I too was suckered in by the praise this book received. In retrospect, I realize that the praise must have come from the author's boorish book critic friends and others so enamored of themselves that they find the work appealing.Mr. Gopnik is of above-average intelligence. Apparently, however, he feels compelled to prove this fact to us, through constant obscure references that very few people will get. Often, the book reads like a poor attempt at creative writing by a show-off college freshman.As an American who formerly lived in Paris, steps from the Luxembourg Gardens, I thought that the book would really speak to me. Unfortunately, Mr. Gopnik worships the same type of pretensions I learned were unappealing after a few short months in the city of light. I too finished the book, always waiting for it to get better. Newsflash; it doesn't.Don't waste your time with this one.