A meticulously researched and judicious account of his eight years as a diplomatic dazzler and charmer in Paris . . . The most important recent addition to
original Franklin scholarship.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Engaging . . . An entertaining story, bringing alive a cast of colorful characters, strange plot twists and bizarre anecdotes, which sometimes reads like a movie script replete with intrigues, ultimatums, swindles and vendettas.” —The Washington Post Book World

“This is a book to savor. Every page has some new nugget of insight. Schiff has given a genuine jolt to the recent surge of interest in Franklin, along the way demonstrating why she is generally regarded as one of the most gifted storytellers writing today.”—Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers and His Excellency: George Washington

“This meticulously researched account captures a key moment in [Franklin’s] history, and in ours, with verve, élan, and wit.”—The New Yorker

“Magnificent . . . Schiff has such command of tempo that she sends shivers down a reader’s spine.” —Los Angeles Times

“In sparkling prose, burnished to a high gloss, Stacy Schiff tells the tale of Benjamin Franklin in Paris with piquant humor, outrageous anecdotes worthy of the finest French farce, and a wealth of lapidary observations.”—Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton

“Irresistible . . . An artful portrait of Franklin’s year in France.”
—The Boston Globe

“A masterpiece.”
—Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire