Monday, July 9, 2012

BOOK: French Lesson by Ellen Sussman

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman, 236 pages

Paris in July

It's Paris in July, and since I am not there, I had to read a book. I was looking for a light read after my last two books, Late Nights on Air and State of Wonder. Both were good, but heavy. French Lessons, a book I won last year from carrie at nomadreader after last years Paris in July, was the perfect palate cleanser.

I really liked the structure of the book. Three French tutors who are hired out by their school to (usually) Americans to practice their French, meet in the morning of one particular day. There are some liasons amongst the two men and one woman, and these young twenty-somethings are looking for love. Then each tutor meets with their opposite sex client and they spend the day. Each of them are struggling with love - a teacher whose married boyfriend has recently died, a neglected wife who has moved with young children and her husband to Paris, and the husband of a big movie star. The tutors each get entangled in some way, and all realize what they want from love. Each day ends at the same scene where the movie star is filming a scene.

Nothing too deep in this book, but a great sense of place - including the walking maps of each tutor. Wonderful start to Paris in July.


also reviewed: carrie at nomadreader;