Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris

Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris

By

5
(1 Review)
Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris by Henry Labouchère

Published:

1871

Downloads:

1,667

Share This

Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris

By

5
(1 Review)

Book Excerpt

efit the British public.

From the telegraph-office I directed my steps to a club where I was engaged to dine. I found half-a-dozen whist tables in full swing. The conversation about the war soon, however, became general. "This is our situation," said, as he dealt a hand, a knowing old man of the world, a sort of French James Clay: "generally if one has no trumps in one's hand, one has at least some good court cards in the other suits; we've got neither trumps nor court cards." "Et le General Trochu?" some one suggested. "My opinion of General Trochu," said a General, who was sitting reading a newspaper, "is that he is a man of theory, but unpractical. I know him well; he has utterly failed to organise the forces which he has under his command." The general opinion about Trochu seemed to be that he is a kind of M'Clellan. "Will the Garde Nationale fight?" some one asked. A Garde National replied, "Of course there are brave men amongst us, but the mass will give in rather than see Paris destroyed. They h

Readers reviews

5
4
3
2
1
5.0
Average from 1 Review
5
Write Review
A fascinating book. I spend the entire day reading it on the computer. This is the first book I have read in its entirety on the computer and it was so interesting that I felt no fatigue. As a first-hand chronicle of the Siege of Paris you feel you are in the city as it is surrounded by the Prussians and the net gets tighter and tighter. You know it is only a matter of time before the food runs out and the people will be reduced to eating dogs, cats, and mice. As well as being full of colourful incidents the book explores the question of who was responsible for the Parisian inability to strike a blow against the Prussians and break out from Paris. The book places the blame squarely on the shoulders of both the middle-class flaneurs and their inept leaders.