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

Wordy

The book was fairly interesting and full of anecdotes about famous artists in particular that served as mini biographies. But it was much too long. I simply didn't want to know every detail of the subjects' family lives.

McCullough was so besotted with his subjects and with Paris that he just couldn't leave anything out.

Oh yes, then there was the repetition. Why is it that editors don't do their jobs? Proofreading is not enough.

McCullough and Paris

Again his thorough research enlivens a period of history we might not have considered reading.

McCullough takes it to the next level

I have read several of McCullough's books and have found each one to be enjoyable and educational. In The Greater Journey, he maximizes his gift as a biographer by weaving a fascinating cast of characters together during a pivotal time in American and European history. While reading this book, I have had the opportunity to visit several art museums and view works by the artists he writes about from France and America. My visits to the museums as well as to symphony performances were enriched through the reading of this outstanding book. Thank you, Mr. McCullough!

Eclectic

I found this a strange book; a collection of mini biographies tied together by the fact that each was about an American in Paris in the 1800's. Still I am a fan of the author and the narrator and I am content to have finished the book. I learned a lot about the Americans in question, some of whom I never heard of before, and a lot about Paris that I never knew before.

Powerful work about an amazing time and city

Wow. History of Paris and the Americans of the time came alive for me with this great work of history. Figures in art, medicine, science and literature intertwined and cross-pollinated and were captured by Mr McCullough. I feel more enlightened and still wanting to learn more--a sign of a great work of writing and story telling.

very entertaining

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. You get a good flavor of life of Americans living in Paris in the 1800s. You understand why they went and why they stayed. If you enjoy history you will like this book.

The Audible made a great book epic

I’ve always loved David McCullough’s fascinatingly researched and detailed prose that brings history to life. THIS book rocked my world because I’m an artist type person and I had no idea how many brilliant Creatives in America’s history converged in Paris so soon after our country was born!

Reading Mr. McCullough’s books is always a pleasure. The Audible version added the French pronunciations, making it as real as possible for even those readers who may not be familiar with French.

This book also made my dream trip to Paris deeper and more meaningful! In my Top Five all time favorites.

exceptional

this story took me on a journey a great American artists and writers in Paris, and reminded me of my own journey to Paris France.

You feel as if you were in Paris!

Fascinating story of the movement of many of America’s young artists, writers, medical students all seeking to learn from famous Parisians.The culture and history of Paris Was woven into this outstanding book.

I was with McCullough all the way

What made the experience of listening to The Greater Journey the most enjoyable?

I loved all the detail. Cannot imagine all the research into letters, journals, newspapers and
other source materials on so many people. I could almost see the author smiling as he
found some other delectable story in an obscure source.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Greater Journey?

The description of the Siege of Paris was one of the many highlights. The great
efforts of the American ambassador who worked tirelessly to save the lives of
many and the preparedness of many other Americans who aided with their
American ingenuity.

I also appreciated McCullough's switching back and forth from Paris to the
United States to link their histories together.

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Herrmann's impeccable French pronunciations made the whole layout of Paris, it's
buildings, architecture come alive.

I especially enjoyed being free to see online all the art, sculpture and neighborhoods
as they were being described. Herrmann's reading, McCullough's writing and the
browsers really brought it to life.