Review

'Originally a literary biographer, Robb switched trades three years ago in The Discovery of France, an offbeat study of la France profonde. Now he turns his attention to the capital, in an equally innovative chronicle... An exceptional achievement' —Guardian

'Graham Robb wrote a superb book about France two years ago, The Discovery of France, and now follows it up with an ingenious study of Paris since 1750.... This masterful book focuses on what really matters, the human beings who shaped, or were occasionally defeated by, their city' —Daily Telegraph, 'Editor's Choice'

'Comparable to Peter Ackroyd's masterpiece London: A Biography... Though Paris is perhaps the most described city in the world, Robb's strange and pungent vignettes tell us something new' —Independent

`His most ambitious project so far ... Though the stories he tells are true, the author's lustrous prose and flair for narrative mean that this book resembles nothing so much as a grand episodic novel, packed with a splendid cast and studded with bravura set pieces.' —Independent on Sunday