Tag Archives: France
***The Greater Journey by David Mc Cullough
I very much enjoyed The Greater Journey, at least until the last two chapters that seemed to drone on quite unlike the rest of the book to show off that yes, the author has done considerable research on Saint-Gaudens and … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
* When the World Spoke French by Marc Fumaroli
I was very disappointed by When The World Spoke French, which I was hoping would be an invigorating look at how the world in the 18th Century embraced French as its lingua franca and used it in new and interesting … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean
The French are terribly sophisticated and know just how to dress, shop, eat, drink, even wear jewelry to achieve that ultimate chic. Boring drivel? Actually, no. The Essence of Style makes for a fun , if sometimes overly ditzy historical … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
A Revolution in Taste by Susan Pinkard
I love food and I can’t say I’m not interested in France but I found A Revolution in Taste, the subject of which is the evolution of food in France in the 17th to 19th century, less than exciting. It’s exquisitely … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
Disquiet by Julia Leigh
Prepare to be depressed. The 120 pages of Disquiet describe a family where nothing works: the grandmother lives in splendid isolation and self-centeredness in her French chateau. The daughter has left her abusive husband and seems only marginally able to tend … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Having read this delighful book about real hedgehogs I was reminded about another book with a (symbolic) hedgehog in the title, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which I coincidentally heard had just been translated into English. I read it a … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination is a memoir about having a stillborn baby, and it improbably opens with a hilarious misunderstanding, in a French hospital since the parents lived there at the time, of why one may … Continue reading
Filed under True story
When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Do you like David Sedaris? Then you will enjoy When you are Engulfed in Flames, his latest collection of essays that, as usual, mixes old and new, hilarious and embarrassing, and many countries including France (again) and Japan (new and … Continue reading
Filed under True story
