Following the format of the small classic An Hour from Paris, and written with the same delight in the little-known treasures of the Ile de France, comes Annabel Simm's latest guidebook, Half an Hour from Paris. Simms presents 10 new destinations easy to reach from central Paris, each with a carefully planned walk, ample meanderings through the cultural, historical and social milieu, comprehensive practical information and clear, detailed maps. This new edition has been updated and is now in full color.

Discover half-hidden châteaux and artists' country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns and country footpaths; and eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s decor--and prices to match. Based on over 20 years' experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit includes the essential historical context and practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians. Written with humor and a flair for the unusual and authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos and local maps. It includes a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.

A powerful memoir, Karyn L. Freedman’s One Hour in Paris is a harrowing yet inspirational journey through suffering and recovery both personal and global. On a Paris night in 1990 when Karyn L. Freedman was just twenty-two, she was brutally raped. In the wake of the violent encounter, she found herself in a French courtroom, a Toronto trauma center, and a rape clinic in Africa. Her life was forever changed. At a time when as many as one in three women in the world have been victims of sexual assault and when many women are still ashamed to come forward, Freedman’s book is a moving and essential look at how survivors cope and persevere. At once deeply intimate and terrifyingly universal, One Hour in Paris weaves together Freedman’s personal experience with philosophical, neuroscientific, and psychological insights on what it means to live in a traumatized body. Using her philosopher’s background, she studies the history of psychological trauma, drawing on theories of post-traumatic stress disorder and neuroplasticity to show how recovery from horrific experiences is possible. Through frank discussions of sex and intimacy, she explores the consequences of sexual violence for love and relationships, illustrating the steep personal cost and the obstacles faced by individual survivors in its aftermath. Freedman’s book is an urgent call to face this fundamental social problem head-on, arguing that we cannot continue to ignore the fact that sexual violence against women is rooted in gender inequalities that exist worldwide—and must be addressed. One Hour in Paris is essential reading for sexual violence survivors and an invaluable resource for therapists, mental health professionals, and family members and friends of victims.

There were eccentric characters in the hotel. The Paris slums are a gathering-place for eccentric people—people who have fallen into solitary, half-mad grooves of life and given up trying to be normal or decent. Poverty frees them from ordinary standards of behaviour, just as money frees people from work. Some of the lodgers in our hotel lived lives that were curious beyond words. There were the Rougiers, for instance, an old, ragged, dwarfish couple who plied an extraordinary trade. They used to sell postcards on the Boulevard St Michel. The curious thing was that the postcards were sold in sealed packets as pornographic ones, but were actually photographs of chateaux on the Loire; the buyers did not discover this till too late, and of course never complained. The Rougiers earned about a hundred francs a week, and by strict economy managed to be always half starved and half drunk. The filth of their room was such that one could smell it on the floor below. According to Madame F., neither of the Rougiers had taken off their clothes for four years.

In Danielle Steel’s beloved #1 New York Times bestselling novel, two strangers meet unexpectedly and fall in love in the City of Light. As president of a major pharmaceutical empire, Peter Haskell has everything: power, position, and a family that means everything to him. Compromise has been key in Peter Haskell’s life, and integrity is the base on which he lives. Olivia Thatcher is the wife of a famous senator. She has given to her husband’s ambition and career until her soul is bone-dry. She is trapped in a web of duty and obligation, married to a man she once loved and no longer even knows. Accidentally, they meet in Paris. Their totally different lives converge for one magical moment in the Place Vendôme, as Olivia carefully, silently, steps out of her life and walks away. Peter follows her, and in a café in Montmartre, their hearts are laid bare. Peter, once so certain of his path, is suddenly faced with a professional future in jeopardy. Olivia is no longer sure of anything except that she can’t go on anymore. Five days in Paris is all they have. They go back to their separate lives, but nothing is the same. Everything they believe is put on the line, until they each realize they must stand fast against compromise and face life’s challenges head-on. Danielle Steel’s classic novel is about honor and commitment, love and integrity—and the strength to find hope again. Five Days in Paris will change your life forever. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Danielle Steel's Hotel Vendome.

Articles on the history and culture of the French capital augment information on tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, and shopping facilities throughout the city