A Paris All Your Own: Best-Selling Women Writers on the City of Light

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 100 ratings

Price: 13.78

Last update: 01-03-2025


About this item

A collection of all-new Paris-themed essays written by some of the biggest names in women's fiction, including Paula McLain, Therese Anne Fowler, Maggie Shipstead, and Lauren Willig, edited by Eleanor Brown, the New York Times best-selling author of The Weird Sisters and The Light of Paris.

"My time in Paris," says New York Times best-selling author Paula McLain (The Paris Wife), "was like no one else's ever." For each of the 18 best-selling authors in this warm, inspiring, and charming collection of personal essays on the City of Light, nothing could be truer.

While all of the women writers featured here have written books connected to Paris, their personal stories of the city are wildly different. Meg Waite Clayton (The Race for Paris) and M. J. Rose (The Book of Lost Fragrances) share the romantic secrets that have made Paris the destination for lovers for hundreds of years. Susan Vreeland (The Girl in Hyacinth Blue) and J. Courtney Sullivan (The Engagements) peek behind the stereotype of snobbish Parisians to show us the genuine kindness of real people.

From book club favorites Paula McLain, Therese Anne Fowler (Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald), and anthology editor Eleanor Brown (The Light of Paris) to mystery writer Cara Black (Murder in the Marais), historical author Lauren Willig (The Secret History of the Pink Carnation), and memoirist Julie Powell (Julie and Julia), these Parisian memoirs range from laugh-out-loud funny to wistfully romantic to thoughtfully somber and reflective.

Perfect for armchair travelers and veterans of Parisian pilgrimages alike, listeners will delight in these brand-new tales from their most beloved authors.

Read by Kimberly Farr, Cassandra Campbell, Susan Denaker, Emily Rankin, and Alana Kerr Collins


Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Guide
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2023
    A dear friend just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris, so got her this book so that she could hold on to the memories a little longer. I read this book several years ago and truly enjoyed it. Two subsequent trips to Paris were greatly enhanced by the individual stories and handy recommendations made by each author. Even if you don’t have plans to travel, the book is a lovely reverie of Paris experiences.
  • Susan Roberts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Paris
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2017
    I must start this review by telling you that I travel a lot and Paris is absolutely my favorite city to visit. If I was a little younger and a lot braver, I would probably live there but I think its a little late in life for me to make such a change. I love reading books about Paris when I can't be there and this book didn't disappoint me - in fact, I loved it. I have read books by all 18 of the authors who contributed and since they all write different types of books, the essays all took different slants on their love or lack of love for Paris. As with any anthology, I loved some of the essays and wasn't too crazy about others. Whether you've visited Paris or want to visit or just enjoy reading about that beautiful city, this is a great book to read.
  • P. Beckwith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
    Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017
    This book was everything I hoped it would be. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was edited and put together so well. Even the size, weight, and the tactile experience was lovely with this book. The memoirs, with each author contributing an experience of Paris, were also a pleasure. Each one was unique and this created a complete and complex whole, with a variety of tones and voices. The overriding theme was that Paris is a unique city, different than anywhere else, and each person has her own Paris.
  • John D. Johnson
    4.0 out of 5 stars My mother loved it
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2023
    We both love Paris. She got this from me as a gift. Maybe someday I’ll be at Mom’s so I can borrow it.
  • Katherine Watt
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely anthology of wonderful women writers
    Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017
    Like Parisian sunflower seeds... you just want to keep munching on these. I'm a frequent traveler to Paris and so many of these essays resonated with me. Michelle Gable made me laugh, others made me sigh, some made me a little sad. But this was a great anthology of the varied effects the City of Light has on us at different times in our lives.

    "Joy is happiness with no strings attached". That is my Paris.
  • Barbara J. Winter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: reading this book may have you packing your bags
    Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2017
    Even though I expected to enjoy this book, it surpassed my expectations. It's a delightful reminder that travel is a highly personal experience, even if we are visiting a place that tourists swarm to see. The variety of experiences and adventures had me longing to pay a return visit. Don't be surprised if you find yourself ready to pack your bags and discover your own Paris.
  • Susan M
    5.0 out of 5 stars inspirational and funny. High marks good given for candid and honest ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2017
    Paris inspires the imagination. This collection of essays were written by women who have lived there, Their experiences were varied: pleasant, memorable, unhappy, lonely, inspirational and funny. High marks good given for candid and honest insights.

    Very interesting points of view
  • ZeeMom
    3.0 out of 5 stars Stories about Paris are always good stories
    Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020
    In these difficult times I appreciate a book of essays that doesn’t tax my brain to work around a complex plot, reminds me of my trips to the most beautiful city in the world, and is simply pleasant and of happy subject. All of the essays are well written, although some are more interesting than others. But in general, I had fun vicariously experiencing the experiences of other women in this most glorious of cities.

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