“I liked murderers. I thought them interesting. Had not my grandfather been one when he killed the journalist? And my great-granduncle Napoleon, what a monumental murderer he was!” – Marie Bonaparte   Welcome back! After a long break to buy new soundproofing equipment – which may or may not have been successful – we’re back with a new miniseries. I’m excited, as I think we’re covering one of the most interesting subjects this show has ever covered: the heiress, philanthropist and...

What if it succeeds? Aloha from Hawaii! Your host is celebrating a lot of things right now: Bastille Day, the ability to travel responsibly, the birthday of a certain overworked and abused producer-intern, and oh yeah, the fifth anniversary of The Land of Desire!!! I’m celebrating by answering some excellent questions from you, dear listeners. Merci beaucoup. Episode 70: “Fifth Anniversary! Listener Q&A”   Sources: * Y’all 🙂 Subscribe to the newsletter Want more...

“Here Albius fertilized vanilla.” – Tribute to Edmond Albius, Saint Suzanne, Réunion. We’re back! After a big move, which required the dismantling and relocation of the trusty recording studio (a.k.a. Diana’s closet), I’m excited to record in my new space!  Next month is the show’s sixth anniversary – I know, right?!! – and I’m asking YOU to submit questions for a special listener Q&A episode. You can contact me right here. Otherwise, send me a question on Facebook, Instagram or...

“The vegetable of the shack and the château.” – Le marquis de Cussy April showers bring May flowers – unless they bring floods, famine, and fear. This month, I’m looking at the moment in French history when farmers turned their nose up at the foods of the New World – until they realized what the potato had to offer. Antoine Parmentier, one of the great hype men of food history, features in this month’s episode all about the tastiest of tubers! Episode 68: “Antoine Parmentier & The...

“Proust n’a aime que deux personnes, sa mere et Celeste.” – Prince Antoine Bibesco What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, and remembering while the world...

“Proust n’a aime que deux personnes, sa mere et Celeste.” – Prince Antoine Bibesco What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, and remembering while the world...

“The waters of Vichy…gave me back my strength.” – Madame de Sévigné The darkest days of winter are here, and I think it’s time we all indulged in a little self-care, non? My own quarantine hobby, skincare, set me down a particular path. Why was I spraying my face with thermal spa water from France? What is thermal spa water? Why do we drink thermal spa water? Does any of it really do anything? France loves her thermal spas, no matter what form they take: rustic watering hole, glamorous...

“I think my hand will tremble,“ – Louis Pasteur Happy New Year! The Land of Desire is BACK with an exciting – and hopeful – story to set us off on the right track in 2021. Your happy host gets to indulge her love of epidemiology a little bit without leaving you depressed in the middle of a pandemic (she swears). This week, we’re taking a look at one of the greatest French inventions of all time. Along the way, we’ll encounter Catholic masses for dogs, the worst cruise you’ve ever heard of,...

Just in time for spooky season - ooh, lady pirates. Learn the tale of Jeanne de Clisson and the Black Fleet: piracy, treachery...and blood-soaked revenge!

The story of Surya Bonaly, France's innovative, infamous anti-ice princess. Was she a victim of racism, a squandered talent, or simply ahead of her time? And will anyone ever dare to attempt her signature move?

“My biggest fear is that we’ll be too successful.” – Robert Fitzpatrick, Euro Disney chairman It’s that time of year – les vacances! Oh, wait, you’re stuck at home? No big international trips? Global pandemic got you grounded? Yeah, me too. My favorite summer destination, Disneyland, is closed for COVID, and it’ll be a long time until it reopens. When it does, it won’t be the same. It’ll be an uncanny valley effect, where everything seems like the Disneyland you know and love, but when you...

“A party without a cake is just a meeting.” – Julia Child It’s our birthday!! Today, The Land of Desire kicks off its fifth year and what better way to celebrate than with a little cake? This week, I’m focusing on the history of one of my favorite French treats: the humble, beloved madeleine! “One could almost call the madeleine France’s national cookie” wrote Patricia Wells in the New York Times back in 1983. She didn’t know about the endless macaron obsession that was still to come, but...

“To those who served to save a little of the beauty of this world.” – epigraph, memoirs of Rose Valland   Surprise! I know I said I was done with Women At War, but then I immediately sat up in bed one night and smacked myself in the forehead. This series is the perfect opportunity to tell the story of my favorite unlikely heroine of all time: Rose Valland.  What better way to wrap up the fourth year of this podcast than an adventure story? Intrigue, stolen masterpieces, underground...

When we came back, nobody wanted to know. ― Loulou Le Porz, Ravensbruck survivor   It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth of the camp.  Note: This episode is much darker than any previous episodes of this podcast....

When we came back, nobody wanted to know. ― Loulou Le Porz, Ravensbruck survivor   It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth of the camp.  Note: This episode is much darker than any previous episodes of this podcast....

  We are going underground. ― Jacqueline Marié It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women in France during World War II: fighting the resistance, collaborating with the Nazis, keeping children alive against the odds, and trying to figure out the right way to live in a world that seemed upside down. The idea of this series first took shape before I...

Where other women saw an Occupation, one woman saw an opportunity. Coco Chanel: fashion icon, social queen...Nazi spy.

Part 2 of a series about French women's experiences during World War II. Berthe Auroy adjusts to a strange half-life under the German Occupation of Paris.

Part 1 of a series about French women's experiences during World War II. The Germans are coming! As France falls to the invading army in June 1940, 16 year old Elisabeth Kaufmann must decide whether to stay or go. How will she survive on the road?

Hot fun in the summertime! Island getaways, floating bars and the birth of Renoir's "Luncheon Of the Boating Party".

The Land of Desire is three years old! We're celebrating with a listener Q&A episode - book recommendations, cocktails of choice, and very serious Disney questions!

Reminder to submit questions for my upcoming listener Q&A - and an update about last episode's surprise ending.

After enjoying the fruits of her first true Golden Age, France faces her worst challenge yet - the fourteenth century. Religious warfare, dynastic collapse and overcrowding all kill the vibe, and 1348 brings the worst news of all: the Black Plague is here. Throughout all the chaos to come, Notre Dame cathedral finds a new role for itself in the daily life of the community.

This week we're paying tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral. I’ll be skipping around to the most important interactions between Notre Dame and her hometown. At each point, I’ll try to paint a picture of Paris as she was at that time, and the Notre Dame she would have known: change by change, disaster by miracle, making our way up to now, to the Notre Dame we have, smoking and injured and beautiful and beloved, as we dream and plan of the Paris, and the Notre Dame that will be.