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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
I remember reading this years back. I quite enjoyed it, especially because I haven't been to Paris by then. Either way, easy/quick read.
Just a massive complaint on the French people and French culture, it comes off as ignorant and offensive, not to mention the many misogynistic remarks. And the main character is so unlikeable, honestly he is the worst character in the book.
The author objectified women at least 6 times within the first chapter alone subsequently stripping me of any desire to finish this book.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
“Chauvinist! That’s the word I was trying to think of.” – Episode 30, A YEAR IN PACHINKO
http://thetoreadlistpodcast.libsyn.com/a-year-in-pachinko
http://thetoreadlistpodcast.libsyn.com/a-year-in-pachinko
Light fictional read about life amongst the Parisiennes .. .some fun tips about not being mistaken for a tourist but otherwise a rather irritating read about a sex-obsessed thirty-something guy who seems to have little respect for women insomuch as he can bed them--moral of the story--all Paris women are hot and freaky in bed, French men odd and the Brits misunderstood by the French.
So, I initially started reading this for the "travel memoir" task in the Read Harder challenge and then about halfway through I realized it wasn't a memoir. There were two things that tipped me off:
1. The name of the main character wasn't the name of the author
2. The intrigue started to get a bit too intense and stretched the limits of credulity.
As a person who has spent time as an expat in a country where I don't know the language, I could relate to a lot of Paul's troubles and complaints. Yeah, he plays into a lot of French stereotypes for humorous effect, but I found when I lived in Germany that many stereotypes were based in reality, as I'm sure many stereotypes about Americans are exaggerations of reality. This book also was published in 2004, so one plot point is the interaction between the French and the English's reactions to the Iraq war. Remember when everyone in America started hating France because of that? It took me back.
Anyway this wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was entertaining enough.
1. The name of the main character wasn't the name of the author
2. The intrigue started to get a bit too intense and stretched the limits of credulity.
As a person who has spent time as an expat in a country where I don't know the language, I could relate to a lot of Paul's troubles and complaints. Yeah, he plays into a lot of French stereotypes for humorous effect, but I found when I lived in Germany that many stereotypes were based in reality, as I'm sure many stereotypes about Americans are exaggerations of reality. This book also was published in 2004, so one plot point is the interaction between the French and the English's reactions to the Iraq war. Remember when everyone in America started hating France because of that? It took me back.
Anyway this wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was entertaining enough.
All these travel books are just light reads and kind of fun. But, I really loved this one because it expressed so many of the experiences I've had in adjusting to life as an expat in Ecuador. Funny how similar the experience is from place to place.
I laughed almost the whole way through this book, much to the annoyance of my fellow passengers on the plane.
If you're into France and obnoxious unlikeable narrators, this is the book for you! I don't speak French and so struggled through some scenes, though these seemed to lessen as the narrator stayed in France. If this was meant as a device to keep me confused just like the narrator, then I suppose it's rather clever.
Otherwise the narrator is just annoying in his chase of French women and a cheap place to live. Somewhere in the middle he gets caught up in a confusing scheme that I never quite figured out. It's as if the author realized that his main character didn't work or have any relationships, so to inject a plot into his book he would add... a conniving boss with political aspirations that came out of nowhere!
Maybe if you've lived in Paris this is extraordinarily clever with lots of nods to a culture I'm not familiar with. But I found it pretty pointless and the characters were all caricatures of stereotyped French traits. I can't believe he managed to write a sequel!
Otherwise the narrator is just annoying in his chase of French women and a cheap place to live. Somewhere in the middle he gets caught up in a confusing scheme that I never quite figured out. It's as if the author realized that his main character didn't work or have any relationships, so to inject a plot into his book he would add... a conniving boss with political aspirations that came out of nowhere!
Maybe if you've lived in Paris this is extraordinarily clever with lots of nods to a culture I'm not familiar with. But I found it pretty pointless and the characters were all caricatures of stereotyped French traits. I can't believe he managed to write a sequel!