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dil's review against another edition
3.0
Rounded up to 3 stars because of the mouth-watering recipes.
jlsjourneys's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed parts of this & wanted to love it (as an expat who’s bought a home in Europe and loves France), but I found it a bit of a slog. Too long, some repetition. I don’t bake, so can’t comment on the recipes, but they sounded delicious.
maggiebook's review against another edition
1.0
I really liked David Lebovitz's first book set in Paris so I was looking forward to reading this advanced copy. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book and found it very forced.
Lebovitz recounts his adventures in buying an apartment in Paris. He starts off by telling us that looking for an apartment in Paris is different than looking for an apartment in the U.S. Then he tells us buying an apartment in Paris is different from buying an apartment in the U.S. We hear the same about buying flooring, stoves, dish drainers etc. For more than 10 chapters it is a constant whine.
Then he starts in on the French language and how difficult it is to ask for things when you don't have a full grasp of the language. This is when I felt he stretched the story to make it more funny or interesting but it comes across as a big whine and very 'ugly American'.
He has a French boyfriend who I would imagine would have helped him out with the language issue.
To be honest I only read a little over half of this book because when his struggle with the language made buying a sink difficult because the word for dish drainer is similar to the word for a woman's halter top; he commented and I quote: "The only connection I could see between the two was they both had racks". I was done and DNF'd it. The one star I gave the book is for the recipes after every couple of chapters.
Lebovitz recounts his adventures in buying an apartment in Paris. He starts off by telling us that looking for an apartment in Paris is different than looking for an apartment in the U.S. Then he tells us buying an apartment in Paris is different from buying an apartment in the U.S. We hear the same about buying flooring, stoves, dish drainers etc. For more than 10 chapters it is a constant whine.
Then he starts in on the French language and how difficult it is to ask for things when you don't have a full grasp of the language. This is when I felt he stretched the story to make it more funny or interesting but it comes across as a big whine and very 'ugly American'.
He has a French boyfriend who I would imagine would have helped him out with the language issue.
To be honest I only read a little over half of this book because when his struggle with the language made buying a sink difficult because the word for dish drainer is similar to the word for a woman's halter top; he commented and I quote: "The only connection I could see between the two was they both had racks". I was done and DNF'd it. The one star I gave the book is for the recipes after every couple of chapters.
triciaralph's review against another edition
3.0
Well I no long want to buy and renovate an apartment in Paris, that’s for sure but I also think that he made silly mistakes and wonder how many were for drama to make the book more fun?
bookjerm's review against another edition
3.0
Remind of this book the next time I fantasize about moving/ living in France. I'm conflicted on how to rate this one. I picked it up thinking it would be a memoir about his experiences with renting an apartment and dealing with quirky neighbors, but it turned out to be a VERY detailed account of his purchase and then extensive renovation of an apartment in Paris. It got a little redundant for me, but then i did like all the cultural differences (and frustrations) he experienced along the way. The recipes , for me, felt out of place. I didn't see how they really fit in with the material.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't really too sure which genre to put this book in for this review. Nonfiction? Totally. Architecture? Yeah, of course, he renovates his apartment. Cooking? Sure--he adds recipes at the end of each chapter. ...Horror? I'd have to say so, because I don't know if I've ever read anything scarier or more stress-inducing. Is there anything more bone-chilling than an apartment renovation that goes awry? More spooky than a renovator that takes advantage of you? More petrifying than somebody that says "C'est pas ma faute (It's not my fault)" every time something most definitely is his fault??
Let it be known right now--if you're looking for something francophile-ish that's nice and relaxing, this is not the right book for you, because this is not a relaxing tale one bit. But I must say, as a francophile and a one-time-French-immigrant, Lebovitz knows what he's talking about. The French government truly is like that, and he is not exaggerating one bit. The banking system is truly like that, too. Even the littler things about Parisiennes have truth to them.
Otherwise, I must say that this was also refreshing as a one-time-French-immigrant to read, because it certainly brought me back to the bustling life of Paris and its little treasures. Lebovitz doesn't give a romantic view of Paris, but a truly realistic one--one where you never know how Americans are going to be treated, but also how the baguettes are so good, but also how the two cultures can clash and mix in totally unexpected ways.
All in all, I definitely would recommend this book to others. And, as a word to my fellow vegans, quite a few of the recipes in this book are veganizable!
Review cross-listed here!
Let it be known right now--if you're looking for something francophile-ish that's nice and relaxing, this is not the right book for you, because this is not a relaxing tale one bit. But I must say, as a francophile and a one-time-French-immigrant, Lebovitz knows what he's talking about. The French government truly is like that, and he is not exaggerating one bit. The banking system is truly like that, too. Even the littler things about Parisiennes have truth to them.
Otherwise, I must say that this was also refreshing as a one-time-French-immigrant to read, because it certainly brought me back to the bustling life of Paris and its little treasures. Lebovitz doesn't give a romantic view of Paris, but a truly realistic one--one where you never know how Americans are going to be treated, but also how the baguettes are so good, but also how the two cultures can clash and mix in totally unexpected ways.
All in all, I definitely would recommend this book to others. And, as a word to my fellow vegans, quite a few of the recipes in this book are veganizable!
Review cross-listed here!
cubadianmom3's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
leahlibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Francophiles will find this to be an overall breezy and fun read, and a good way to learn a few more French vocab words. However, it was pretty superficial and redundant. Lebovitz falls into the same pitfalls over and over and paints himself as a tip-toeing imbecile and the book is filled with his horrible dad jokes. I will still give his more well known book, The Sweet Life a try as I am starved for French life, but after reading this my expectations aren’t higher than those for a beach read. Bit of advice: make sure you have a baguette on hand while reading or you will have to go out and get one mid-chapter (this literally happened to me).