The French Belle Époque… How I love it when the postman comes!

I love it when the postman comes!  These 3 friends arrived today, and I’m pretty excited to bury myself in them.

• Dawn of the Belle Époque (Mary McAuliffe)

• Twilight of the Belle Époque (Mary McAuliffe)

• The Man in the Red Coat (Julian Barnes)

All are about a subject I adore…  The Belle Époque.

Dawn & Twilight of the Belle Époque.   “The Beautiful Era” in Paris from 1871 – through to WWII.  These two books are about the Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau and also Picasso, Stravinsky, Proust, Renault, Marie Curie and Gertrude Stein during those fascinating times.

Both are by New York author Mary McAuliffe who is a fellow Francophile but also holds a PhD in history – I’m in good hands with her.

Then the “Man in the Red Coat” (Julian Barnes). Again set in the Parisian Belle Époque but inspired by Dr Samuel Pozzi, a scientist, doctor and man inquisitive about everything and everyone during those times.

Barnes describes Dr Pozzi as a man who “filled his life with medicine, art, books, travel, society, politics and as much sex as possible”…

I think he was on the right track!