Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History by Train

The French rail system makes the country and its history a day-tripper%E2%80%99s delight in this enchanting travelogue. Historian Caro (The Road from the Past: Traveling Through French History) recounts daylong outings from her Paris base camp to points near, by M%C3%A9tro, or far, by high-speed train. French architecture and civilization unfold through the buildings and towns she visits: churches progress from the first Gothic cathedral at St.-Denis to the secular temple of the Panth%C3%A9on; grim medieval fortresses give way to airy Loire chateaus and splendiferous baroque palaces. Writing with a keen eye for the design and atmospherics of these places and their surroundings (especially local restaurants), Caro makes them way stations on a sprightly tour of French history, regaling readers with piquant stories of the people who built, conquered, and remodeled them. Almost despite itself, the book is a seductive evocation of the ancien r%C3%A9gime: aristocrats were rapacious brutes, Caro allows, but she can%E2%80%99t resist their castles, tastes, and sexual intrigues. ("'Kill him! Here, take my garters and strangle the wretch,%E2%80%99" was the sentence Marguerite de Valois pronounced to one lover who murdered another.) The result is a charming, rapturous guide to la Belle France that tells you where to go%E2%80%94and why. (June)