Kati Marton was seduced by the beauty of Paris. Her new book release, Paris: A Love Story (Simon & Schuster, 2012), is an intimate memoir woven around the city that played a leading role in shaping the life and loves of this author. It is also partly a self-help book on recovery from loss.
Marton studied at the Sorbonne in the 60s, and was drawn back to Paris at various junctures during her remarkable life. Her beautiful depictions of the city, its history, and its ambience will bring back memories to anyone who has been there even once.
An award-winning journalist and author, Marton was an ambitious, well-regarded correspondent for both ABC News and NPR who deftly balanced a successful career with a fascinating personal life, including courtships and marriages to two high-profile men.
She was married for 15 years each to ABC News anchor Peter Jennings (who fathered her two children and succumbed to lung cancer, in 2005, after their divorce) and to Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. (who suddenly passed away in 2010, after complications from surgery for an aortic dissection.) She describes her life in the public eye as well as her close relationships with many newsmakers from the worlds of politics and diplomacy, including Hillary Clinton and Nelson Mandela.
This heartfelt book covers many aspects of a full life, including love, work, and travel. The story is most compelling, however, in the way it conveys how Kati Marton managed her recovery from loss and grief. She shares the pain of suddenly being "uncoupled," which is counterbalanced by her strength, resilience, and belief in new beginnings. My favorite line in the book: "No one is exempt from loss. But loss opens up space for a different life."
