Book Review: "100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go" by Marcia DeSantis

So excited to share this fun travel book with you guys! It is a fun read with great descriptions, and it basically plans your next several trips to France. Though the book is steered toward women many of the stops would be enjoyable for anyone! (Men might not be crazy about the perfume shopping, but some might be! Who knows? No judgement!) And though about 30 of the places are in Paris, there are more than enough options if you want to get out of the City of Lights and see the rest of what this great country has to offer.

Here are my three favorite suggestions

-Underwear. I'm the girl who waits to do all of her underwear shopping at the semi-annual clearance at Vickie's. (TMI? Maybe? Sorry.) So I wouldn't generally be one to blow a lot of money on underwear. However, the descriptions of the shops with their lovely, soft, light as air wares were making me think that a couple really luxurious pairs of 'roos might be a good idea for every woman.

-Perfume. I like to smell nice, but I'm still on the same bottle of Ralph Lauren's Romance that I have been for the last 4 or 5 years at least. Marci talks about going to several amazing places looking for just the right perfume. One of the shops were the company that created the perfume for the wife of Napolean III. Still in business! It made me want to throw away all of my old bottles and try something new and exciting!

-Memorial Museum for the Children of Izieu.I know it's kind of a swing to go from shopping for luxuries to talking about a memorial for murdered children. This memorial tells about a group of Jewish children who were in an orphanage in the city of Izieu,not far from Lyons. The regional Gestapo director was Klaus Barbie, a terrible human being who would later be convicted as a war criminal , and his officers swept into the orphanage. You can guess what happened to almost all of the 44 children and 7 adults found at the orphanage.


I liked that the chapters were nice and bitesized which meant for a fast read. Everytime I finished the chapter I'd be like "yep, that sounds good. Let's go to France and do that". Everything sounded fun or exciting or interesting, even the sad things (like Normandy and Holocaust Memorials) sounded like must-visits.It didn't bother me personally but there isn't much by the way of pictures in this book. There's a couple but they're black and white and about the size of a postage stamp. I give it 3.5 stars!

Author Marcia DeSanctis

on Tour

October 27-November 5, 2014

with

100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go

[travel essays]

Release date: October 21, 2014 at Travelers' Tales

380 pages

ISBN: 978-1609520823

Goodreads

***

SYNOPSIS

Told in a series of stylish, original essays, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is for the serious Francophile, for the woman dreaming of a trip to Paris, and for those who love crisp stories well-told. Like all great travel writing, this volume goes beyond the guidebook and offers insight not only about where to go but why to go there. Combining advice, memoir and meditations on the glories of traveling through France, this book is the must-have in your carry-on when flying to Paris. Award-winning writer Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of travels and living in France to lead you through vineyards, architectural treasures, fabled gardens and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Deauville, Antibes to the French Alps. These 100 entries capture art, history, food, fresh air and style and along the way, she tells the stories of fascinating women who changed the country?s destiny. Ride a white horse in the Camargue, find Paris? hidden museums, try thalassotherapy in St. Malo, and buy raspberries at Nice?s Cour Saleya market. From sexy to literary, spiritual to simply gorgeous, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is an indispensable companion for the smart and curious traveler to France. [provided by the author]

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  [caption id="attachment_2221" align="alignleft" width="113"] Photo credit: Ron Haviv[/caption]   Marcia DeSanctis is a former television news producer for Barbara Walters, NBC and CBS News. She has written essays and articles for numerous publications including Vogue, Marie Claire, Town & Country, O the Oprah Magazine, Departures, and The New York Times Magazine. Her essays have been widely anthologized and she is the recipient of three Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism, as well as a Solas Award for best travel writing. She holds a degree from Princeton University in Slavic Languages and Literature and a Masters in Foreign Policy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook, and Twitter Buy the book: Amazon, upcoming on Travelers' Tales.  

***

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ OTHER REVIEWS, INTERVIEW, EXCERPT

*