The Greater Journey

Americans in Paris

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring - and until now, untold - story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work.

After risking the hazardous journey across the Atlantic, these Americans embarked on a greater journey in the City of Light. Most had never left home, never experienced a different culture. None had any guarantee of success. That they achieved so much for themselves and their country profoundly altered American history.

As David McCullough writes, “Not all pioneers went west.”

Nearly all of the Americans profiled here - including Elizabeth Blackwell, James Fenimore Cooper, Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Harriet Beecher Stowe - whatever their troubles learning French, their spells of homesickness, and their suffering in the raw cold winters by the Seine, spent many of the happiest days and nights of their lives in Paris. McCullough tells this sweeping, fascinating story with power and intimacy, bringing us into the lives of remarkable men and women who, in Saint-Gaudens’s phrase, longed “to soar into the blue”. The Greater Journey is itself a masterpiece.

©2011 David McCullough (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Always a wonderful read!

McCullough is one of my favorite writers. His subjects are spectacular and the use of historical journals mixed with his genius for storytelling always make for rich enjoyment. As an art lover, I admit to cringing through the reader's pronunciation of Robert Henri. Ouch. Highly recommend this.

Excellent!

Mr. McCullough takes a subject for which I had little interest, Paris, and with his singular talent for story telling, made it fascinating.

The book provides insightful mini-biographies of numerous important Americans; James Fenimore Cooper, Samuel Morse, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and more. I learned much about their lives and contributions.

I also learned why Paris of the 19th Century was so important and soulfully educational to those who ventured there. Even those who felt Paris unimportant, such as Henry Adams, discovered it was.

You won’t regret the time taken to read or listen!

Pedestrian

Biographies interspersed with a history of Paris. Where Americans participated in the history of Paris, excitement infused the narrative. However, much of the rest was given over to accounts of pedestrian (with some notable exceptions) lives of Americans in Paris coupled with overly detailed descriptions of their furniture. That’s how it felt.

Herrmann was a master

Good book, but I just love herrmann's performance. I wish I could give him 6 stars. So sad to know that there will be no more from him.

McCullough Is Masterful

Where does The Greater Journey rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best histories I've listened to. At no point does it drag. I was fascinated with everyone McCullough discussed in the book. At times, it almost reads like a narration of some great fictional work, the subjects are so interesting. Of course, this is nothing new for David McCullough, as all of his histories have this quality.

Fascinating account of American artists in Paris

David McCullough narrates the lives of American artists in Paris, using many original sources. August St. Gaudens, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and others, seeking inspiration abroad, come to life.

A trip back in time to 19th century Paris.

The sights, sounds, and feelings of Americans in Paris. sorry to have it end.

The beginning is best part

Compare to experiences of Americans who went to Paris in 20s&30s.
These were better off economically, thus had different take on Paris -- these travelers seemed too idealistic & had romantic notions of the French & Paris.

The origins of creativity revealed

This is another gem of historical writing from McCullough. It was slow at first, but as you get into it, you find a plethora of fascinating stories about some of our nation's most creative geniuses. Thanks to McCullough, we can better appreciate the life of Samuel Morse; an artist as well as an inventor. I found myself going to web searches almost every day to look at the works of the many artists who went to Paris in the 1800s. Even more revealing is the fresh look we get at one of the world's most captivating cities.

Weaving French and American histories

The narrative is a thread of personal stories about famous American writers, artists, politicians and médécins who explored Paris between 1830 and 1900. Locating these familiar personalities within the context of social and historical events in Paris, like the production of famous artworks, the Paris Exhibition, the rise and fall of Napoleon, the Franco-Prussian war (which changed the balance of power in Europe that led up to WWI), fashion, hospital care, attitudes towards women, and other passing milestones, McCullough canters along at an amiable pace with his amazing attention to local detail. I was quite entertained as my synapses made transatlantic connections with the parallel history of Paris in France and our American story. I'd say it's a creative premise, giving pleasant, absorptive, informative listening.