Paris to the Past Audiobook By Ina Caro cover art

Paris to the Past

Traveling Through French History by Train

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Paris to the Past

By: Ina Caro
Narrated by: Christa Lewis
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In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites listeners on 25 one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through 700 years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. “[An] enchanting travelogue” (Publishers Weekly), Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.

©2011 Ina Caro (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Engineering Europe France Railroads Transportation Western Europe Middle Ages

Critic reviews

"I’d rather go to France with Ina Caro than with Henry Adams or Henry James." (Newsweek)
Engaging Historical Accounts • Vivid Storytelling • Decent English Narration • Detailed Travel Guide
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It’s a first hand account of the author’s travels through France, most sights and destinations are within a 90-minute radius from Paris, all accessible either by metro or train (regional train or fast train / TGV). The destinations are set up in chronological order in an attempt to educate the reader a bit about French History – it works! It’s a wonderful guidebook – although not the type you’d carry around with you.

Perhaps it’s because I am planning a trip to Paris for next spring and I am all ears when it comes to suggestions that I was so enamoured by this book, but I think anyone could benefit from the ideas presented.

You can be sure this book will be a resource for every trip to France I ever make! The entire thing was interesting, but I really perked up when it covered places I’d already visited (most of Paris, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chartres and Rouen) or the parts that cover things I plan to see and do on my next trip (more of Paris, Tours and Lyon).

It was a great book, and excellent idea, and a lot of fun to read! Can’t wait to get over there and follow in her footsteps!

Day Trip From Paris?... Look No Further!

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The reader makes the lovely Ina seem pompous -- which she clearly is not — and does this wonderful book a disservice. Her pronunciation of French is awful - mainly because she seems to actually believe it is competent. But she misses the mark by so much. I can barely understand her showy attempts to pronounce words “properly”, uttering sounds I’ve never heard in any language. So embarrassing. I would rather have had a reader proficient in French or someone who didn’t pretend to be, rather than someone who apparently unknowingly has failed so miserably. Nonetheless the content is worth putting up with the annoyance.

Paris to the Past is wonderful! The reader is not so good

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I thought this book was so well done. It's done in chronological order and follows the same families throughout history while you also get general history about the town and castles she is visiting.

What did you like best about this story?

All the fun facts about the royal families she talks about.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh at times, but mostly it just made me happy. Every time I listened to it, it was like I was traveling through time with the author and traveling to France.

Any additional comments?

Great read, I really enjoyed it!

Great listen!

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Great book and story but the constant mispronouncing of words like Notre Dame made it hard to get past

Great book

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Would you listen to Paris to the Past again? Why?

I liked it so much that I bought the book. I've been to France without understanding the history. Now I am going back and this book has given me a great deal of insight

loved it

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This book represents a massive undertaking by Ina Caro to document and organize a lot of information about sites and the history of France. Though certain sections were really interesting, by the end of the book I felt like the author wasn't very good at making history come alive. She does connect the places to personal anecdotes, but in a very detached way that may diffuse the reader's excitement. The narrator Christa Lewis is great, I don't fault her at all for some mispronunciations, in fact it fits well with the character the author portrays.

The problem is that some first time travelers to France will pick this up thinking it's a travel guide for Paris. It is not, it's a dense history book, and Paris isn't really the focus until part 4. Furthermore, it reinforces some old school stereotypes that the only people who visit France are wealthy, fussy, and pretentious white people. A Paris newbie or maybe someone not interested in this quantity of french history would be much better off with a book like 'Paris, Paris' by David Downie.

That being said it's the product of a massive amount of meticulous research, it's just rendered pretty dry. It's similar to 'The Discovery of France' by Graham Robb, which I also had reservations about.

Recommended with Caveats

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This is the perfect book to have in your arsenal when planning a trip to Paris/France! Such great storytelling (and gossip) about the epic people,places, art, and food that one finds when travelling by way of French history. I can't wait to go to these places. Caro has truly whet my appetite and I am certain my travel experiences will be much richer because of each and every one of her lovely and thoroughly researched chapters.

Wonderful stories of incredible people & places

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One of the two best books on France I know. The other is Ina Caros book the road through history the predecessor to this book. If you are traveling to France or enjoy France you will love this book.

One of the two best books on France I know

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Ms. Caro is an excellent companion in Paris, and great armchair companion. She tells fun stories from history and is a great tour guide.

I download it every time I go to France

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love the history but am really quite uninterested in where the picnics happened, or which restaurants were eaten in. In this respect, I found the juxtaposition of personal preference for one diner over another very distracting. However, I used the historical information to plan a number of day trips when I was staying in Paris. I feel there should be two editions and I would prefer the abridged one with the non historical detail taken out.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ina Caro? Why or why not?

Also purchased Roads to the Past (hard copy) and used it as the basis for exploring the Loire

What aspect of Christa Lewis’s performance would you have changed?

Some of her French pronunciation was difficult

Did Paris to the Past inspire you to do anything?

Visited a number of the places after listening - including Chartres and Vincennes, and are planning quite a number of others in our next trip

History comes to life

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