	60% buy the item featured on this page: Paris: The Secret History 3.3 out of 5 stars (3)
	25% buy Paris: Biography of a City 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) �9.07
	6% buy Seven Ages of Paris (Pb): Portrait of a City 4.0 out of 5 stars (2) �6.99
	6% buy Paris Tales: A Literary Tour of the City 3.3 out of 5 stars (3) �5.98

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Paris: The Secret History - Andrew Hussey, 20 Dec 2007

By	Jonathan Birch (Manchester) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paris: The Secret History (Paperback)

In short, this a 'Horrible History' for adults. It is not history in the academic sense. It's more like biography, and owes much to Peter Ackroyd's biography of London. Hussey doesn't deal in causes, trends or ideas; his currency is anecdotes. This a big book of gory and sexy titbits from Parisian history, sorted into chronological order.

The subject matter should make for light reading, but somehow, despite the breakneck pace of the anecdotes, something goes wrong. The small print, long paragraphs, and dry, humourless prose drag the book down. Furthermore, I'm no expert on the history of Paris, but when I did know a little bit about a period I noticed factual inaccuracies. For example, Danton was with the Cordeliers Club (not the Jacobin Club), and there was only one Committee of Public Safety in the Revolution, not many.

For these reasons, this book arguably gives you less value than a Horrible History. Hussey has sacrificed depth for breathless narrative in the hope of reaching out to a wide audience, but the stream of details feels laboured and aimless. Unlike the city, 'Paris: The Secret History' fails to capture the imagination, and is barely more fun than reading academic history.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink

Comment Comment

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not all it claims to be, 22 Mar 2009

By	Robert Livingston "robert20661" (Kirkhill, Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paris: The Secret History (Paperback)

I found this a very disappointing book. There's little that's truly 'secret' about it, and not much historical method either. It reads like a journalist's book,full of vague, general assertions without hard references to back them up. Colin Jones' 'Paris', though a tougher read, covers the same ground with much greater detail and rigour. I came away wondering why the book had been written, when the author seems to dislike so much about Paris.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink

Comment Comment

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great light read, 6 Feb 2008

By	David C. Edwards "DCSE" (Chester, Great Britain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paris: The Secret History (Paperback)

I took this to Paris on my last visit. It's not an academic read, nor does it set out to be one. This is a great light read highly entertaining, especially if you are intending visiting the city as it brings a perspective to this long established and highly entertaining metropolis.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink

Comment Comment

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }