Discover The Greater Journey: Americans In Paris Composed By David McCullough Published As Paper Edition

a nod to Rachel's excellent review, this was the literary equivalent of a cup of cocoa the chalky kind from a tin, without marshmallows with your grandfather.
It was perfectly pleasant and you will learn quite a few things about various American intellectuals and reformers who spent time in Paris during theth century, but the slow pace and overly detailed anecdotes are apt to make you nod off.
Also, the lack of clear connections between the various characters other than the fact that they all had a stint in Paris made the narrative feel rambling and a bit incoherent to me.


I would rate this somewhere betweenand,stars. The synopsis on GR describes the book as "enthralling and engaging, " Er, no. But it was wellwritten, reasonably informative, and would probably be a big hit in my grandparents' retirement home, A new McCullough! Squee! I have to sit down with books about France/Paris and history in a certain frame of mind.
Everyone wants to recommend these to me and I do like reading them, just not a steady diet, McCullough is favorite writer. He tells a story and then you realize you've learned something about a subject, In this case, the win was an overlay of American history that put this part of French history into context.
The biggest surprise was the history of the Paris Commune, Victor Hugo gives a dramatized view the history as captured in large part by the journals of little known Elihu Washburne, the American ambassador to France was particularly enlightening.



How could I NOT plan to read this book Love McCullough's writing, love history, love Paris! Thebestseller that tells the remarkable story of the generations of American artists, writers, and doctors who traveled to Paris, the intellectual, scientific, and artistic capital of the western world, fell in love with the city and its people, and changed America through what they learned, told by Americas master historian, David McCullough.


Not all pioneers went west,

In The Greater Journey, David McCullough tells the enthralling, inspiringand until now, untoldstory of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, and others who set off for Paris in the years betweenand, hungry to learn and to excel in their work.
What they achieved would profoundly alter American history,

Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in America, was one of this intrepid band, Another was Charles Sumner, whose encounters with black students at the Sorbonne inspired him to become the most powerful voice for abolition in the US Senate.
Friends James Fenimore Cooper and Samuel F, B. Morse worked unrelentingly every day in Paris, Morse not only painting what would be his masterpiece, but also bringing home his momentous idea for the telegraph.
Harriet Beecher Stowe traveled to Paris to escape the controversy generated by her book, Uncle Toms Cabin, Three of the greatest American artists eversculptor Augustus SaintGaudens, painters Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargentflourished in Paris, inspired by French masters.


Almost forgotten today, the heroic American ambassador Elihu Washburne bravely remained at his post through the FrancoPrussian War, the long Siege of Paris, and the nightmare of the Commune.
His vivid diary account of the starvation and suffering endured by the people of Paris is published here for the first time.


Telling their stories with power and intimacy, McCullough brings us into the lives of remarkable men and women who, in SaintGaudens phrase, longed “to soar into the blue.
” The Greater Journey is an inspiring narrative of the prominent Americans who traveled to Paris from the earlys to the end of theth century.
It was written by the masterful writer David McCullough, I love his books and this is definitely among them,

It told the story of Samuel Morse who invented the telegraph but was also a painter, He painted the exceptional “Gallery of the Louvre”, He was friends with the writer James Fenimore Cooper, George Sumner enrolled in the Sorbonne because he wanted to learn about everything, He became an important voice for the abolition of slavery in America, It almost cost him his life when he spoke against it as a US Senator, There were also medical students including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Elizabeth Blackwell thest American female doctor who went to France to enhance their skills.
France was at the cutting edge of medical knowledge at this time,

Other people written about included writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassat, George Healy the portrait painter with little money, who painted Abraham Lincoln, the sculptor Augustus SaintGaudens and pianist Louis MoreauGottschalk from New Orleans.
During this time we also read about Frances tumultuous turmoil after the French Revolution which includes the reign of Louis Napoleon and his serious error with Germany.

This book recounts the lives of these Americans, their suffering in the cold winters and their happy days and nights in Paris.
It is a fascinating story of these men and women and an extremely enjoyable book, McCullough's work is always excellent, though I would argue the author is at his best when he focuses on one person rather than a plethora of figures, which is the reason I deducted a star.


Just as its subtitle says, The Greater Journey recounts the stories of many famous Americans who went to Paris.
Whether to learn, travel, absorb culture, or hone skills, all of these nowimpressive voyagers have interesting tales of their own.
McCullough breathes great life into each of these people, and also frames their experiences in Paris with fascinating insight as to why they went and what resulted from the journey.


I read this book too many years ago to get very indepth with my review, but one aspect I remember finding both surprising and wonderful was how some of the Parisian pursuits undertaken had no evident relation to what certain people are so known for today.
This gave me a greater appreciation for these historical figures, and also kept me even more intrigued,

McCullough's writing style is just as great as always, and he does give greater attention to some people than others, which helps keep this from turning into an overwhelming tome.
One of the best parts of The Greater Journey is how it heads through almost a century of Paris' history by focusing on the Americans visiting at the time.
Whether a doctor's efforts lead you to better comprehend illness in Paris, or a painter's huge undertaking allows you to envision the setup of museums at the time, there's such a breadth of knowledge covered here.
Narrating the period through specific individuals helps the book to flow in a way it otherwise may not have managed.


Especially because this is not a single biography, there will likely be parts that interest a reader more than others, since it's hard to know everything you're signing up for when beginning.
Nonetheless, it's all executed in a clean, interesting, and informative manner, I would highly recommend The Greater Journey to anyone interested in Parisian history, Americans abroad, or who just want to branch out from the most famous of McCullough's books.
This is the second David McCullough work that Ive read and I must admit Ive had the same basic reaction to both extremely well researched, highly informative, wonderfully interesting.
Yet this journey was a bit of a slog not a book to be run through in a few days like some light mystery.


This work deals with Americans who traveled to Paris during theth Century and the effect that “The City of Light” had on their careers, their insights, their accumulation of knowledge.
From medical people to artists, from authors to architects, the reader is brought to Paris in thes along with the likes of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Elizabeth Blackwell considered the first female American doctor, John Singer Sargent, James Fenimore Cooper, Samuel F.
B. Morse and many others. In addition, we see the great strides that Paris was taking as the city moved to the forefront of art, culture and science.
Did you know that doctors received a better medical education in Paris than anywhere in the U, S. because dead bodies were more readily available for study there That progress in womens health made greater strides in Paris because the women in the U.
S. were loathe to remove their clothing for their male doctors not a problem for Frenchwomen Can you picture the head of the Statue of Liberty peeking over the skyline of Paris as it is constructed This book is filled with such details.
So though this book may be slow reading, it is certainly a “journey” worth taking,

Grade: B
This is the story of Americans who traveled to Paris during the seven final decades of theth century.
It's a history of the young years of individuals who ended up being famous and important Americans in their later mature years.
Generally speaking, many of them were single, affluent individuals mostly men in their's intent on learning the artistic, scientific, and medical skills of the French who were perceived to be leaders in these fields.


I too spent some time traveling in Europe when I was young, and reading of the experiences of these early Americans reminded me of my own excitement of being young in a foreign country.
So I would like to think that I was able to identify with some of their experiences, particularly their commiserating with other Americans they met abroad.


Here's a partial list of individuals covered by this book:

Oliver Wendell Holmes physician, professor, lecturer, and author
James Fenimore Cooper author
Charles Sumner abolitionist politician
Samuel F.
B. Morse failed artist and inventor of the telegraph
Elizabeth Blackwell Americas first female physician
Harriet Beecher Stowe author
Augustus SaintGaudens sculptor
Elizabeth Fisher Nichols wife of Augustus SaintGaudens
Mary Cassatt artistpainter
John Singer Sergeant artistpainter
James Abbott McNeill Whistler artistpainter
James Adams author

In the process of telling the story of the Parisian adventures of these individuals, the book also provides a summary history of France during these same years.
This includes the FrancoPrussian War and the terror of the temporary reign of the Paris Commune,

There's a story in the book that I enjoyed because it gave an example of the advantages of speaking bad French.
During the reign of the Paris Commune an unruly mob came to an estate owned by a rich American and demanded

every animal on the premises.
He replied, " you may have 'le cheval' but not the 'le vache' using the masculine pronoun le for cow, it was more than they the mob could bear.
" The mob convulsed with laughter, So they took the horse and left the cow The bad French thus defused a potentially deadly confrontation and turned it into a funny story.


The book contains an epilog that briefly tells what happened to many of these individuals after they returned home.
I can see how, in all the wild Sturm und Drang of this modern world, you just might get in the mood for a couple of peaceful evenings in the parlor listening to a softly ticking clock and a mild, grandfatherlytype person amble gently through his stock of anecdotes.
And if you happen to like your anecdotes very gentle and discursive indeed, and youve a yen to untangle bits about some pretty interesting Americans in Paris betweenandfrom the anecdote skein, then this is the book for you:

“Ah, yes.
Did I ever tell you about how Charles Sumner arrived in Parisnow was that back inor was itVery bright fellow he was, too.
If you can wait a moment, I have some of his letters to show you, if I can just find my Yes, yes, here we are.
He did return to Paris much later, you know, after that terribly unpleasant Congressional incident, Needed a complete change of scene and a break, poor fellow”

I say none of this from a place of hate.
This was a rather pleasant read, actually, I get the sense that David McCullough has an enormous affection for his subject matter, and spent many happy months burrowing through the writings of thesethcentury Americans, major and minor, to bring them to us here, in this book.
And there are some fascinating and underappreciated characters to be met Charles Sumner, later Congressperson ands abolitionist Oliver Wendell Holmes Samuel Morse, ardent artist and telegraph inventor/promoter dogged diplomat Elihu Washburne, whose Yankee grit shone during the Prussian siege of Paris sculptor Augustus SaintGaudens Impressionist Mary Cassattthe list goes on.


And on and on and on, as taking “Americans in Paris betweenand” as ones topic opens a field wider than a Haussmanized boulevard.


Which brings me to a big old bunch of questions the book left unanswered for me, I am not a historian betcha couldnt tell, nor have I read of McCulloughs other, highly acclaimed books, so maybe you can help.
WhyIs there a compelling, unifying historical reason for the book to be bounded by thoseyears Or was there just a conveniently located gap between all that donetodeath Ben Franklin/Thomas Jefferson stuff and the whole Midnight in Paris crew And McCullough focuses mainly on artists of various stripes, with a smattering of political and medical types, but how did he choose which Americans to include or which to emphasize Quality of primary sources Fame General interest Significance to the big picture

And speaking of the big picture, darned if I was able to make one out.
Aside from the odd statistic on the numbers of Americans in Paris at various times, the book tends to keep a very narrow focus.
McCullough successively zooms in on an American, or very small group of Americans, during their time in Paris, occasionally following individuals back stateside for major life events.
Aside from a few generalities about medical training and such, he doesnt pull out many unified themes about his subjects.
Okay, fine. Seventy years and thousands of Americans perhaps there isnt much unity to be pulled out, But neither does he spend a lot of page time connecting their stories more firmly to the larger forces at work in France.
Not that the book takes place in a complete American vacuum McCullough does mention relevant historical and cultural happenings in Paris, but he deemphasizes the French context like, whoa, modernism: blink and youll miss it.


Which leaves us with that skein of anecdotes, a creaky rocker and a slowly cooling cup of tea.


This book would probably pair well with: any of the untold thousands of meatier offerings about the Paris, art, medicine and/or Americans of this period, of which offerings I have read, all told, about six.
I can recommend sitelinkOlympia: Paris in the Age of Manet, sitelinkThe Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and His Followers, and, flawed as it is, sitelinkParis: The Secret History.
Even the featherweight sitelinkThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, so help me, will give you more solid stuff on the significance of Universal Expositions the Eiffel Tower.
And from the fiction side, perhaps even, oh, Henry Jamess sitelinkThe American, a charming book about the greater journey of an American in Paris betweenand, would be a tasty complement.


And yes, I saw McCullough stated he started in, as that was when Americans started coming to Paris in large numbers for nondiplomatic reasons.
. . as he did cover a diplomat, and vividly, I was a bit puzzled, .