Customer Reviews

I'll Always Have Paris

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Art Buchwald deserves a place alongside Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Robert Benchley and Erma Bombeck as the creme de la creme of American humorists.

Speaking of creme de la creme and other things French, Buchwald's career began in the City of Light, where he went in 1948 on the G.I. Bill, hoping to become a great writer in the style of his hero, Ernest Hemingway. Instead, he became a great writer in his own style and has long been a hero to other humorists (including yours truly) who wish they had even a fraction of Buchwald's talent.

"I'll Always Have Paris!" is not a collection of newspaper columns, as most of The Master's 33 books have been. It is the second part of his classic memoirs, the first being the wonderful "Leaving Home."

In "I'll Always Have Paris!," Buchwald wittily recounts talking his way into a dream job as a columnist for the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune, despite having had almost no professional experience.

He then recalls his exploits as a bon vivant and a humorist nonpareil. Best of all, he tells a magical love story -- his wooing of and marriage to Ann McGarry, a redhead from Pennsylvania who made the most romantic city on earth even more heavenly for the kid from Queens.

Whether the tears are from laughing or crying, you'll shed them. I've never been to Paris, but I hope to get there one day. Until then, thanks to Art Buchwald, I'll always have "I'll Always Have Paris!"

While I had heard of the legendary Buchwald, I had never read any his books or his popular newspaper column. After having read this, though, I would consider myself a fan.

This delicious memoir chronicles Buchwald's experiences in Paris -- finding love, studying on the G.I. bill, getting his first job at the much-revered "Trib" (Herald Tribune newspaper). He recounts these times with a nostalgic air permeated with his delightfully self-effacing wit.

The book stirrs an amazing desire to want to throw yourself in a jet and fly to Paris as Buchwald lovingly describes the food and places that shaped his trip.

You may even want to read this book just for the cameos by famous writers, musicians, and politicians. It seems that Buchwald bumped into just about every 20th-century history maker during his time in Paris. (The part about Ginsburg and Picasso is wonderful!)

I first read this book last year after a trip to Europe which included a brief and wonderful trip to Paris. Buckwald has captured the essense of life in Paris. For those not in love with the city, this might lead to the thought that this would be a dull book. However, this book is a witty scream which left me at times reading with my mouth hanging open in amazement and at other times laughing out loud as I read turned the page. I wish I could have met him - or better yet, been able to attend one of the parties mentioned in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is fascinating, irreverent and jovial. A great read.

This is the third book by Buchwald that I have recently read.
The books were the ones identified in his last column in the Washington Post a month or so ago.
Leaving Home reminded me of my "up bringing" though I had it much better that Buckwald in most respects and I was too scared to join the Marines in June 1950 though I now regret that decision!
Buckwald's books are humorous, heartwarming and most enjoyable, even "Too Soon to Say Goodbye" which I sent to my 86 year old sister who has lived alone since her husband died 25 years ago. Recommended reading for those who need a break from novels and non-fiction "stuff".
George

I picked up this book at the used bookstore not knowing anything about Art Buchwald; I was more interested in reading about a person living in Paris than I was about Mr. Buchwald himself.

I thought the book was delightful and I came away liking Art. His stories are funny, touching and sad, but always mixed up enough to keep the book lively and fun. I consider it light reading; a great escape from the office at lunchtime.

Heard the taped version of I'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS: A
MEMOIR, written and read by Art Buchwald . . . Buchwald has
always been one of my favorite humorists/columnist, though I
regret that he doesn't appear in my local paper.

This book is a follow-up to his earlier LEAVING HOME . . . it is a witty tribute to 1948 Paris, a city he fell in love with as he began his quest to become a great writer . . . there are a lot of cute stories, plus much name-dropping (Hemingway, Bacall, etc.).

I also liked hearing about how he met and fell in love with
his wife . . . his trials and tribulations as a father also had me laughing . . . as he notes, "..."

Overall, I enjoyed it . . . though this is one time where
a professional reader would have helped . . . Buchwald's voice
is not the easiest to understand--or at least not on these tapes.

i had to read this book for class and was dreading it. it's rather old and i was sure i'd hate it but i found myself laughing out loud at the author's humor & stories.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I only read true stories. Easy, fast reading. It was like reading a high class, true story National
Enquirer.

I never read his columns, so I came to this book without prior affections. It is a string of interesting, sometimes humorous anecdotes with quite a cast of characters, but I did not find it great writing that placed me in Paris. Not very descriptive and the author's ego was in the way too much of the time. Interesting, I suppose, if you want to know a lot about Buchwald but not so much about Europe.

Art Buchwald's memoir of his, and his family's sojourn in Paris, evokes vivid images of one of the world's great cities and chronicles Buchwald's experiences of people and events in the years following World War II. Much of Buchwald's recollections are seen through the lens of his work on the International Herald Tribune, which opened countless doors and gained access for him to the great and near great of the age. Balanced against this are the experiences of his family, who had to compete, not always successfully, for Buchwald's time. Buchwald seems generous, bordering on guilty insincerity, about the sacrificies (not always made voluntarily) of his wife Ann, but it is always highly evident that he would not have done anything differently if given the chance. In short, for more than a decade, Buchwald had the best of everything and had the talent and will to make the most of it. This memoir offers more than a glimpse of what those years must have been like, but only hints at what is not found on the page; that would make even better reading