Paris and France as observed wryly and up-close by a long-term North American Paris resident. Seventy-two witty, sharply observed vignettes of daily life, personalities, women, society, culture, history, esthetics, economics and politics, with connecting mini-essays as context and introduction to each topic. A book full of color and humor that skewers French foibles and hypocrisies, while offering clear-eyed praise for France's values and lifestyle. Not a museum-by-museum guidebook, but a book that gives you an intimate "feel" for Paris and France today -- including their ever-present history and the ways French think, react, and look at the world. The author's passion for his "borrowed homeland" suggests that you too might be in danger of falling head-over-heels in love with all things French.