--- product_id: 4115615 title: "Paris Was Ours" brand: "penelope rowlands" price: "£20.37" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 6 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4115615-paris-was-ours store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Paris Was Ours **Brand:** penelope rowlands **Price:** £20.37 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Paris Was Ours by penelope rowlands - **How much does it cost?** £20.37 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4115615-paris-was-ours) ## Best For - penelope rowlands enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted penelope rowlands brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Paris Was Ours ## Images ![Paris Was Ours - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91hoIGNOumL.jpg) ![Paris Was Ours - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FdT20J80L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Reality Check on a Romantic Icon *by F***R on June 7, 2011* To many Americans, Paris is gloss. Television series - Sex in the CIty, Gossip Girl and even the sturdy medical drama ER - use it as an exotic backdrop. Woody Allen's new "Midnight in Paris" conjures up the bohemian fantasy that Paris still represents, although more avant garde types are now inclined to view Prague (ironically, the actual, original Bohemia) as closer to the spirit of Paris in the 1920's and 1950's. But Carrie Bradshaw, Blair Waldorf and Woody Allen's stock characters are brief visitors who parachute in and just as abruptly leave. In "Paris Was Ours," editor Penelope Rowlands collects 32 writers who are determined to live in Paris among Parisians, rather than skim the surface as privileged tourists or circulate in tight hermetic expatriate communities as Hemingway and Fitzgerald did.Beyond artistic inspiration, in the twentieth century Paris represented personal freedom (and an insanely favorable exchange rate) for the "Lost Generation" of the 1920's who were stultified by Prohibition, and relief from racial discrimination for African-American artists ( James Baldwin, Nina Simone) in the 1950s and 60s. It is not clear what drives Americans to want to experience Paris today, and "Paris Was Ours" does not shed much light on that issue. In that regard, the most disappointing chapter comes from one of the more famous contributors, David Sedaris, whose scant essay is predictably humorous (and scatalogical) but could have been written anywhere. Instead, some of the more compelling chapters are those written by non-Americans. To Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Paris offers political freedom and escape from the revolutionary Iran of the late 1970s. Zoe Valdes is by fortunate happenstance sent to Paris as a form of diplomatic exile by a Cuban government so doctrinaire in the 1980's that "in the minds of the Communists, the reward was Moscow - Paris was a punishment."Readers who have endeavored to live in Paris may well remember - and secretly enjoy - the frustrations that the authors chronicle in daily life. Rowlands herself is refused a hard-boiled egg by a waiter because she is unable to pronounce a difficult vowel. An English schoolgirl is slapped at Versailles by a French passserby for straying onto the grass; the incident is all the more remarkable because the slappee is a daughter of Lady Antonia Fraser. But these obstacles (and insults) are cherished battle scars and only serve to deepen the magnetic draw to Paris. In the end, Rowlands has the title backward. Paris was not theirs; instead, they ended up belonging to Paris. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A new perspective *by J***E on March 7, 2013* As other reviewers have stated, "Paris Was Ours" is unique in that it doesn't just glorify the city, but also shows the day-to-day hardships faced by its residents. Rowlands writes: "Vacation syndrome is dangerously seductive. You actually believe that this magical place you have come to allows you to be the contented, stress-free person you really are. There's a lot of vacation syndrome in Paris." And the thirty-two stories that follow show that it's not all baguettes and eclairs in the City of Light. The city is expensive, it can be mean and in some cases, impossible to live comfortably. I really enjoyed some of the stories, while others left me a bit bored. However, I think all of the contributions were worthwhile and I certainly recommend reading this book if you love Paris. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book in great condition *by G***I on March 17, 2024* I love Paris Was Ours. I checked it out from the library several times, and decided to buy it. I bought a great used one that seems brand new, at a very low price. I lived outside the U.S. for ten years (never in France), but it reminds me of the good times, the bad times, the transformation I went through, and the wonder of it all. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4115615-paris-was-ours](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4115615-paris-was-ours) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*