Paris TImes Eight

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""Erudite, charming, and yet sharply appraising, Kelly's ode to Paris evokes the spirit of the city itself. A lovely book."" -- Patricia Pearson

""Paris Times Eight is a fast-paced, breezy read, its substance subtly woven into a tale of a city whose glamour and beauty never fades."" -- Ottawa Citizen

A poignant and often amusing reminiscence of growing to womanhood through eight visits to Paris.

For Deirdre Kelly, Paris is not only a dream city but also the place where she attains a deeper understanding of herself. Having always defined herself in opposition to her mother, Kelly finds in the city itself her ""other mother,"" the mother of her imagination.

At nineteen, Kelly first arrives in Paris as a starry-eyed ing»nue. In a subsequent visit she appears as a budding writer, eager for intellectual and sexual adventure, who interviews the legendary Nureyev and crashes an exclusive fashion show. In an emotionally charged return, Kelly takes her mother to Paris to meet her ""other mother,"" with not altogether happy results. She also takes her future husband, who has his own connection to the city. On her last trip, she is a mother herself.

During all these visits, Paris is the constant, but Kelly's shifting emotional world creates varying perspectives on both the city and her evolving self. Paris emerges as a principal character, an influence that inspires and guides Kelly on her path to growth and maturity.

Deirdre Kelly is a journalist, author, and internationally recognized dance critic for Dance Magazine, the Dance Gazette, and the Globe and Mail, where for sixteen years she was the paper's dance critic on staff. A contributor to the International Dictionary of Ballet and the online arts group Critics at Large, she is the author of the bestselling memoir Paris Times Eight. Her articles on dance have also appeared in Elle, Vogue, Chatelaine, and Saturday Night. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

"Kelly's book, its chapters highlighting eight separate visits beginning in 1979 after high school graduation, is at times pensive, sardonic and laugh-out-loud funny, as it chronicles a real life with all its comedies and tragedies." -Calgary Herald

"Deirdre Kelly is the latest in a line of marvelous writers from Steinbeck to Gertrude Stein who have found their muse in Paris. Hers is a poignant, honest and deliciously sexy coming-of-age story that speaks to any woman who has been there, or ever dreams of going." -Jan Wong

"Paris Times Eight is a fast-paced, breezy read, its substance subtly woven into a tale of a city whose glamour and beauty never fades." -Ottawa Citizen

"Kelly recounts how each of her visits to the French capital coincided with a major change in her life, and helped her become the self-proclaimed fashionista she is today. 'Each time I am in Paris, I find myself studying the female populace, emulating the way they wear their hair and tie a scarf, paint their nails and walk everywhere in heels.' Men might even enjoy this read . . . " -France Guide Prestige 2010

"A resonant and intriguing voyage of self-discovery." -Adam Egoyan

"Erudite, charming, and yet sharply appraising, Kelly's ode to Paris evokes the spirit of the city itself. A lovely book." -Patrice Pearson

"For personal memoirs on Paris with a Canuck slant, check out Toronto author Deirdre Kelly's Paris Times Eight: Finding Myself in the City of Dreams." -Flare

"In Kelly's book, Paris comes alive as a character: detailed descriptions abound as Kelly captures the depth, vivacity, and uniqueness of Paris that its champions strive to relate to those who have never experienced it . . . I found that the greatest accomplishment of Paris Times Eight was its power to rouse in me the longing and hunger for Paris that drove Kelly for nearly thirty years. So, get reading - I'll meet you at the airport." -SheDoesTheCity.com

"In this elegantly written memoir, Deirdre Kelly evokes her infatuation with Paris. These eight chapters contain hundreds of adventures, subtly combining poetical descriptions with vivid, confessional details. We leave Kelly's City of Dreams refreshed and fulfilled." -Julie Enfield

"Witty and candid, this book reveals how cities are as much creations of the imagination as they are constructs of steel, stone, and glass." -Richard Florida

"Written in a very engaging style . . . This charming travel memoir shows us how a person and a city can grow and change in tandem." -Booklist