Paris on the Brink vividly portrays the City of Light during the tumultuous 1930s, from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to war and German Occupation. This was a dangerous and turbulent decade, during which workers flexed their economic muscle and their opponents struck back with increasing violence. As the divide between haves and have-nots widened, so did the political split between left and right, with animosities exploding into brutal clashes, intensified by the paramilitary leagues of the extreme right. Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini escalated the increasingly hazardous international environment, while the civil war in Spain added to the instability of the times. Yet throughout the decade, Paris remained at the center of cultural creativity. Major figures on the Paris scene, such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, André Gide, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, and Coco Chanel, continued to hold sway, in addition to Josephine Baker, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Man Ray, and Le Corbusier. Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre could now be seen at their favorite cafés, while Jean Renoir, Salvador Dalí, and Elsa Schiaparelli came to prominence, along with France’s first Socialist prime minister, Léon Blum. Despite the decade’s creativity and glamour, it remained a difficult and dangerous time, and Parisians responded with growing nativism and anti-Semitism, while relying on their Maginot Line to protect them from external harm. Through rich illustrations and evocative narrative, Mary McAuliffe brings this extraordinary era to life.

Be on the brink of Lily B's world with her third and fantastically funny diary! Lily Blennerhasset is VERY excited. She is on a school trip with her classmates to Paris (nay, Pareee) - a city of sophistication and culture. Here is real material for a future famous novelist such as herself. Lily is convinced that, years hence, readers will peruse her diary entries and Paris will Literally Spring to Life before them. The pages themselves will smell lightly of dijon mustard and baguettes... But when Lily gets 'Separated From The Group' (breaking her mother's biggest commandment) she embarks on adventure involving tourist traps, accidental consumption of cow tongue and a WHOLE different take on Pareee...

"France today is in crisis. High unemployment, an archaic economic system, a self-selecting governing class unable to handle serious problems, and a debilitating nostalgia for things past are creation a nation--at the very moment of European unification--less able than ever to fulfill its role as a world leader. In these pages, Jonathan Fenby lovingly but candidly offers an unvarnished picture of modern France, setting it in the context of its glorious past. He explores the problems and challenges it faces, as well as the opportunities that lie ahead. Filled with historical and contemporary anecdotes, France on the Brink depicts the many contradictory aspects of the country so many people love but also love to hate. This eye-opening look at the world's most complex, seductive, and sometimes infuriating country will give even the most knowledgeable Francophile plenty to think about." -- back cover.