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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels tedious and boring until about 85% through, when the story totally changes. I felt vindicated for sticking with it but I’m tired sure the plot twist really makes up for the rest of the book. I can see why this is a cult classic, but maybe the hype had my expectations a little too high.
I had high hopes for this one (looking at you, Backlisted!), but it didn’t grab me. Certainly lots of amusing scenes, but not enough to sustain my interest. Bar hopping, bed hopping, bar hopping, bed hopping… Yawn.
I don’t know why this took me so long to get through, it is definitely a delight.
"Frequently, walking down the streets in Paris alone, I've suddenly come upon myself in a store window grinning foolishly away at the thought that no one in the world knew where I was at just that moment" (160).
Another entry in my series of meeting God in a bookshop. I nearly bought this book a few weeks ago in an Anglophone bookshop in Paris, but it would have been over 20€ for a brief read. I refrained... and then found it in the tiny English section of a used bookshop in Granada for 3€. :)
Dundy's debut is brilliant, charming, and uproariously funny. Sally Jay Gorce's antics kept me riveted and chuckling throughout. It was difficult to put the book down—and wild that I devoured this while in Spain because there is a zany bullfighter subplot that references where I am. Many of the anxieties and yearnings of The Dud Avocado's protagonist resonate as a fellow American ex-pat in Paris in her 20s. The story offers such an adroit and humorous take on the different character / atmosphere of varying areas in Paris (for example, Montparnasse vs. Saint-Germain); in that regard, not much has changed since the 1950s.
Also, the tale serves as a good reminder that you can't trust a man. Except Jim. I liked him.
Another entry in my series of meeting God in a bookshop. I nearly bought this book a few weeks ago in an Anglophone bookshop in Paris, but it would have been over 20€ for a brief read. I refrained... and then found it in the tiny English section of a used bookshop in Granada for 3€. :)
Dundy's debut is brilliant, charming, and uproariously funny. Sally Jay Gorce's antics kept me riveted and chuckling throughout. It was difficult to put the book down—and wild that I devoured this while in Spain because there is a zany bullfighter subplot that references where I am. Many of the anxieties and yearnings of The Dud Avocado's protagonist resonate as a fellow American ex-pat in Paris in her 20s. The story offers such an adroit and humorous take on the different character / atmosphere of varying areas in Paris (for example, Montparnasse vs. Saint-Germain); in that regard, not much has changed since the 1950s.
Also, the tale serves as a good reminder that you can't trust a man. Except Jim. I liked him.
It is may be indicative of health and well-being, but I found the seocnd half of the book superior to the first. I had been rather tired yesterday and surprisingly spry today.
Yes, the protagonist is catty and vain. The gradual self-awareness is earnest in its portrayal. I found the book closer to Balzac than to Helen Fielding
Yes, the protagonist is catty and vain. The gradual self-awareness is earnest in its portrayal. I found the book closer to Balzac than to Helen Fielding
Giddy, feckless American ex-pat girl confesses her escapades in Paris in the late 1950's... Perhaps I would enjoy another time, but not to my taste .
An explorative look at the life of a young American woman Sally Jay in the 1950s, who moves to Paris after her Uncle gifts her money to do what she wants for two years. What I liked most about the book was Sally Jay, exploring her thoughts and feelings as she haphazardly jumped from one thing to the next, and ended up in various relationships. The other characters were very interesting and at times mysterious, as I found myself trying to figure out what their intentions were and learn more about their backstories through Sally Jay. The descriptions of Paris and France also set the scene well. The story dragged in the middle, with not a lot really happening, but picked up again towards the end. The kindle edition had some grammatical mistake ("my" instead of "me").
I'm not sure why it took me so long to read this book, since the voice is compelling and the scene enticing.
contains 3-4 of the funniest, meanest descriptions of annoying people i have ever read