Dear Community This is not easy for me to do and I am sorry to have to do this in this forum I realize it is a bit cowardly and beg your understanding but you need to know it is not you, it s me well, maybe it is you Yes, over the last four years we ve had some good times and I will cherish those books you ve recommended through your insightful reviews and ratings Those were wonderful times and I trusted you then However, over the past year or so, it seems and that you ve taken that trust and [...]

Onvan The Greater Journey Americans in Paris Nevisande David McCullough ISBN 1416571760 ISBN13 9781416571766 Dar 558 Safhe Saal e Chap 2011

This book made me wish I could travel back in time to Paris in the 1830s The collection of artists and writers there was remarkable.In The Greater Journey, David McCullough tells stories of a varied group of Americans who went to Paris in the 19th century, and then returned home with new ideas, new art, new writings and even new inventions The group included James Feni Cooper, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark Twain, Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Mar [...]

I wasn t sure how much I would like this even though I know I like the way David McCullough and his team put together books I was hesitant because the book focuses on many different individuals, all Americans residing in Paris from the late 1820s through 1900 Would I get adequate depth about each The answer Many individuals are mentioned and yet I was interested in so many because of the fascinating information provided I did not get complete biographies of any, but the book does focus in depth [...]

We went to see McCullough launch this latest offering He s 78 now but still looks and sounds like God With apologies to Morgan Freeman and Alanis Morissette, who some people also think look like God He spoke without a note for over an hour with only a rare misspeak, telling the wonderful stories that he unearthed about 19th Century Americans in Paris Context I was always a reader, but McCullough s Path Between the Seas is one of the handful of books that turned me into an addict And, I count McC [...]

This review appeared in the Carbondale Nightlife, February 28 March 6, 2013, p 14 David McCullough became a household name in the most unlikely way He wrote a biography of John Adams, who was tedious on his best day Somehow the little guy came to life in McCullough s prose But there s a back story McCullough s great secret He s not a history professor he s a writer He has nothing beyond a Bachelor s degree, and that s in literature albeit from Yale, where he studied with Thornton Wilder, Robert [...]

Ever since I picked up John Adams, I have been an avid fan of David McCullough His biography of Harry Truman is perhaps the best one I ve ever read McCullough has a knack for taking people or things that perhaps have escaped the popular limelight such as the Panama Canal or the Brooklyn Bridge and writes a completely captivating history of them You do not simply read a McCullough book, you experience it.When I first heard that McCullough was penning a new work focusing on the impact that Parisia [...]

I can see how, in all the wild Sturm und Drang of this modern world, you just might get in the mood for a couple of peaceful evenings in the parlor listening to a softly ticking clock and a mild, grandfatherly type person amble gently through his stock of anecdotes And if you happen to like your anecdotes very gentle and discursive indeed, and you ve a yen to untangle bits about some pretty interesting Americans in Paris between 1830 and 1900 from the anecdote skein, then this is the book for yo [...]

This was the first book I read after returning from a trip to France, and it was a perfect choice Not only did I enjoy revisiting various Parisian sites in my mind s eye, I was also fascinated to see the city through the eyes of other Americans Nineteenth century Americans at that Told in McCullough s engaging style, this book explores the voyages of various influential Americans to Paris between the 1830s and 1900 I was struck by the unique and changing relationship between the two countries du [...]

This is the story of Americans who traveled to Paris during the seven final decades of the 19th century It s a history of the young years of individuals who ended up being famous and important Americans in their later mature years Generally speaking, many of them were single, affluent individuals mostly men in their 20 s intent on learning the artistic, scientific, and medical skills of the French who were perceived to be leaders in these fields.I too spent some time traveling in Europe when I w [...]

I LOVE David McCullough as a matter of fact, I ran out, bought this book, and read it just because it had his name on it However, The Greater Journey is not John Adams, Truman, or Mornings on Horseback While McCullough excels at writing investigating the life of a man facing extraordinary circumstances the topic of all three above books listed , he falters at writing about many men and women being influenced by Paris The first third of the book is choppy, confusing, and riddled with short passag [...]

A new McCullough Squee

McCullough s work is always excellent, though I would argue the author is at his best when he focuses on one person rather than a plethora of figures, which is the reason I deducted a star.Just as its subtitle says, The Greater Journey recounts the stories of many famous Americans who went to Paris Whether to learn, travel, absorb culture, or hone skills, all of these now impressive voyagers have interesting tales of their own McCullough breathes great life into each of these people, and also fr [...]

This is the second David McCullough work that I ve read and I must admit I ve had the same basic reaction to both extremely well researched, highly informative, wonderfully interesting Yet this journey was a bit of a slog not a book to be run through in a few days like some light mystery This work deals with Americans who traveled to Paris during the 19th Century and the effect that The City of Light had on their careers, their insights, their accumulation of knowledge From medical people to art [...]

I read 200 pages, then the last chapter and the epilogue Although any given page was well written and interesting, I kept waiting for some pay off of synthesis explaining the point of McCullough s endless lists of loosely connected unimportant events Do I really need to know about the sordid details of the love life of Augustus Saint Gaudens The historian is maybe supposed to be objective but the choice of stories and details is a subjective editorial decision and it would have helped to make th [...]

Non fiction about numerous Americans who lived in Paris during the period 1830 1900 It fits my definition of a 3 star reading experience overall, I liked it but didn t care for certain aspects The author covers a lot of ground here artists, musicians, sculptors, diplomats, authors, doctors, entertainers, and socialites It reads like a series of short stories of interesting people.What I liked a lot It was well written Gave some very interesting observations about the work of artists such as Samu [...]

While the book made enjoyable reading and I learned a lot, the theme of Americans in Paris over decades wasn t strong enough to hold the book together very tightly Our discussion group agreed that the section on the medical students is the strongest, since it covers several people who formed a cohesive community and paints a vivid picture of the state of medical science before antibiotics and anesthesia The section about the diplomat Elihu Washburne also holds together well since it coalesces ar [...]

Magnifique I should have known McCullough is one of my favorite history writers, and he s writing about nineteenth century Paris, one of my favorite places to read think dream about This was even better than I thought it d be When I was young I always wanted to go to Paris but not Francois Mitterand s Paris No, I wanted Degas Paris, Balzac s Paris, Toulouse Lautrec s Paris Well, this was an extended visit to that same Paris but through fresh eyes Much of what was in this book I knew little about [...]

A fine history, but unfortunately not up to McCullough s extremely high standards.McCullough is an excellent biographer, and an excellent narrative historian However, this book, trying to cover such a broad topic as Americans in Paris in the 19th century, he seems to almost flounder Many of the chapters are excellent, and his usual skill shines here Unfortunately, some of the order and presentation of all this information seems erratic There are lots of interesting narrative stories, and backgro [...]

I really did feel like I was in Paris back then and the atmosphere was wonderful but the novel itself I wish he would ve gone in dept on the people themselves We get a little info about them then its on to the next section then sometimes they appear in a section about someone else It felt a little dry and confusing after awhile.I don t mind lookin up different things from a book time to time, but not every other person in the book.For me this was a dud, David McCullough is a wonderful writer bu [...]

I very much enjoyed this look at Americans who journeyed to Paris in the 1900 s to broaden their horizons I really enjoyed learning about those whose names I recognized and learning about those whom I did not know The audio was good and held my attention.Some of the profiles are of those who went to study medicine, such as Oliver Wendell Holmes father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr and Elizabeth Blackwell the first American woman physician Many of the profiles were of artist [...]

Biography is the most interesting way to learn history And some writers have a knack for unearthing those anecdotes which best make a biography David McCullough is certainly one Robert Caro is another.It now seems obvious that a book about Americans visiting Paris in the 19th century could be fascinating and also edifying But when I first picked up this book I wondered if McCullough would finally fail to interest me He didn t He got me right into the life and times of his chosen subjects He let [...]

The Greater Journey is a book that in less capable hands than David McCullough s would have been deadly dull However, in his hands it is a wonderful narrative history that manages to be about many things, and all at the same time.This text is about the American artists, diplomats, writers, doctors, etc who populated Paris France during the 19th century Beginning with the early 1800s and concluding essentially at the dawn of the 1900s McCullough gives us a readable and very fascinating history of [...]

With a nod to Rachel s excellent review, this was the literary equivalent of a cup of cocoa the chalky kind from a tin, without marshmallows with your grandfather It was perfectly pleasant and you will learn quite a few things about various American intellectuals and reformers who spent time in Paris during the 19th century, but the slow pace and overly detailed anecdotes are apt to make you nod off Also, the lack of clear connections between the various characters other than the fact that they [...]

This was an interesting account of various Americans who traveled to Paris during the mid to latter parts of the 19th century as it was the world s cultural and educational center They came in large numbers to study art, literature, education, medicine, politics, etc the notable Americans included such names as James Feni Cooper, Samuel FB Morse, Elizabeth Blackwell, Charles Sumner, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mary Cassett, and John Singer Sargent among others It is an informat [...]

Excellent writing clear organization fun to read made history alive.

Because in case we haven t established here, I m a sucker for any story that involves Americans in Paris.

How could I NOT plan to read this book Love McCullough s writing, love history, love Paris

Public library copy Chose this for the time period, 1830 1900, which I am studying American history It s an ambitious topic, covering many different people, mostly artists, writers, doctors, all students and one diplomat, Elihu Washburn I learned much, not just history but character.Washburn, Cassatt, and Saint Gaudens were my favorite I love being able to read so many things connected in one place, putting them into historical and cultural perspective, as well as in a timeline The book is big, [...]

Bound Paris in Its SpringTime Traveling with Some Exemplary AmericansSunPost Weekly July 14, 2011 John Hoodbit ptFnBtReturning home from Paris, no matter where home happens to be, is never an easy thing It s especially difficult to do after a hundred year trip So it was with some discomfort and deep reluctance that, after than a century away, I came back to Miami last week Yes, it was the same hometown that I d left But it wasn t Paris, of the 19th century or otherwise And as much as I admire t [...]