La Vie de Paris (Hardcover)

As a youngster in 1912, Toby Edgeworth first visited Paris. His holiday ended far too soon, but Toby vowed to return. He fulfilled his promise in 1923 and stayed a lifetime. In this fictional memoir, journalist James Brogan is assigned to discover what became of Toby, a fellow journalist, who once wrote a column for the same British daily for which James now works. Toby's columns presented vivid images of what occupied the attentions and possessed the imaginations of Parisians between World Wars I and II. Surprised to find Toby still alive, James develops a close friendship with him. Beyond penning just a single newspaper profile, Toby asks James to chronicle his life story, including detailed reminisces of Paris when she was alive with the "litterateu"r and "bon viveu"r. Over their six-year relationship, Brogan listens to Toby's recollections and lyrically illustrates one of the most glamorous periods in Paris history. "La Vie de Paris" captures Toby's joys of living, from promenading the Grande Boulevards to observing the kaleidoscope of people from "cafe" terraces. Through Toby's story, you'll delight in everything from a restful morning in Luxembourg Gardens to a glimpse of nightlife on the fairyland-like "tablea"u of the "Champs Elysee."