Loved this history of one street in Paris in the 1920s-30s. Starts off with the sheer enjoyment of getting to know these bonkers, picaresque-type characters - but the tone darkens as France heads towards war - quite tragic. GREAT writing.

I first knew Paul as a writer of mysteries set in Africa and Paris, but recently discovered in another memoir that he had been an active journalist in interwar Paris in the great days of the expatriate American writers

As a Paris memoir, this is about as good as it gets. Paul is a writer and journalist who lived and worked in Paris during the twenties and thirties. He lived on the left bank in a small street. The book focuses on all the unique characters who lived on the street, and is wonderfully evocative of how life was lived day to day by Parisians. He also provides insight as to French resentment arising from US aid to Germany, coincident with demands that France repay it's war debt to it. Paul enjoyed food, wine and women and writes accordingly. You can go to Google Maps and walk down Paul,s street; however, there appears little remaining of the places he frequented or stayed. The architecture does remain the same. ( )

One in Mr. Paul's series: "Items on the Grand Account", this one covers his reminiscences of life in pre- Nazi invasion Paris. There's some real interesting stuff in here about life in France at the time and about the geography of the city as well. I like Mr. Paul's style and he seems like someone I would enjoy having dinner with. ( )