“Diane Ratican has a deep love and knowledge of Los Angeles and Paris which she shares in such a way that you feel as though you are sitting down with a close friend for a casual conversation about their fabulous travels. She compares these two large metropolitan cities through seven chapters that discuss architecture, art, culture, cuisine, sports, fashion, and the motion within these bustling locations.

If you are like me and have not had the chance to visit either of these places, though they are on my travel bucket list, this acts as the perfect primer for understanding the characters of LA and Paris. Ratican provides you with lists of interesting locations that you could one day visit and even if you don’t think you’ll be traveling farther than your armchair the illustrations provided by Giriat and Lu provide will excite your imagination.”

— Katherine, The Nerdy Girl Express

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“This book is not a one and done read. Much like the cities Ratican describes, this is a book to be enjoyed in amuse-bouche bites. Spend time pouring over images and quotes. Delight in the detailed descriptions of the impressive cities. At times the prose is a little dry, with comparisons reading like a simple list of details. Those details, however, will ring true with those who love these cities. The reader will also recognize these details from movies, television, and musical references.”

–Tonya, Detail Oriented Traveler

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“What’s really special, in my opinion, is that the text is in both French and English, and descriptions are followed by pages and pages of beautiful artwork. The illustrations were done by Eric Giriat and Nick Lu. It’s easy to stare at the pages for a while to see all the detailed work. Over the long weekend, I read the book in one sitting. The text is informative and well-written. I learned a lot about LA, and learned a few new things about Paris, too.”

–Jordana, White Cabana

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“Rich yet modest narrative interspersed with famous quotes and charming illustrations, all of these wonderful narrative ploys are serenely combined in Ratican’s ‘Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?’ and this makes for a enjoyable, beautiful read. Ratican compares and contrasts the ‘City of Stars’ and ‘City of Lights’ wonderfully, there is whim, there is humour, there is such a vast amount of knowledge about the cities that you feel like you are living and learning all about them firsthand. The illustrations are charming and whimsical, very engaging and they illuminate the ongoing narrative. There is a reasonable amount of know-how on fashion, cinema, music, artists, sports, the Olympics, the grand architecture, the most recognised and loved landmarks, culture, lifestyle and a lot more. Very entertaining and heartwarming.”

—Celestial Reveries

 

Arthur von Wiesenberger’s award-winning travel show, Around the World, will be hosting Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? author Diane Ratican. Tune in to hear about Diane’s travels, inspiration, and artwork behind the book Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?

Check back to view the entire hour-long talk show, which features not only Diane, but also information on South America, flying tips, and highly recommended travel items.

“Rich yet modest narrative interspersed with famous quotes and charming illustrations, all of these wonderful narrative ploys are serenely combined in Ratican’s ‘Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?’ and this makes for an enjoyable, beautiful read. Ratican compares and contrasts the ‘City of Stars’ and ‘City of Lights’ wonderfully, there is whim, there is humour, there is such a vast amount of knowledge about the cities that you feel like you are living and learning all about them first-hand.

The illustrations are charming and whimsical, very engaging and they illuminate the ongoing narrative.

There is a reasonable amount of know-how on fashion, cinema, music, artists, sports, the Olympics, the grand architecture, the most recognised and loved landmarks, culture, lifestyle and a lot more. Very entertaining and heartwarming.”

–Shelley D., Amazon

“Diane Ratican has a deep love and knowledge of Los Angeles and Paris which she shares in such a way that you feel as though you are sitting down with a close friend for a casual conversation about their fabulous travels. She compares these two large metropolitan cities through seven chapters that discuss architecture, art, culture, cuisine, sports, fashion, and the motion within these bustling locations. If you are like me and have not had the chance to visit either of these places, though they are on my travel bucket list, this acts as the perfect primer for understanding the characters of LA and Paris.”

–Katherine, Amazon

“Which is your favorite? Rodeo Drive or Champs-Élysées? They are both top of my list! So why should you have to choose?!? In the book Why LA? Pouroquoi Paris? Find the best of both worlds. Fashion, Culture, Dining, Arts and more. Complete with illustrations, this travel guide and personal story book makes you fill like you are exploring both cities like a pro.”

—Allison, Absolutely Alli

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“Why LA, Pourquoi Paris? represents a visionary approach to a comparative study of two major, contemporary metropolises. As a long-time resident of both cities and a successful entrepreneur, author Diane Ratican curates visual pairings of Los Angeles and Paris with a newfound appreciation for their similarities, differences, and eccentricities.”

—Flexi Aquilla, Flexi Reads

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“Really enjoyed all the comparisons between the cities, like the Arch de Triumph with the Paramount Pictures front gate…Two of my local faves—In-N-Out Burger and Baskin-Robbins—made it into this book! Okay, BR31 isn’t local anymore—it’s mentioned it’s the largest ice cream chain in the world—but it started in El Lay, and that’s what counts. That angle of Olvera Street is unusual, never looked at it that way.”

—Logan Bruin

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 “Francophiles have seen enough guidebooks and read enough literary “love letters” to the beautiful “City of Lights” but Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? is a bit different. Ratican, who spent plenty of time in each of these cities, somehow creates a link between them (in 7 topic areas from landmarks to leisure to communicating ideas). The illustrations are darling (you can buy them separately online) making this a book to enjoy visually as well as for its text content.”

—The Advice Sisters