France Books

Sophie Freud's new book is more than a history of a famous family in the 20thc, but a history of the century in itself. The long arc of Germany's attempt to achieve at least European, if not worldwide, supremacy, is told through the eyes of a family that lived it.

The book is neither long nor hard to read, therefore, I was disappointed when Sophie thanks her editors for helping her cut it down. I want to read it all. Basically the book is Sophie's mother's autobiography. Said Ernestine, who liked to be called Esti married Martin Freud, one of Sigmund Freud's sons. She wrote her book late in her life, and her writings are in Roman type, whereas Sophie's comments are in italics, and thus this whole book which was written AND edited by Sophie becomes a dual biography.

Accompanying the stories of these 2 women are many, many letters written by other members of the Freud family, and from them we can make our own judgements about the people and compare them to the ones that Sophie makes. These other letters are in various fonts.

The mother, Esti, seems at first to be a simple lovely girl in love with Martin, but Sigmund says of her "she is not only maliciously meshugge but also mad in the medical sense." We see this in the early years of their marriage. Talk about dysfunctional families!

The family split up in 1938: Esti and Sophie went to Paris, and Martin and his son, Walter, went to London. For the next 4 years mother and daughter struggled to keep alive, to find decent lodging and food, and to keep barely one step ahead of Hitler as he ran down France. Vichy France became a haven for the Freuds for a while, but eventually they went to Casablanca and then to Lisbon, and finally to the USA. (The movie "Casablanca" may have been fiction, but it was a fiction that many people really lived.)

I have to admire both women who essentially became trilingual in a very short time. For all of Esti's complaining and bitterness (her letters to Walter during the war years must have been devastating to the young man who could do nothing to help). But as a speech therapist, Esti, who first taught in Vienna, learned to teach both in France and then in the USA. Sophie went straight from the lycee in France (already a 2nd language for her) to Radcliffe College. Both women earned Ph.Ds.

Don't be dismayed by the family tree at the beginning. In fact, ignore it at first. However, I wish that dates had been included. The important characters will become clear upon reading. At times the book sounds like a novel, but it is not. Sophie and her brother were thus separated for most of their lives. Walter died not long before Sophie finished the book and his children found about 200 letters from their mother to him. Although most of this book was finished, Sophie had to incorporate many of them into her new publication.

This is a sad book, but who cannot say that the 20th c, esp. the first half, was not sad, in the deepest sense of the word? I enoyed the book thoroughly and I think you will as well. Do not expect to find out much about Sigmund however - that is reserved for other books. You will find out about many members of both the Freud and Drucker (Esti's family) families - some uplifting news and some destructive habits. Many of the Freud family were able to escape Austria, but many were not and were thus exterminated. The last page of the book which contains the final words of both Esti and Sophie (for now at least - let's hope she writes more) is indeed sad. I did not mind reading it early on. You choose.

Sophie Freud's recent book, Living Under the Shadow of the Freud Family, is most interesting and compelling. She masterfully interweaves perspectives on the private (and public) lives of her family and herself, thus offering a memoir that at times reads like a first-rate novel.

Professor Freud's wit, mischievousness, and clear-eyed vision pervades the various narratives and adds a most important and entertaining dimension--not only in her diary entries but in her numerous candid and often wonderfully blunt assessments of others (family members, professors, etc.) and in her self-reflexive comments (e.g. when she reflects puckishly that she may be writing this book to display her own achievements for the Annee Scolaire prize--"who knows, perhaps I am writing this book just for that purpose"). It is this kind of serious play, throughout, that makes this memoir so very readable and revealing, at the same time Sophie Freud's commentary or her mother's autobiographical narrative or numerous letters continue to remind readers of the shadow of her grandfather and other relatives (Tante Janne, her brother, her father, et al. ) and of the sinister shadow of Hitler and WW2 which impinges trenchantly on the lives of the Freud family, not to mention the world. I am reminded of the author, W.G, Sebald, photos included. In short, among other things, I have come away with a very deep and complex feeling for Professor Freud's mother, along with multiple insights into her own fascinating self.

This book is a fascinating read, both in terms of family dynamics and world history. Through letters, diaries and commentary from various family members, Sophie Freud (Sigmund Freud's granddaughter) gives life to her mother Esti, including her troubled marriage to Freud's son Martin, her struggle to be accepted by the Freud family, and her difficult relationships with her children. The book also has moments of historic drama, such as when Sophie and her mother flee Paris by bicycle two days before the Nazis invade. There are also bits of humor, such as when the teenage Sophie's diary reveals that she is much more concerned about boys, her figure, and finishing her qualifying exams than she is about the approaching Nazis. Overall, the book provides unique insight into a complicated (and famous) family at an especially charged time in history. I really enjoyed it.Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family

Sophie Freud, the author of this wonderful book, has kept a diary most of her life, as did her mother, Esti, along with many letters and documents of her fractured family. These documents are the scaffolding of a compelling story of romance, marriage, betrayal, escape and ultimately, the need to reinvent one's self in another country. Ms.Freud uses these papers (in French and German), along with her own commentary and that of her brother. The tale of her escape from Paris on a bicycle with her mother is vivid. She also uses photographs of her family and documents which increase the appeal of the book.
For anyone interested in a life of the twentieth century, with war, loss and emigration, this is a wonderful book.

Another great book in the sketchbook series wandering through the Loire. High quality paper and printing, great art work and relaxed prose make for a fabulous book - highly recommended

I purchased this book because I had seen other books with paintings by Fabrice Maireau, and really liked them. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would, before I purchased. I hadn't realized the area has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the sketchbook helps provide an insite to the area.

thank you very much!!!!!not only the book arrived in a reasonably short time, but it was in perfect conditions, really as new!I'll buy again from this seller.

we were in the Loire valley May-2005, we took a lot of pictures, but the drawing in this book are even more close to the images left in mind.

We love London, and this sketchbook reminds us of our past trips. The text by Marcus Binney also supports the sketches. Although they are only considered sketches, I love the artwork. I am now getting other sketchbooks by Graham Byfield, and by the publisher, St. Martins Press.

Graham Byfield's watercolor impressions of the city of London beautifully captures the spirit of the city, be it Central London, the East End, West London, North London, or South of the River. The watercolors are sumptuous to look at [the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St James' Palace, Berkeley Square] - each is a work of beauty and paints a vivid picture in one's mind. The notes accompanying the watercolors provide us with more information on the buildings and make for interesting reading. All in all, a wonderful collection of watercolors about London, and a must-have for collectors.

the quality of the book is one of the best features to me. It is a very heavy paper stock and really helps carry the sketchbook feel, along with the little hand written notes on the sides. overall a great book for anyone who loves london.

This is a beautiful work of art for anyone who loves to look outside the well known sites of London, although that is there as well. I thorougly enjoy picking it up and having a read about the various sections and looking at the illustrations that will remind you of your time there or desire to go. The layout and illustrations brings to mind what a Grand Tour participant would have created upon visiting a new city.

Wonderful, just wonderful.

Rene Chartrand provides in this series an insightful look into the French army of this period, its formations and basic organization as well as the caliber of its troops, with great detail to its unforms which are well illustrated by Eufene Leliepvre.

Truly on an organizational level the French army is quite impressive though its performance a shadow of what it had been under its previous monarch.

This book provides a lot of information about French Colonial and Naval troops that would be very hard to find anywhere else. A must read for any French and Indain War New France reenactors.

All five books in this series are magnificent. What makes them great is that they are not in the usual Osprey fashion. Their is no chronology of dates at the begging taking up space; Chartrand jumps right in with organization details, tactics, equipment, armament, and each regiments uniform distinction as it changed through Louis XV reign. The plates are outstanding. Usually for Osprey their only three figures per plate. Not here, 5 and more a plate. With that number it's not cluttered and doesn't detract from the detail. On a last note, I will never have to buy anything else to help me paint my Seven Year War French figures.

This is an interesting, highly accurate work, as are all of Rene Chartrand's books, which covers a period not usually well-covered, or covered at all. The addition of Maitre Eugene Leliepvre's lively, accurate, and colorful artwork only adds to the value and accuracy.

The early history of French light troops is one of trial and error, fits and starts, that tried to catch up to the excellent light troops of the Austrian army that so troubled the French throughout the early and mid eighteenth century. Here in all their Gallic splendor are the regiments of foreign born hussars, dragoons, uhlans, and whatever else the imaginative, energetic, and not always efficient soldiers thought up to raise and send into the fire in central Europe.

Told in a descriptive and accurate fashion, the book is a must for every afficionado of the period. It is also a very good introduction for the later Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods where the French light troops came into their own and began to dominate battlefields.

The addition of Eugene Leliepvre's superb artwork is a definite plus for the book, and ensures it will be used for years to come. This book belongs on the shelf of every enthusiast of this period and the later Napoleonic and revolutionary periods.

Compiled and edited by Nic Maclellan, Louise Michel: Rebel Lives is the dramatic biography of Louise Michel, the fiery leader of the 1871 Paris Commune, a short-lived workers' government created when the city population rose up to exert its will. Also known as "The Red Virgin", Louise Michel was a rebel who spent much of her life on the run, in exile, in jail, or in danger of being locked in a mental asylum. "Louise Michel" tells the story of her life by directly collecting and editing her own words from her memoirs and the insights of her contemporaries. Her story is presented with her sharp-eyed criticism of a society and an era where the only lucrative trade for a woman was prostitution, and tributes to her life and efforts from such prominent figures as Emma Goldman, Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, and much more.

As the treatment of mental health disorders continues to expand outwards, beyond the domain of psychiatric institutions, the nature and implications of intensified psychiatric intervention is a cause for concern for all of us.

A social worker, teacher, and community activist, Diana Ralph takes on contemporary community mental health systems. In a meticulously researched and highly readable work, the growth and change in the definition and treatment of mental health disorders is subjected to a concerned and scholarly scrutiny.

Ralph finds available theories, from the liberal to the Marxist to the radical antipsychiatry approaches, inadequate in accounting for these changes. Instead, she locates the ideological origins of community psychiatry within the tradition of industrial psychology, and is able to show how its operation is linked to the needs of contemporary industrial management in their efforts to diffuse dissatisfaction and alienation in the workplace.
--- from book's back cover

Kliatt, November 2004

MACLELLAN, Nic (ed): Louise Michel (Rebel Lives) Ocean Books.

Louise Michel. a relatively unknown figure outside of her native France, was an activist, an anarchist, and a fighter against racism who is known principally for her role in the short-lived French Commune in the spring of 1871.

A local rebellion, the Paris Commune was a reaction against the provisional government set up by the French after the defeat of Napoleon III by the Prussian armies in the Franco-Prussian War. Michel, a schoolteacher who had read widely in political theory, was fully embroiled in this brief moment of revolutionary ferment, organizing meetings, writing tracts, speaking, and even firing her gun as a fighter in the ranks.

Deported to New Caledonia at the fall of the Commune. she continued to write; and alone among her fellow deportees, championed the native Kanaks, a local tribe that attempted to rebel against French colonial rule. Back in France, she continued to live as she believed, travelling and speaking for the radical and anarchist causes she promoted.

What makes the Rebel Lives series valuable is its presentation of primary source material once the historical background has been carefully laid out in an introduction. Not only are excerpts from Michel's autobiography and letters included, but also brief pieces taken from the works of Engels and Marx writing on the Commune as well as short citations from many others, including Lenin, Emma Goldman (who calls Michel "a complete woman"), and Howard Zinn. Selected reading lists contain books and Web sites in both French and English. A unique resource.

Patricia Moore. Brookline, MA

"Since it seems that any heart which beats for freedom has the right only to a small lump of lead, I demand my share. If you let me live, I shall never stop crying for vengeance, and I shall avenge my brothers by denouncing the[ir] murderers" (p.101).

So said Louise Michel before the court passed sentence on her for participating in the rebellion that became the Paris Commune. The court did not execute her. Instead, it sent her into exile at the prison colony in New Caledonia 20,000 miles from Paris. Even there Michel advocated for the indigenous people of the island (the Kanaks) in their struggle against the French occupiers.

Michel was dubbed the "Red Virgin": "red" because she was an anarchist and "virgin" because her sexual orientation was unclear (as if this mattered) and because she was unattractive. I don't see it. She had a great and beautiful spirit, and I have fallen in love with her.

Ocean Press is to be commended for providing a good introduction to the person of Louise Michel and the times that stirred her and she helped to shape. Through the writings of such notables as Bakunin, Kropotkin, Marx, Engles, Lenin, Emma Goldman, Howard Zinn, the editor's introduction (Nic Maclellan) and Michels herself, we learn about her mixed proletarian and bourgeoisie background, her undying devotion to her mother, her days as a school teacher, her militancy and leadership role during the Paris Commune, her exile in New Caledonia, her return to Paris and her prescient feminism. All in a mere 115 pages. It is quite a feat.

Whether you've been to the Louvre and want to protect and enhance your memories or you just want to see the most beautiful works of art ever collected this is the perfect book! It gives you history, background info and of course amazing pictures! You're next purchase will be plane tickets to Paris!!

I bought this book for my son before I visited the Louvre because he was majoring in art. A few years later, I went to Paris and visited the Louvre. It was great to look through the book after having been there! It's still his book, but it was so wonderful to have it around after experiencing the incredible galleries in person! If you're going to the Louvre, my suggestion would be to really go through this book FIRST... then go to the Louvre! There's so much there it's overwhelming. I wish I'd planned out my visit there after going through the book.

This is a great book. It covers all the art departments of the Louvre and does it in a very concise manner. But it has a peculiar presentation format - too many sidebars and info boxes etc mixed-up with the main text, small pics breaking-up the main text too often, and many times it is not easy to match the sidebar to the pic intuitively.

A true masterpiece. A fresh look at one of the world's most extraordinary museums. I received this book as a gift, and I have truly enjoyed it.

This is a wonderful horse story which helps us (children and adults) realize the benefits of helping others. As we give help, we are blessed. I like the way the story develops. We see how Amy needs and helps the horse and how he needs and helps her. The story ends this way. "I know we gave each other that extra spark in life. Every day could be faced with bright anticipation. We were truly a lucky pair."

At the author's website, you can copy a lesson plan with suggested questions. Search for "Children's Books by Frances Dinkins Strong."

The Hamilton's are looking to purchase a tame enough horse for their nine-year old daughter Amy, when they come across a malnourished horse that is up for sale. Even so after a test ride, he seems to move pretty good, is very quiet and has a great temperament, traces of an equine star. Mr. Hamilton feels he would make a great horse for Amy and by the next day they return to pick him up.

Once home, Amy names him Lucky. It turns out Amy has tunnel vision, can barely see in the light of day and later Lucky goes blind in his right eye. The two build a bond of ever-lasting friendship, one depending on the other.

This is absolutely a delightful tale that reminded me much of the classic movie "The Black Stallion," and much like the movie A Lucky Pair achieves a magical atmosphere that children, as well as adults will enjoy.

Positively one book which will make a wonderful addition to any child's library. Lesson plans are included on the author's website.

Reviewed by Betsie

You don't have to be a lover of horses to appreciate this story about a visually impaired young girl and her horse, Lucky. This can be read and enjoyed by children and parents alike, either as a book older children can read by themselves or have read to them by a parent. A truly inspiring book--I recommend it to all book lovers.

I read The Lucky Pair to my granddaughters, age 5 and 9, and was delighted to discover that my five year old granddaughter immediately recognized that the horse was the talker! They both truly enjoyed the book and were able to use the context to figure out the meanings of most of the advanced words in the story. The ones they could not, I explained to them. Both of them learned so much about what it is like to take care of a horse. This was all new to them. With a new understanding of word meaning and horses, this book provided a wonderful learning experience for them.

The first 50 pages of this "cookbook" is a wonderfully romantic but not romanticized portrait of Marseille and that historic Mediterranean port of call's long history, native customs, literary inspirations, immigrant influences, notorious mischiefs, and recent cultural revival. Recalling the movie "The French Connection," it's hard to think of Marseille as being trendy, yet Daniel Young makes a convincing case, especially through his side-by-side presentation of the local Provence-based cooking and emigre flavors that gives the food its contemporary appeal.

The recipes I have attempted so far have been delicious and very doable (so far I've preferred to try the straightforward, home-style dishes from home cooks (many from grandmothers, others from fishermen) rather than the more elaborate ones from Marseille's restaurant chefs). I can see myself making the Parmesan and black olive biscuits all the time. The Provencal-style eggs in cocotte are terrific and also simple to prepare. My friends loved the basil potato chips and the Moroccan crepes. The soupe au chocolat -- that's right, chocolate soup -- is to die for!

Incidentally, I'm not sure what "Cloudia," my fellow customer reviewer, is talking about when she complains of no index. My copy of the book has a very detailed index where you would expect to find it, in the back (pages 259-272).

It was interesting to learn that Marseille is a great Pizza town and has Pizza trucks complete with North African Pizza styles, but that didn't make me feel like I was there. The recipes all seem very complex and seem to come from the kitchens of fancy restaurants. I did manage to create a halfway decent vegetarian Spinach bouillabaise as inspired by one of the recipes.

Incidentally, I was moving when I wrote this review, and so I goofed. Of course there is an index! I don't know why I thought there wasn't one. So I apologize to the author and review readers for that considerable error.

Alors! robertolov's review is spot on. The author, Daniel Young, has created a sense of place and people that is warm, engaging, and thoughtful. It's somewhat akin to being regaled about a person's family history before actually meeting them. No cutesy French stereotypes here; to bastardize Shakespeare, the author has taken the approach of "what is a cuisine, but its people." Daniel Young is an evocative, compassionate interpreter who shares Marseilles' culture with descriptions that are so intimate, I felt as if I were right there. There is such joy in his discoveries that I couldn't put this book down -can you imagine, a cookbook! As for the recipes... they are terrific, healthy, flavorful and for the most part, quite simple. But of course.

Daniel Young's recent book, Made in Marseille belongs in every serious cook's library, this is a wonderful book. His recipes are a good mix , some Eastern Mediterranean rather than the usual type of French Cookbook which we're more familar with. Mr. Young's bouillabaisse,his excellent appetizers especially his Tapenade are a very good reason to have his very special book, additionally the photographs by Sebastien Boffredo really capture the area.

Simenon's Chief Inspector Maigret never fails to take me to Paris, to enfold me into the city's daily life and the problems of solving a crime. This is accomplished by an economy of language that somehow includes all the details necessary to create a lucid scene.

This novel begins on a rainy night when Maigret accompanies his doctor friend on an amergency call: a man has been stabbed on a nearby sidewalk. It is no ordinary victim. He is the young son of a wealthy perfume manufacturer. The victim's hobby is secretly taping conversations wherever he goes. It is a pastime that proved fatal--or did it?

Maigret's investigation takes him to cafes and brasseries, from the wealthy to the poor, and piece by piece he solves the crime. Or, perhaps, it should be said that Maigret lets the killer play out and solve the case on his own. In either case it is the journey, not the solution, that ntrigues. There are the sights, and sounds, and smells of Paris. As usual, Maigret chats with his wife, goes to movies, and pauses often to have a beer or wine and to reflect on what he has uncovered to date.

Any lover of crime fiction who has not yet discovered Georges Simenon should do so immediately. Like Arthur Conan Doyle, he is one of the best, not just of crime fiction but of fiction writing in general.

The Maigrets ate on a monthly basis with Dr. Pardon and his wife. Dr. Pardon complained that medical doctors were being changed into clerks because of all of the paperwork required of them. Superintendent Maigret and Dr. Pardon went out to see a young man lying in the street, a victim of stabbing. Maigret had become involved in the case involuntarily.

In reporting the death to the family, Maigret learned that the young man's parents were very rich. The father was a perfume manufacturer. The young man had had few friends. He had an unusual hobby, recording conversations. The tape recorder was recovered.

Maigret called in Janvier. The importance given to the case by the press was surprising to both police officers. A description of the assailant was obtained. Maigret called upon his other two favorites, Lucas and Lapointe, to help with the case.

The young man had identified the places where he had made recordings. The police officers followed in his footsteps. Maigret had known professional criminals well, but he had never been that interested in them. It had all seemed like a game somehow.

On a stakeout four men, presumed art thieves, are arrested. Seemingly the young man doing the recording had stumbled upon a criminal plot. The killer called Maigret. He was a man who had crossed a barrier. It was a matter of diminished responsiblity. The tale is taut, lucid.

When Maigret meets a serial killer, it's a dramatic face to face and, as usually, Maigret can understand why the killer acts in such an horrible way. Maigret don't excuse the killer but can understand. Like said Simenon : "Understand but not judge".

This is one of my very favorite Simenon novels; superbly paced and brilliant characterizations.

This is one of those rare detective novels with an excellent plot, well-defined characters, great atmosphere, and in a language without a wasted word. Only Ed McBain, among American detective fiction in the police procedural sub-genre, is a rival.

Chief Inspector Maigret is not hard boiled, no tough talking cop, nor is he exceptionally perceptive or brilliant. He just attaches himself to the case and plods relentlessly. Here a tiny, 86-year old widow is murdered, after complaining to the police that her apartment has been very slightly disturbed several times while she was shopping or sitting in the park. No one in authority pays much attention to her until after she is strangled. Why would someone kill such a harmless person? She has no valuable jewelry, no cache of money. Maigret must find the motive and the killer with meager clues.

Perhaps the most impressive element of this and other Simenon novels is the economy of language, albeit in translation from the French. There is plenty of detail but without wasting a word. The Simenon books should be studied by crime writers for the narrative technique alone.

This simple and old-fashioned mystery was a pleasant surprise. There was nothing flashy, or garish, or over-the top about it - a straightforward police whodunit. Some readers might find this a trifle boring - we've gotten so used to multiple storylines and side-stories that it's a little hard to switch gears and wind down to something so basic, but it's worth it. Reminds one of simpler times, and harkens back to the days of Agatha Christie (Poirot, though, not Marple).

It's not precisely a solve-it-yourself, but it does give you plenty of food for thought. Even though it's a very short book, the characters are well-written and interesting, giving you even more incentive to at least try to decipher the ending. It's possible, but I think it's more luck than skill if you figure it out. Granted, there are none of the dizzying twists and turns of more 'modern' mysteries, no technology or romance, but it's still very much worth reading for any true mystery fan.

This is a thoughtful well-plotted mystery. The author does a fine job portrayng Maigret, the other detectives, the victim (an elderly lady), her niece and her niece's son. The writing is simple and easy to understand. Simemon does not waste words but he brings the characters to life. The reader will be kept guessing until the end of the book.

Imagine drinking a glass of Calvados. The title is ambiguous. She was a tiny woman insisting upon seeing Chief Inspector Maigret personally. Madame Antoine, aged, having lived in her apartment for a long time, reported that her things had been moved. There is only the key she keeps in her bag. A niece and her son are her only relatives. She is pefectly aware that a young person might consider her mad. The concierge says she is very much like any other old person living by herself. Her clear gray eyes make an impression on Maigret. Then she is murdered, suffocated, and an investigation ensues. The police search and question, after all this is a police procedural. Maigret discovers that the victim had practiced twenty five years of thrift. A character named Le Grand Marcel is brought into the picture.

The fineness of the writing (translated?) transcends the genre. Picking up a Maigret novel is a matter of dealing in a brand name consumer good. One is never disappointed. The storytelling is simple, classical, felicitous. Simenon used masterful economy in his art. The short bursts of information create an almost Raymond Carverish style. One is transported to Paris in the Spring. Time spent in the company of Maigret and his gifted inspectors Lapointe, Lucas, and Janvier is a pleasure.