Pausing for a brief daydream in a local cafe, our narrator escapes into Paris in the ‘40s. As the title would suggest this well-illustrated survey begins with Simone de Beauvoir sitting in a famous cafe, where she apparently wrote many of her books and essays. Next, a portrait of her lover Satre, which includes a bit about their relationship and finally on to others who frequented the cafe, like Robert Capa and Picasso. Then, as the narrator says, the Edith Piaf song ended… Although everything about this is well done, it’s quite like the pause or distraction it emulates. (HC)