Paris to the Past: Traveling through French History by Train

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Overview

In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. “[An] enchanting travelogue” (Publishers Weekly), Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Jonathan Yardley
Caro’s enthusiasm for France is appealing…
—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
The French rail system makes the country and its history a day-tripper’s delight in this enchanting travelogue. Historian Caro (The Road from the Past: Traveling Through French History) recounts daylong outings from her Paris base camp to points near, by Métro, or far, by high-speed train. French architecture and civilization unfold through the buildings and towns she visits: churches progress from the first Gothic cathedral at St.-Denis to the secular temple of the Panthéon; grim medieval fortresses give way to airy Loire chateaus and splendiferous baroque palaces. Writing with a keen eye for the design and atmospherics of these places and their surroundings (especially local restaurants), Caro makes them way stations on a sprightly tour of French history, regaling readers with piquant stories of the people who built, conquered, and remodeled them. Almost despite itself, the book is a seductive evocation of the ancien régime: aristocrats were rapacious brutes, Caro allows, but she can’t resist their castles, tastes, and sexual intrigues. ("'Kill him! Here, take my garters and strangle the wretch,’" was the sentence Marguerite de Valois pronounced to one lover who murdered another.) The result is a charming, rapturous guide to la Belle France that tells you where to go—and why. (June)
Library Journal
While researching her previous book, The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France, Caro discovered that a great deal of French history could be visited by train from Paris in 90 minutes or fewer. Her newest book is both a travelog and a history written in a conversational style, which makes for an excellent jumping-off point for any traveler interested in French history. Caro summarizes 700 years of French history and combines it with excellent descriptions of examples of architecture from each period, from well-known sites like Versailles to such gems as the cathedral at Chartres. She also recommends her favorite restaurants and lets readers know which sites are best left alone. Descriptions of train stations, metro lines, and regional transit trains are enough to get one going, but many may find an additional guidebook helpful in locating accommodations and particular stations. VERDICT While lacking hard travel details, the book combines historical information and delight in travel in a way that renders it an excellent guide for those traveling to France, whether by plane or armchair.—Sara Miller, Atlanta-Fulton P.L. Syst., Roswell, GA

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780393343151
  • Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
  • Publication date: 4/16/2012
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 226,700
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Ina Caro
Ina Caro

Ina Caro, author of the best-selling The Road from the Past, is an authority on medieval and modern French history. She lives in New York with her husband, the acclaimed biographer Robert A. Caro.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 5 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews
  • Posted May 6, 2012

    This is an excellent book, personal enough to be charming, yet a

    This is an excellent book, personal enough to be charming, yet accurate and filled with facts. It's so easy to overwhelm readers with historical information (and I admit, I'm still a little fuzzy about all those kings and their female companions) but Ina Caro manages to intersperse architecture and history with restaurant and hotel suggestions. (I saw one and two star reviews that had no text; I doubt the writers read the book.)

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2012

    Excellent book if you are traveling to France

    I found this book fascinating and informative. In addition to providing historical background for each of the sites she visited, Caro gives useful travel information, including what to see and what to avoid. I seldom read every word (or even page) of a travel book; I could not put this one down. I highly recommend it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 2, 2011

    Highly recommended

    Whether you use this as a richly informative travel guide, or as a source of armchair enjoyment, this book deserves a place in your library. Caro maps out journeys from Paris to sites rich with historical importance -- and because she organizes the trips by chronological order of the historical importance of the sites, as you read you get a good feel for the sweep of French history. Delightfully readable.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 17, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 1, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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