Reviews
"This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." — Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." — Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." — Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." — Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." — Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story—full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scène , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." — Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings, "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." -- Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." -- Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men, "A real-life Dud Avocado , this memoir is a provocative account of a feminist scholar's sexual awakening set amid the backdrop of 1960s Paris." -- Library Journal "Miller's memoir will resonate with women who, over the years, have been fascinated by Jean Seberg's role as Patricia in the Godard film Breathless (1960) . . . Her look back is filled with vintage vignettes of garret apartments, matronly concierges, and the silk-lingerie splurges of a poor young student's milieu." -- Booklist " Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." -- Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." -- Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." -- Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." -- Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers " Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story--full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scène , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." -- Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings "An artful portrait of youthful indiscretion in a bygone time." -- Bustle, A real-life Dud Avocado , this memoir is a provocative account of a feminist scholar's sexual awakening set amid the backdrop of 1960s Paris." — Library Journal Miller's memoir will resonate with women who, over the years, have been fascinated by Jean Seberg's role as Patricia in the Godard film Breathless (1960) . . . Her look back is filled with vintage vignettes of garret apartments, matronly concierges, and the silk-lingerie splurges of a poor young student's milieu." — Booklist Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." — Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." — Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." — Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." — Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." — Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story—full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scène , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." — Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings, A real-life Dud Avocado , this memoir is a provocative account of a feminist scholar's sexual awakening set amid the backdrop of 1960s Paris." — Library Journal Miller's memoir will resonate with women who, over the years, have been fascinated by Jean Seberg's role as Patricia in the Godard film Breathless (1960) . . . Her look back is filled with vintage vignettes of garret apartments, matronly concierges, and the silk-lingerie splurges of a poor young student's milieu." — Booklist Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." — Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." — Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." — Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." — Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." — Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story—full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scène , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." — Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings "An artful portrait of youthful indiscretion in a bygone time." — Bustle, "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." -- Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." -- Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men " Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." -- Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." -- Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers " Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story--full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scène , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." -- Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings, "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is, "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." -- Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman, "A real-life Dud Avocado , this memoir is a provocative account of a feminist scholar's sexual awakening set amid the backdrop of 1960s Paris." -- Library Journal "Miller's memoir will resonate with women who, over the years, have been fascinated by Jean Seberg's role as Patricia in the Godard film Breathless (1960) . . . Her look back is filled with vintage vignettes of garret apartments, matronly concierges, and the silk-lingerie splurges of a poor young student's milieu." -- Booklist " Breathless , a deliriously satisfying account of erotic awakening and disillusionment, unfolds as a chain of tightly crafted, riveting vignettes, each episode as mesmerizing as the city enshrined at the book's center. Simone de Beauvoir would have loved this story. Jean-Paul Sartre, too. But Nancy K. Miller is more entertaining than both of them put together. Her book offers a beautifully distilled parable about the difficulties of finding a direct path to happiness." -- Wayne Koestenbaum , author of Andy Warhol "This cautionary memoir of a girl's fantasy adventure in Paris gone awry reads like a witty novel. Its vivid scenes are frequently hilarious, sometimes sad, and always engrossing. That it really happened only makes it better." -- Alix Kates Shulman , author of To Love What Is "A steamy portrait of the jeune fille before she became a feminist. A wonderful reminder of what it meant to be a good daughter determined to become a bad girl in the roiling sixties. I loved every chapter of this American's sex-obsessed quest for identity in Paris." -- Susan Gubar , author of Memoir of a Debulked Woman "Witty, wise, poignant, and funny, Breathless is an extraordinary memoir about a young woman's adventures and misadventures in Paris, a city that was for her as much an idea as a place. Miller's vividly told memories, keen intelligence, gentle irony, and striking gift for narrative pacing held me captive from beginning to end." -- Siri Hustvedt , author of What I Loved and The Summer Without Men "Surprising, daring, funny, wise, and profound." -- Elaine Showalter , author of A Jury of Her Peers " Breathless , Nancy Miller's wry and wonderful new memoir about a romantic (and chastening) student sojourn she spent in Paris in the early 1960s, is a delicious, picaresque, often hilarious female 'coming of age' story--full of zest and pathos and more than a few glints of Proustian profondeur . . . . [Miller] offers a story at once salutary, intelligent, deeply humorous, and ineluctably bittersweet: the souvenir of a magical mise-en-scne , from a brilliant young woman who paid attention to it all." -- Terry Castle , author of The Professor and Other Writings "An artful portrait of youthful indiscretion in a bygone time." -- Bustle
