What I read

Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin

What it’s about

Flâneuse is a non-fiction book that looks at women exploring cities by foot. The book follows historical figures such as Jean Rhys, George Sand and Virginia Woolf and examines how walking in cities affected their lives and their work. Elkin also describes her own experiences walking in cities. But, ultimately, the book is about finding your way and finding a place of your own.

Why I picked it up

It was several months ago when I first read something about Flâneuse online. As a woman who loves to walk in cities, I knew I had to read this book. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I’ve been wanting to branch out with the books I choose to read, and this one sounded like a good fit.

It wasn’t easy for me to find Flâneuse, though. I saw conflicting Canadian release dates for it, so I wasn’t totally sure when I’d be able to get it. I searched a couple of bookstores and the city’s library system before I recently came across a copy at Queen Books.

What I liked about it

I love how this book crosses genres–that it’s not entirely a cultural study nor a biography of famous women and yet it’s not entirely a memoir either. I love that it is all of these things and more. Flâneuse made me think about my own relationship to walking and about my own search for place.

Elkin’s writing style is a delight. The prose is lovelier than I expected it would be. (I suppose I thought the writing would be more journalistic.) In Flâneuse, there are certainly some well-written descriptions of cities and characters, but there are also wonderfully crafted passages describing the author’s own personal path.

You’ll want to read it if…

You don’t have to be a woman or a walker to enjoy Flâneuse, but I think identifying as both of these may have had some influence on just how much I absolutely adored this book. But any reader interested in literal and metaphorical journeys should pick up Flâneuse.

Recommended refreshments

Paris is featured prominently in this book, so it seems like I should recommend a French pastry of some sort (a good accompaniment for any book). But what I’m craving the most after reading Flâneuse is the food Elkin came to love while she was in Tokyo: katsudon and okonomiyaki. (I think I’ve convinced myself to get Japanese food for dinner tonight.)