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ctheodoru's review against another edition
3.0
I received French Lessons in the mail and finished it the same day. I became enamored with Sussman's description of Paris life and quickly transported myself into the city of love. The novel is separated into four separate stories: the tutors and the stories between the tutors and the Americans they are tutoring. The tutors kick off the novel and I became intrigued because I wanted to know how these three radically different people tutored. I think the first story between Nico and Josie is by far the best of the bunch. Josie is suffering from a loss and Nico is able to give her the gift of happiness, if only for a second. I identified the most with Josie and felt instantly bad for her. She's not a perfect character, in fact none of the characters are, and that's why I love her. I'm sick of reading novels with protagonists who are supposedly perfect. I like my protagonists to have a few flaws. The next story is of Phillipe and an American woman whose name escapes me, which is not a good sign. This was the shortest story in the book and my least favorite. I kind of hated Phillipe and therefore didn't care about his story. Next is the story of Jeremy and Chantal, much better than the previous story yet I still didn't love it. The characters seemed to be the most disconnected of the three. Finally, the tutors gather again and it brings the novel full circle. All in all I was glad to have a fun piece of fluffy escapism to spend my day with. The book isn't thought provoking but it sure was fun.
bosicbyi's review against another edition
3.0
I received an Advance Reader's Edition from the first reads giveaway. This was a good light but steamy read. Would like to see this become a movie.
funnygrl77's review against another edition
3.0
I somewhat enjoyed this book, not what I expected. The experience of the three french tutors takes place on the same day, all ending in the same event with different experiences and perspectives. I thought that the idea was a good one but, the execution was lacking and somewhat depressing. The theme being love, whether missed, forgotten or longed for, made it hard for me to keep reading.
sharonmac's review against another edition
1.0
Yikes, this book was awful. Can't even justify suggesting it as a light beach book.
bella_lettore's review against another edition
5.0
I did not know what to expect when I first picked up this book. It could have been a sappy love story about three French tutors that run away with their clients not having a care in the world, but this story was so much more. It explored three different people all with different reasons for having a French tutor, one has lost her boyfriend in a plane crash, another a mother of two having problems with her marriage and being stuck in France with no friends or family to help her out, and then a man with a movie star wife not really knowing what to do with his life. Each person experiencing their own set of problems trying to find a saving grace with the other. This was a wonderful book and I do recommend it.
krisrobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Just a fun read, that's all. If you've ever been to Paris (where I was when I bought and started reading this book) you'll really enjoy the references to all of the places around the city.
miesie112's review against another edition
3.0
French Lessons is an easy book to digest primarily due to the luscious and tactile descriptions of Paris and the compelling storytelling. The book follows three separate stories of three Americans paired up with French tutors in the course of one day in Paris. Each character has his/her own interesting back story and I enjoyed the interaction and chemistry between the pairing of each the American student and the French teacher. The true success of this book is that it transports the reader to Paris as if you were walking alongside (and admittedly, sometimes spying on) the couples. But as much as I liked the book, I wished the author would have extended the ending because I really wanted to find out what happened with the character, Josie. Her ending never truly materialized and I just felt unsatisfied.
stephanywrites's review against another edition
1.0
Oh, my god. This book was really such a waste of my time. There didn't seem to be any storyline. The ending was weak, and the resolution felt... random. I wanted so much more. I kept waiting for more, but nothing ever really HAPPENED. Just a story about three people having a day in Paris with a French tutor. It was so boring! Wouldn't recommend.
pialupa's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5