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elisabeth1st's review against another edition
4.0
This is a lovely memoir and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed reading "Let's Take the Long Way Home" or "The Year of Magical Thinking. It is the bittersweet telling of the love and loss of her soul mate and American diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, who died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2010. They had 17 years of great love and were remarkablely able to share a very intimate life despite their highly public lives. Marton was also married to Peter Jennings earlier and she shares a bit of that life, as well. Throughout the short book she takes the reader to Paris again and again, the city where she feels herself 'most Kati'.
lynnedf's review against another edition
3.0
I love memoirs and was hoping this was going to be more than it was. I felt that the focus on Paris wasn't necessary. The fact that Morton kept going back to "Paris" as a theme almost broke up an otherwise super interesting story. It would have been better to simply tell her tale of life before marriage, then her relationship with Peter and finally her relationship with Richard. This book certainly makes me want to know more about Richard Holbrooke - but it didn't sell Paris to me. I just felt that perhaps Morton needed to break up some of her personal stories by talking about Paris. which is fine but it make the stories disjointed.
Decently written but if you are looking for a read about grief or "the year after" I recommend "A Year of Magical Thinking".
Decently written but if you are looking for a read about grief or "the year after" I recommend "A Year of Magical Thinking".
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
2.0
This wasn't a bad book, and I'm sure it was therapeutic for the author, but it just didn't speak to me.
joli_folie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book.
Amazing that this woman was married to two such well known Americans.
It was incredibly well written and of course, because of Paris playing a very large part in Kati Marton's life it made it even better. Her last two chapters were excellent in reflecting on her life and her future.
Amazing that this woman was married to two such well known Americans.
It was incredibly well written and of course, because of Paris playing a very large part in Kati Marton's life it made it even better. Her last two chapters were excellent in reflecting on her life and her future.
halkid2's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting, quick read, mostly for all the hob-nobbing the author has done with famous people.
Kati Marton's reminisces about growing up in Budapest on the cusp of World War II, her years as one of the first women network reporters, and her two marriages to needy ABC Anchor Peter Jennings and solid Diplomat Richard Holbrooke. Her efforts to recover from the latter's death is an important theme of the book.
Many of the most important moments from Marton's life are connected to or take place in Paris - hence the title. But it's much more a memoir than a story of the city.
Among the people who make appearances in the book -- George and Barbara Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Barbara Walters, and Pamela Harriman. Marton's marriage to Holbrooke and her years as a journalist let her witness some of the most pivotal news events of the last 40 years, like the selection of Pope John Paul and the most recent Balkan war.
Kati Marton's reminisces about growing up in Budapest on the cusp of World War II, her years as one of the first women network reporters, and her two marriages to needy ABC Anchor Peter Jennings and solid Diplomat Richard Holbrooke. Her efforts to recover from the latter's death is an important theme of the book.
Many of the most important moments from Marton's life are connected to or take place in Paris - hence the title. But it's much more a memoir than a story of the city.
Among the people who make appearances in the book -- George and Barbara Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Barbara Walters, and Pamela Harriman. Marton's marriage to Holbrooke and her years as a journalist let her witness some of the most pivotal news events of the last 40 years, like the selection of Pope John Paul and the most recent Balkan war.
jannie_mtl's review against another edition
2.0
This had a lovely start but it quickly became irritating.
Ms Marton's story has all the ingredients of a great memoir, but the constant name-dropping and details of various letters, visits, hugs, support from "important" people took the place of real feeling and honesty about her life. Her extra-marital affairs are dropped into the tale in a few sentences with little self-reflection on their motivation, particularly after the professed deep love she had for the two main partners (Peter Jennings and RIchard Holbrooke.) Plus the title is a little misleading; while the beginning and end of the memoir are set in Paris, much of the rest is not.
And finally, I listened to the audiobook. While the narrator has a lovely voice, the french accent is appalling. Kind of odd for a book with a lot of French, including place names and phrases. By the end of the book, it became grating.
Ms Marton's story has all the ingredients of a great memoir, but the constant name-dropping and details of various letters, visits, hugs, support from "important" people took the place of real feeling and honesty about her life. Her extra-marital affairs are dropped into the tale in a few sentences with little self-reflection on their motivation, particularly after the professed deep love she had for the two main partners (Peter Jennings and RIchard Holbrooke.) Plus the title is a little misleading; while the beginning and end of the memoir are set in Paris, much of the rest is not.
And finally, I listened to the audiobook. While the narrator has a lovely voice, the french accent is appalling. Kind of odd for a book with a lot of French, including place names and phrases. By the end of the book, it became grating.
taliaschatz's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable read. Lots of gratuitous name dropping- as there should be when you write a memoir and are well connected to various influential and famous people.