Haussmann, or the Distinction cover art

Haussmann, or the Distinction

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About this listen

LaFarge's stunning novel of love, betrayal, and exploitation is based on themes involving the life of the great city planner Georges-Eughne Haussmann.

Baron Georges-Eughne Haussmann was the architect of modern Paris. In two decades, from 1853 to 1869, he transformed the cramped, filthy lanes of the medieval city into the airy boulevards and green parks of today. Yet there is a story that, on his deathbed, Haussmann wished to undo everything he'd built. "Would that it had died with me!" he is supposed to have said. What is the secret of the baron's last regret?

To answer this question, author Paul LaFarge tells the story of a three-sided affair that pitted love against ambition and architecture against flesh, in this sweeping drama of a changing social order.

©2001 Paul LaFarge (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks
Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

"LaFarge...neatly integrates geographical and cultural references into the tale, making this as much an enlightening history of Paris as it is a tragic, affecting love story. An astonishing amount of research, a believable tone, and a captivating story all come together to make this work a stunning success." ( Publishers Weekly)
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