When Paris Sizzled

The 1920s Paris of Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, and Their Friends

By: Mary McAuliffe

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

When Paris Sizzled vividly portrays the City of Light during the fabulous 1920s, les Annees folles, when Parisians emerged from the horrors of war to find that a new world greeted them - one that reverberated with the hard metallic clang of the assembly line, the roar of automobiles, and the beat of jazz. Mary McAuliffe traces a decade that saw seismic change on almost every front, from art and architecture to music, literature, fashion, entertainment, transportation, and, most notably, behavior. The epicenter of all this creativity, as well as of the era's good times, was Montparnasse, where impoverished artists and writers found colleagues and cafes, and tourists discovered the Paris of their dreams. Major figures on the Paris scene - such as Gertrude Stein, Jean Cocteau, Picasso, Stravinsky, Diaghilev, and Proust - continued to hold sway, while others now came to prominence - including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Cole Porter, and Josephine Baker, as well as Andre Citroën, Le Corbusier, Man Ray, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, and the irrepressible Kiki of Montparnasse.

©2016 Mary S. McAuliffe (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

" When Paris Sizzled delivers an expansive and wonderfully engaging account of the spirited characters who made the Left Bank of Paris the center of the creative world." ( The Huffington Post)

When Paris Sizzles 1920's

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I don't think so. I have read more informational books about this era that I think I would recommend first.🗼

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY
THE BATTLE OF THE CAR MAKERS, IT JUST WENT ON AND ON AND ON...

Which character – as performed by Saskia Maarleveld – was your favorite?

JOSEPHINE BAKER 💄 👠

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

IF IT WAS EDITED IN SEVERAL PLACES! 😶

Any additional comments?

I'M SORRY TO SAY THIS, I KNOW I'M NOT A WRITER, HOWEVER, I EXPECTED MORE FROM A WOMAN WITH HER CREDENTIALS. 😕 🗼😕🗼

Informative, but no sizzle

It is a pity that such an informative book about such an interesting time and place is so dry and soulless. I got no sense of why it was such a fun, inspirational time. No charm.

Great if you haven’t read other books about Paris.

A good read if you haven’t read other more in-depth books about that area. Felt a bit Cliff notes like. The readers voice tended to put me to sleep.

Loved it

I loved it, especially the personal stories of the different artists, writers, musician, and their friends.

I love anything about this era and this is an interesting textbook…

Well researched, well narrated, and broad strokes, a truly influential time for art, architecture, literature, culture. A great overview, but lacking any narrative threads.

Ah, Paris in the 20s....

Love this period of time and would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall at many of the events. The book is a behind the scene tell-all about the lives of colorful characters. There are many names I am familiar with and some that are new to me. If you enjoy reading about Berlin during the time of the Weimar Republic, then you should enjoy this book. Hold on to your hat, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Goes hand in hand with Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris.

Cultural history of XX century, excellent reading

The best talents of art, theater, literature, politics and business appear in this beautifully and energetically written book. The Roaring 20s Parisian-style are alluring.