Title: If You Are Going to Paris, Read This Book
Review: "Haussmann, or the Distinction" would make the perfect companion to a trip to Paris, where the changes wrought by Haussmann and the vestiges of what he left untouched combine to make the world's most beautiful city. This book hasn't received the attention it deserves; its beautiful writing transports the reader to France in the 19th Century as well as any costume drama. It has all the elements of a great novel. A central character to root for as she rises from the gutter, glittering society, sex and love, power politics, business machinations and immersion in a a technical subject: public engineering. The writing is intelligent and beautiful and there isn't a cliche within sight.
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