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A review by mlsamy
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull
3.0
I've spent three whole days in Paris, so I'm in no way qualified to say if I think this book accurately portrays Parisians or the French. I do think that it's possible that others who've lived and worked in France may have had radically different experiences than the author; I don't doubt that she experienced what she did, but this book is the reflection of a single person.
That being said, this book was interesting enough to make me look forward to reading it again each time I set it down, and while the writing style wasn't anything spectacular, it did provide a pleasantly readable window into French society and culture. For me the missing aspect was the omission of any details about what brought the author to France in the first place: her relationship with Frédéric. Sarah moved to a new country after having known this man for a fairly brief period of time, but their relationship is barely addressed. There is one instance of them holding hands, and near the end they describe their wedding, but other than that the two of them could be platonic roommates. The author making such a drastic life change and not getting into the growth of their relationship at least to some extent made for a big disconnect as I was reading.
That being said, this book was interesting enough to make me look forward to reading it again each time I set it down, and while the writing style wasn't anything spectacular, it did provide a pleasantly readable window into French society and culture. For me the missing aspect was the omission of any details about what brought the author to France in the first place: her relationship with Frédéric. Sarah moved to a new country after having known this man for a fairly brief period of time, but their relationship is barely addressed. There is one instance of them holding hands, and near the end they describe their wedding, but other than that the two of them could be platonic roommates. The author making such a drastic life change and not getting into the growth of their relationship at least to some extent made for a big disconnect as I was reading.