Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris

Paperback - 05 August, 2004 - Gotham
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By: Sarah Turnbull
ISBN: 1592400825

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Reviews by readers

I love this book!

This is a great read for anyone who loves travelling or has lived in a culture other than their own. I had never been to Paris when I first read it, and I read it when I got back and enjoyed it even more the second time around. Have passed it around my friends and family also, and everyone loves it. The cute stories about the difficulties adjusting are humorous and universal. The writer neither glamorises nor puts down her life in Paris, she simply offers an honest story. Great read!

Left me wanting more

I bought this book because I myself am an expat...but not living in Paris. I am an American who moved to Australia to be with the man I love who happens to be aussie. It was easy for me to relate to Sarah's difficulty in trying to fit into a culture completely different to her own. I could write my own book about the difficulties I have faced (not with the Australian people) including adjusting to the metric system, the different taste of the food (close but not the whole enchilada), how to tell a good cut of meat from the bad (finding a decent steak is nearly impossible for me as a "spoiled" American)...the list goes on and on.
What I would have liked to have read more about was the relationship between Sarah and Fred, how the love and support he obviously gave her, but is not expounded upon in the book, must have been the foundation of her being able to adjust to a world so different from her own. I would have liked even more dialogue between the two lovers.
In my own experience in dealing with a culture so similar, yet so different to my own, I have found that without the patience and empathy of my husband I would not have been able to overcome my culture shock after moving to OZ. When I couldn't find grape jelly (jam as the aussie's call it)on the shelves in Safeway, I almost broke down and cried! How can a country that has acres and acres of vineyards that produce some of the best wines in the world, and produce grape juice for breakfast, not have grape jelly (jam)? How can I make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich without grape jelly? But then again my aussie husband had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his whole life until he met me!
But I do digress...back to Sarah's story...for those who are contemplating a visit to Paris, this is a great little book to read, because it does give an accurate portrayal of the way the French view the "anglo-saxons." A wonderful insight into the love-hate relationship outsiders seem to have with the French and which keeps Paris at the top of the list of cities travellers want to visit at least once in their lifetime.

Not Quite.

This book was very disappointing. I would return it, had I kept the receipt. I was perplexed about why she didn't just focus on making a book about her love life. Maybe that would have been more interesting, but she hardly makes her French boyfriend sound the least bit important to her. I am an American young woman, so maybe I don't understand her humor. Most of the time I felt like the French had to put up with her, and her lack of sophistication,than the other way around. Yet another whiny book about someone living in Paris and complaining about it, which I find completely rude, and sort of seems to justify the French people's animosity towars Americans (though the author is more like the Brits).

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