The Seine: The River That Made Paris is a wonderful book from Elaine Sciolino that takes readers on a journey along the Seine river, through France’s fascinating history and a thousand little anecdotes that fill it with life.
The book “tells the story of the Seine’s origin, its little known source in Burgundy, and the goddess that gave the river its name,” said a review in goodreads.com.
It also “tells the stories of dozens of fascinating characters that have spent their lives on, around and along the river,” the review added.
It said “Sciolino met with people living on their boats, fishermen, the river police, the firefighters who put out the fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral using water from the Seine, and many more.”
The characters “come to live with her skillful writing and share their stories of how the Seine has shaped their lives,” said the review.
Sciolino is a writer and former Paris Bureau Chief for The New York Times, based in France since 2002.
She contributes to The New York Times’ Food, Culture, Styles and Sunday Review sections.
