the Drugstore, Musée Carnavalet, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Galeries Lafayette, and Galignani book shop, Paris.

You are visiting Vienna after Paris. How do you compare their cafes with the Paris cafes?

They are so very different. In Vienna, Prague, and Budapest cafés are mostly indoors only with few terraces. They serve various coffees with whipped cream, cakes, and minimal to no food. The spirit is subdued, unlike the lively Paris cafés. Sadly, many beautiful old cafés in Central Europe have been remodeled and have lost their original architectural features.

Book Giveaway: The French Queen’s Curse by Juliette Lauber

I am pleased to give away a copy of The French Queen’s Curse: In Queen Margot's Gardens by Juliette Lauber, the second book in the Kikki Trieste Trilogy.

Véronique “Kikki” Trieste international entertainment lawyer, moonlighting as a time traveler and a 21st Century High Priestess, answers a plea from the ghost of Queen Marguerite de Valois, “La Reine Margot,” daughter of the treacherous Queen Catherine de Medici, to break a 400-year-old curse. Two ancient secret societies are pitted against each other—one, the Knights of the Holy Swords of God, aiming to destroy—the other, the Daughters of the Goddess Inanna, intent on saving the City of Light. Kikki crosses time and dimension to the 16th century through past life visions to help Margot flee Paris with her newborn daughter.

I was recently introduced to Juliette by a mutual friend and we had drinks together last week. Juliette has had a fascinating career as an international entertainment lawyer and author. She lived in Paris, on and off, for about 20 years, and lived around the corner from me on rue Saint Paul for a stint.

The seventh person (Lucky 7) who leaves a comment at the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2023/03/book-giveaway-the-french-queens-curse-by-juliette-lauber-.html

will receive a copy of The French Queen’s Curse by Juliette Lauber.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address.

Good luck!

CLICK HERE to purchase The French Queen’s Curse.

https://juliettelauber.com/the-french-queens-curse/

Book Giveaway: The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams

I am happy to be giving away a copy of The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams by M.J. Rose.

Relying on dual narratives – one via Belperron in Paris during the occupation in 1942, the other via auction house appraiser Violine Duplessi in 1986 New York City – THE JEWELER OF STOLEN DREAMS focuses on the mysterious contents of a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk and tells a tale of romance, courage, beauty, vengeance, and (ultimately) redemption.  

Violine Duplessi’s success as an appraiser has always been augmented by a unique magical trait: she can read an antique object’s history and learn about its owner just by touching it. This talent has always served her well in a commercial sense – even if it sometimes comes at great cost to her personal life – but it takes on new meaning when she meets up with Paul Osgood, a legacy candidate for the Senate and the heir to the famed Osgood Manor. There, amid the grandeur of the family estate, Violine is instantly drawn to the thrum of the Vuitton trunk and, within it, the discovery of a stash of magnificent jewels that provoke equally nightmarish visions as well as a series of urgent questions: who did these jewels belong to and why are they hidden in this trunk? Is their mysterious provenance hiding some sort of sinister secret? And, if so, how will that impact Paul’s Senate campaign, as well as Violine’s burgeoning romance with the candidate? 

Meanwhile, in 1942, Suzanne Belperron is under fire in Paris. Known as one an innovative jeweler who sells to stars and society, she has become a high-profile target for the Nazis, who are in control of France. Despite this, Madame Belperron is secretly conspiring with American socialite Dixie Osgood as part of the Resistance, helping Jewish families flee the country at great personal risk to herself. But when the Nazis arrest her longtime business partner and lover, Bernard Herz, Madame Belperron knows that this danger is closer than it has ever been – and that her connections and fame may not be enough to save Bernard Herz’s life. 

THE JEWELER OF STOLEN DREAMS masterfully pulls together these two narrative threads in a transportive, immersive tale that takes Violine on a byzantine journey that connects all the characters in a thrilling portrait of the resilience of the human spirit’s ability to find beauty, and even love, in the darkest of settings.   

The eighth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2023/02/book-giveaway-the-jeweler-of-stolen-dreams.html

will receive a copy of The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams by M.J. Rose.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address.

CLICK HERE to purchase a copy on Amazon

Book Giveaway: Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

I am pleased as punch to give away a copy of the wonderful new book, Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah. Jacqueline in Paris is a fictionalized account of when young Jacqueline Bouvier, at twenty-years old, spends her junior year abroad from Vassar College in Paris from 1949 to 1950. She lives in a sprawling apartment with a countess and her two daughters, who are still living with the aftermath of being part of the Resistance in WW II. Jacqueline is thrusted into a world of Champagne, chateaux, art, the avant-garde theater, jazz clubs, and cafes, and eventually has a romantic relationship with a promising writer.

The glowing reviews have been unanimous and Kirkus says it’s a “delightful and surprisingly insightful novel” (Kirkus, starred review) while bringing “insight and vivid details to young Jacqueline Bouvier’s adventurous spirit” (Publishers Weekly).

Ann is also an accomplished food and travel writer and has been published in the NY Times, The Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, and Vogue.

In 2018, I did a YouTube video with Ann, where she took me to an off the beaten path café to try the best aligoté in Paris. CLICK HERE to view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRHIW7Oitw

The fifth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2022/10/book-giveaway-jacqueline-in-paris-by-ann-mah-.html

will receive a copy of Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address. 

CLICK HERE to buy a copy on Amazon.

 

Cookbook Giveaway: Everyday French Cooking by Wini Moranville

I am delighted that my friend and wonderful cookbook writer Wini Moranville asked if I would post about her new book. Please see her note below.

A few years ago, Richard was so kind to help me get word out about my cookbook, The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid Food That French Women Cook Every Day.

I’m excited to share that a new paperback edition of this book has just been published. Better yet, my publisher is offering a giveaway to readers of this blog.

The paperback is called Everyday French Cooking: Modern French Cuisine Made Simple . For this new edition, I scrupulously pared down the recipe list to only include only recipes that were truly everyday in nature — recipes French home cooks (who are just as busy as we are) would truly prepare any night of the week, whether feeding the family on a Tuesday night or casually entertaining friends on the weekend. And I added a some fresh, contemporary, and simple recipes I’ve discovered since the first edition was published.

Best of all, the new book has photos — dozens of great photos that I hope will further inspire you to bring a slice of France to your table.

Here are four photos from the book. Which dish would you make first?

Pizza Bergère

Salmon with White Wine, Leeks, and Pernod

Pork Chops with Mustard-Caper Sauce

Classic French Fruit Tart

To enter the giveaway, you can: either:

1. Tell us (in the comments section) which of the above dishes you’d make first if you were to get your hands on a copy.
OR
2. Sign up for my All Things French e-newsletter, which I send out about once a month.

A winner will be chosen randomly from the responses and the signups. Note: U.S. addresses only. 

We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Pizza Bergère

Salmon with White Wine, Leeks, and Pernod

Pork Chops with Mustard-Caper Sauce

Classic French Fruit Tart

 

Book Giveaway- Paris Blue, A New Memoir by Julie Scolnik

Today is the publishing date of Paris Blue, a new memoir by Julie Scolnik, and Julie has generously gifted two copies of the book for Eye Prefer Paris readers. The second and fifth person to comment on this post will receive a copy of the book. (Your mailing address must be in the continental U.S. to be eligible). Subscribers, click on "Book Giveaway- Paris Blue, A New Memoir by Julie Scolnik" on the email you receive, which will take you to https://www.ipreferparis.net/  where you can leave a comment on the bottom. 

Paris Blue is now available on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, and through all independent booksellers.  All info at www.JulieScolnik.com. Here is a 1-minute book trailer.

Synopsis

PARIS, 1976: Twenty-year-old American student Julie Scolnik had just arrived in the City of Light to study the flute when, from across a sea of faces in the chorus of the Orchestre de Paris, she is drawn to Luc, a striking (married) French lawyer in the bass section.  This moving tale of an ebullient young American and a reserved Frenchman will transport readers to the cafés, streets, and concert halls of Paris in the late seventies, and, spanning three decades, evolves from deep romance to sudden heartbreak, and finally to a lifelong quest for answers to release hidden immutable grief.

Against a magical backdrop of Paris and classical music, Paris Blue is true fairy-tale memoir (with a dark underbelly) about the tenacious grip of first love. 

A few praises from other authors:

“Not every true story is like a good novel, but this one is. Not every memoir of first love has a satisfying ending, but this one does. The confluence of first love with becoming an artist makes this memoir special.” John Irving

“Julie Scolnik’s beautiful page turner of a memoir captures with beauty and rare insight the power of music, words, and Paris to drive love to madness. To read her pitch perfect writing is to relive the exhilarations and vulnerabilities of one’s twenties.” — Judith Coffin, author of Sex, Love, and Letters: Writing Simone de Beauvoir

"Paris Blue gives melody to our common fancy: that Paris is where all great romances play out. Julie Scolnik’s memoir, recalling for us the myopia of innocence, returns us to our own first loves while establishing itself as a riveting tale both unique and universal.”   —Gregory Maguire, novelist, and author of Wicked

“Paris Blue, Julie Scolnik’s memoir of first love in Paris, is written with the tender romanticism of Wordsworth and the devastating realism of Flaubert. Her lyrical writing about music transforms these discordant halves into a compelling whole, creating a dazzling love letter to a life lived in music.” Linda Katherine Cutting, author of  Memory Slips

“The haunting impact of our first true and deep love stays with us the remainder of our lives, and all of us struggle in some way to put those emotions - the exultation, the revelries of passion and belonging, and the ultimate scars of loss - into a workable context.  This book explores the process, including the barriers, the relapses and the ultimate conclusion that one's life needs to find its own forms.”  Greg Fields, author of Arc of the Comet and Through the Waters and the Wild

"Paris Blue could speak to anyone who's ever yearned for closure that never came. But Julie Scolnik's memoir doesn't simply try to make sense of a bewildering romance; through telling the story she manages to bless the past, in all its complexity, while giving herself fully to the present. - Leah Hager Cohen, author of Strangers and Cousins and The Grief of Others

“Nothing burns hotter than young love, and Julie Scolnik captures that singular fervor in ‘Paris Blue.’ But her memoir is more than that: it’s a deeply felt, bittersweet reflection on how youthful passion changes you and clings to you, forever.”  Howard Reich, author “The Art of Inventing Hope: Intimate Conversations with Elie Wiesel”

Julie Scolnik's memoir, Paris Blue, brings full spectrum color to a love affair with Paris, music, and a man whose limited vision couldn't keep her from shining. Filled with sensuousness, sound, and light, as well as the hard edge of truth, this story of first love grips the reader tight.  —Jennifer Rosner, author of The Yellow Bird Sings