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Eiffel's Tower: The Thrilling Story Behind Paris's Beloved Monument and the Extraordinary World's Fair That Introduced It Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,013 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Reminiscent of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, this fascinating account from acclaimed author Jill Jonnes recaptures the 1889 Paris World's Fair. Casting vehement criticism aside, Gustave Eiffel built his tower to be the fair's centerpiece. Perched at the top all summer, he hosted a string of dignitaries.
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"This is probably one of the best books I have read this year. I enjoyed reading about the building of the Eiffel Tower and the Paris World Fair that followed. This book tells of the fair and the famous people who visited the fair. I enjoyed reading about the Buffalo Bill wild west show and Annie Oakley's participation. It was also great learning more about Gustav Eiffel and Thomas Edison. Both men I think were just brilliant. The book is well written and a very quick read."
— David (5 out of 5 stars)
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“With splendid attention to detail…Jonnes, the author of Conquering Gotham and Empires of Light, takes a remarkable cast of characters and documents their respective experiences at the fair.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A remarkable feat of popular history…It’s hard to imagine a better account of all this than Jonnes’ book…This is a work of deep research and thorough organization, an account of crucial stage in the birth of European modernity that jogs along at the confident pace of a good novel. It shouldn’t be missed.”
— Telegraph (London) -
“A colorful cast of characters descended on Paris for the 1889 World’s Fair, and Jonnes offers an atmospheric overview of the celebrities who made Belle Époque Paris their stage during the memorable event…The fair’s undisputed main attraction, both at the fair and in Jonnes’ account, was the controversial wrought-iron tower of unprecedented height that, Jonnes says, appeals for both its technological genius and its ‘aerial playfulness and charm.’ It perfectly embodies ‘the triumph of the modern’ that Jonnes so well captures in her sprightly account.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Jonnes…captures the verve and personality of the Belle Époque as Paris struggled to show the world its glory…Jonnes details the iconic figures who added to the allure of the fair—James McNeill Whistler, Paul Gauguin, Thomas Edison, Annie Oakley, and Buffalo Bill—and the excitement and ambitions of the era.”
— Booklist -
“[An] enjoyable history of one of the world’s greatest monuments and some significant surrounding figures.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Eiffel's Tower Listener Reviews
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" I had to finish it fast for class so I didn't get a lot out of the last 3rd, but I found it very interseting. "
— Sarah, 2/18/2014 -
" Hard book to read - did not care for it, too disjointed "
— John, 2/10/2014 -
" I wanted to like this more than I did. Perhaps I am biased by Erik Larsen' s Devil in the White house City (about the Chicago World's Fair), but I feel this one barely scratched the surface of many fascinating aspects (as listed in the subtitle). Overall, pretty informative and a nice introduction to this particular World's Fair for me. "
— Amy, 2/4/2014 -
" Excellent book. Didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed her work on Penn Station...but I think that had more to do with the subject matter. "
— Mr., 1/17/2014 -
" Good history, but could standing a bit of editing. "
— Terry, 12/31/2013 -
" The expanded title sums up the book; an intermixed narrative about the lives of Eiffel, Buffalo Bill, Anne Oakley, Thomas Edison, and others. It was enjoyable delving into the people who shaped the Paris Expo. Though halfway through the book the tower is complete and anyway we all know it does become completed. So I got halfway then read the last chapter to see how everyone 'fared' (get it world's fair) in the end. "
— J, 12/29/2013 -
" Fascinating to read some behind-scenes stories on the development of the art world during this time. The Eiffel Tower was indeed a fantastic story but I really liked how Jonnes put that event in context of all the other stories at that time. A fun history lesson. "
— Melissa, 12/29/2013 -
" I love the French translations! "Garcons de boeuf" and "Guillaume Buffalo." "
— Melissa, 12/23/2013 -
" I really enjoyed Jonnes book about Penn St. Station. This one though? Ugggh, it was pretty dry and not nearly as interesting. "
— MJ, 12/18/2013 -
" The book was really more about the key figures of the 1889 World's Fair than about the Tower itself. I found the parts about the Tower itself and Annie Oakley especially entertaining but much of the rest of the book simply didn't hold my interest. "
— Mike, 12/18/2013 -
" This book makes me want to visit Paris again. A wonderful book, all true, yet written with a since of a novelist. "
— April, 12/18/2013 -
" Was ultimately several disjointed biographies grafted together instead of one coherent biography. It should have been all Eiffel, I think... "
— Ariel, 10/31/2013 -
" although certainly not as compelling as erik larson's "devil in the white city" (about chicago's 1892 fair), jonnes tells an interesting tale of belle epoque paris and its main characters during the 1888 world's fair. worth the read for the history lesson alone! "
— Michelle, 10/24/2013 -
" 3.5 stars. This is well-written and informative, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it riveting. However, if you're interested in the subject matter, it's definitely worth your time. "
— Beth, 6/8/2013 -
" An intersting read, similar in style to Erik Larson's Devil In The White City, but not quite as interesting. "
— Peter, 2/27/2013 -
" This book reminds me of "Devil in White City" and "Isaac's Storm" in that it reads like a novel but is actually a fact filled historical narrative. There was a part in the middle that bogged down in technical descriptions, I skimmed through that. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book! "
— Carla, 1/19/2013 -
" Great read, great history of Eiffel, Edison, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakely, Guaguin, Van Gogh, Whistler (what a piece of work!).... what a genius was Eiffel and how hard he had to fight... jealousies of countries and of persons never end... "
— Sue, 8/12/2012 -
" Good cultural history of a specific time and place (Paris in the 1880s) and a feat of engineering remarkable for its time. You might try this if you liked the even more compellingly readable Devil in the White City. "
— Nick, 6/15/2012 -
" If you read Devil in the White City and enjoyed it, you have to read Eiffel's Tower. Filled with hitory and historical characters it tells the building of Eiffel's Tower and the worlds fair it was constructed for. "
— Susan, 6/1/2012 -
" Great story well-told of the people, and events at the 1889 Worlds Fair in Paris. Highly recommended! "
— Mike, 2/3/2012 -
" An enjoyable read about a place and a time and a set of people who converged at the Paris Exposition. I really liked the parts about Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley and the attitudes of the promoters and the nay-sayers about the Tower. Well written and not a dry history. "
— Jane, 5/20/2011 -
" I was happy I read this, though at times it bogged down in too many facts. There was lots of information about Edison, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and of curse Eiffel. Lots of photos, which was nice. "
— mim, 3/10/2011 -
" Great story. I felt like the author jumped around a bit from character to character trying to give every detail of their lives at that point in time. Very well researched. "
— Alison, 2/11/2011 -
" Great read, great history of Eiffel, Edison, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakely, Guaguin, Van Gogh, Whistler (what a piece of work!).... what a genius was Eiffel and how hard he had to fight... jealousies of countries and of persons never end... "
— Sue, 1/6/2011 -
" Excellent book. Didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed her work on Penn Station...but I think that had more to do with the subject matter. "
— Mr., 12/26/2010 -
" Was ultimately several disjointed biographies grafted together instead of one coherent biography. It should have been all Eiffel, I think... "
— Ariel, 12/26/2010 -
" Good cultural history of a specific time and place (Paris in the 1880s) and a feat of engineering remarkable for its time. You might try this if you liked the even more compellingly readable Devil in the White City. "
— Nick, 12/23/2010 -
" Well, it was no Erik Larson, I'll tell you that. But it was interesting enough to hold my attention. Jonnes is a gifted researcher - I like her eye for detail. "
— Glorious.Clio, 11/10/2010
About Jill Jonnes
Jill Jonnes is a historian and the author of Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World and South Bronx Rising: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of an American City. She has also been an NEH scholar and has received several grants from the Ford Foundation.
About Paul Hecht
Paul Hecht’s long career in audiobooks spans dozens of titles and authors as varied as Ray Bradbury and Gore Vidal, Jack Finney and Thomas Mann. He has recorded such books as Bob Dole’s One Soldier’s Story and Alexander McCall Smith’s Portuguese Irregular Verbs and At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances. Hecht’s theater career in New York includes many Broadway and television credits. He has won nine AudioFile Earphones Awards for his audiobook narrations.