Paris

Paris was the principal and almost the only setting for the book. When they arrived, Paris had fallen into an end-of-the-century economic and cultural funk. It seemed to have been left behind by London and New York, but Gopnik saw this is as a positive development, at least for him and his family. It not only meant they could afford to live there, but as the rest of the world became increasingly globalized, France seemed left behind and therefore increasingly different, which Gopnik liked. The stated subject of his book was the romance of Paris, and he saw it everywhere. Throughout the book, he celebrated the beauty of the place, which he noticed as much in its details as in its wider views. He describes it as one might describe a lover, meticulously and always with pride, even when the place irritates him. He lavishes attention on...