Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Is Paris Burning?

by Dominique Lapierre (Author), Larry Collins (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 216 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0446392259
ISBN-10: 0446392251
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$1.94 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$22.99 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
More Buying Choices
35 New from $13.72 46 Used from $1.94 2 Collectible from $4.00
83 used & new from $1.94
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Prime Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Discover what to read next through the Amazon Book Review. Learn more.
$22.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members | Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
click to open popover

Frequently Bought Together

  • Is Paris Burning?
  • +
  • O Jerusalem!
Total price: $38.63
Buy the selected items together

Editorial Reviews

Review

Read more

About the Author

Read more
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
New York Times best sellers
Browse the New York Times best sellers in popular categories like Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Books and more. See more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 404 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446392251
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446392259
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA piece of little-known history
By Amazon Customer on August 7, 2005
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
Who would have thought that Paris would be saved by the German general that Hitler sent to burn it to the ground? This gem of a film from the 1960's tells the story.

The film was a colossal failure in its initial realease; it is often called a 'turkey'. I'd have to disagree pretty strongly with that assessment. Its biggest problem, at least for American audiences, is that it is--well, so French. Even though the screenplay was written by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola, the cast is nearly all French--some of the biggest French stars of the 1960s. Americans are relegated to cameo roles.

Americans also disliked the film because it claims that the French, not the Americans, liberated Paris. That notion has never gone down well on this side of the pond. But if you read the book (and just about any other account of the incident), it's clear that the Americans and British wanted to bypass Paris. They had good reason for doing so--Patton argued that he would save enough gasoline to make the Rhine by the end of August and end the war by Christmas.

The Parisian insurrection in mid-August made those plans pretty questionable, but it was DeGaulle's threat to withdraw his forces and march on Paris, together with horror at the destruction of Warsaw (which Stalin was 'bypassing' at the same time), that changed things. Even so, the Allies let French Gen. LeClerc take the city, because they still had hopes of maintaining the momentum of their main thrust toward the Rhine.

If you are a Freedom-Fry lover, you probably won't like this film. If you are interested in this period of history, read the book first, but definitely watch the movie. Some reviews criticize this movie for dubbing it's French actors (many of whom dubbed their own lines into English).Read more ›
7 Comments 122 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsPicture Paris Lost...
By Dixie Swanson MD on May 4, 2000
Format: Hardcover
If Hitler had his way, there would be no Notre Dame, none of Paris' beautiful bridges, no Eiffel Tower. The Allies didn't stop him, a brave German general did. At a tremendous personal risk, he resolved not to be the man to destroy the most beautiful city in the world.
The story is told with the in-your-face realism of two journalists. Yet it's full of humor and even downright silliness. Would-be soldier Enrnest Hemingway captured a German soldier and relieved him of his pants. Why? He figured no man would escape half-naked. He was right.
This isn't about troop movements, it's about real people risking their lives (and those of their families) to liberate Paris. After all, Eisenhower didn't think he had enough fuel or time to fight a mini-war for Paris. He desperately needed to push east to Germany.
So how did it all happen? Read the book, in Paris if you can, but whever you can find a good lamp. Is Paris Burning? will keep you up late at night.
Comment 89 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsVivid but Difficult to Follow - in Tradition of Longest Day
By A Customer on August 21, 2000
Format: VHS Tape
I loved watching this movie. It deftly splices documentary and fictional scenes to create an emotional, uplifting story of the individuals involved in the liberation of Paris (the greater emphasis is on the Parisian resistance). It is very much in the tradition of The Longest Day - many stars in cameos, a hundred short stories of bravery and resistance - among the French, Americans and Germans; it's often humorous. The music is superb (I have it going through my head now - 2 years after renting the movie). It's also fun to see virtually all the French male stars of the 1950s and 1960s in one movie - Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Jean Louis Trintignant, Yves Montand, Alain Delon - the French casting for the movie pulled out all the stops.
The wonderful emotional impact aside, the movie is actually difficult to follow. The primary reason is that the filmmakers apparently didn't want to offend anyone (except Nazis) so were not explicit on the Communist/Gaullist rivalry that is at the heart of the book (bottom line - the Gaullists elbowed out the Communists). Instead, the movie viewer watches a large resistance group that seems to fissure, but has no idea why, sees jealousies and rivalries without explanation. You'll see some French resistance members upset that others have captured the Police Headquarters, but have no idea why. The book gives you a sense of DeGaulle's understanding of the French, amounting to genius (and of why any American or Englishman in command would have found him outrageous to deal with).
So, I'd suggest a truly CAREFUL read of the short, wonderful and fascinating book on which the movie is based - THEN watch the movie, which is glorious in its emotional impact.
Comment 33 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsBrennt Paris?
By Richard W Little on May 2, 2005
Format: Paperback
I just finished reading Is Paris Burning? by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. The book is the fascinating tale of how Paris evaded the fate Hitler envisioned for it at the end of the Second World War. It's a complex tale, , with characters including Hitler and his staff in his bunker, the last German military governor in Paris and his staff, the French freedom fighters in Paris (both the Gaullists and the Communists), de Gaulle himself, Eisenhower and Bradley and the various other members of the Allied command structure, the Swedish ambassador in Paris, and common people, in the armed forces and in the streets of Paris. The title is drawn from a question Hitler asked, when he found out that Allied troops were approaching Paris.

The tale starts with the uprising in Paris, and ends just after its liberation is celebrated in the streets. Hitler had hand-picked the last military governor of Paris, based upon his reputation from attacks against Rotterdam and Sevastapol, and he had the task of holding back the Allies at Paris, or, failing that, reducing Paris to ruins, much like Warsaw had recently suffered. The Allies had every intention of bypassing Paris and moving onwards, but the freedom fighters in Paris knew the Allies were nearby, and hoped to push things to their advantage. All of these things should have spelt disaster for the City of Lights, but opportunity and stubborn resistance and collusion and soldier's honour led to a different outcome.

The authors tell a spellbinding tale, based upon much research. My copy is a used copy, and dates back to the mid-1960s (bought it on amazon, used). There are a great deal of photos, documenting scenes from throughout the story. The authors, in my opinion, did a commendable job, and I would recommend this book to those interested in Paris, or in the Second World War.
Comment 25 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA Classic

Digital version. The dubbing of some of the dialogue is just what it is. There is no getting around that this is a classic movie that covers the resistance in Paris, and no other... Read more

Published 5 days ago by R. Mardis
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat WWII history account!

I love this book! I'm really into WWII history, and France, and I love the you-are-there aspect of this book. Read more

Published 7 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsCivilized times?

Watch this film after watching the newer film, Diplomacy, and you will have hours and hours of conversation about history, about film, about Paris, about the 70's compared with the... Read more

Published 7 days ago by Mildred M. Waterfall
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat DRead

Provides a critical background for an undestanding of what went on in that period of our history. It is a real classic, so well researched and written.

Published 19 days ago by Michael H. Jones
5.0 out of 5 starsWW2

I have always liked this foreign film. Many great actors.

Published 21 days ago by David W. Barsness
5.0 out of 5 starsA Great World War II Story

Received in perfect condition but not yet viewed. I saw it years ago in a theater and on VHS tape. It is a terrific story and well acted.

Published 21 days ago by Kenneth W. Behannon
5.0 out of 5 starsGood WWII Read

Very good WWII book. Readable history. Shows the developing breakdown in Hitler and the Third Reich in 1944. Some interesting insights into DE Gaulle too. Read more

Published 22 days ago by Richard Topping
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Finally get to see a old movie they never show anymore.

Published 1 month ago by AWKdF
5.0 out of 5 starsmovie review

Great picture, very accurate good stars!

Published 2 months ago by Ronald W. Mayhew
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Well done.

Published 2 months ago by BibliophileS

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Is Paris Burning?
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway
This item: Is Paris Burning?
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.