This is the podcast in book form, so if you like what they're doing, I think you'd enjoy this book. I will say, I'm a visual person, so reading about design can be more challenging than watching a YouTube video on the same subject. That said, I enjoyed the content and the art very much. But I did find myself Googling every so often, just so I could put a picture of the design in my head.

When I think about this book, I think "sweeping historical fiction." There are changing landscapes, battles, royalty, romance, betrayals, complex family dynamics. If you want something immersive, I'd highly recommend this book. And even more mind-blowing is that it's loosely based on true events.

This book sounded right up my alley: women's rights, witches, fantasy in a historical setting. It sounded fun and original. Maybe some "A Discovery of Witches" vibes. I ended up giving it 3 stars because I thought the book focused more on the women and their relationship with magic than the actual magic. I also wished there was a little more history tied in. Now, writing this review after also reading "The Ten Thousand Doors of January", I understand Alix E. Harrow's writing style a bit more. She is atmospheric and focuses a lot on the inner lives of the characters. So even though this was a 3 star read for me, other readers may love it.

It's funny how your enjoyment and perception of a book can change based when you chose to read it. I picked this up as a kid, probably read a few pages and put it down, and decided to read it as an adult. And I loved it! Yes, it's a children's novel with cute animal characters, but there are timeless themes, like the hero's journey, good vs. evil, courage and perseverance, bravery and kindness. And there is a fair amount of violence, so I would recommend this for YA readers.

David McCullough is an exceptional historian and writer. He really brings Paris to life in this book, with much appreciation for art, invention, and even medicine. His storytelling style is wonderful, but I do think this could be a slight disadvantage in this book, because while some historical figures appear in multiple chapters, many of the chapters could almost stand alone, as much as McCullough tries to weave a cohesive narrative between them.

The stories of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt were fascinating to me. But I think the standout narrative belongs to Elihu Washburne, the American ambassador to France during the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune of Paris. It felt a little out of place, next to chapters about idealist writers and artists, but I think McCullough just had to include it as a tribute to this man's devotion and steadfastness.

This is a book about Americans in Paris, so as you would expect, this book is going to romanticize Paris, and I enjoyed it because it's glamorous and exciting. But I have to acknowledge that many of the people in the book enjoyed privileged lifestyles, and there isn't much representation for the marginalized and the poor who made up the majority of Parisian citizens. I wish their stories could exist alongside the Americans in Paris to round out the book a bit more.