French Lessons: A Novel (edition 2011)

A story set in Paris looking at the nature of love. A light read. Three French language tutors take their students around Paris for a days lesson. Each of the students is trying to get away from something and find their way through it.. ( )

Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2012/09/french-lessons.html

French Lessons is ultimately a hopeful book with a positive message about love, but for the majority of the book, hopelessness and despair drenches the pages. And I love how that's achieved - short, terse sentences, dialogue with very few taglines, quick repartee among the characters. It draws you in, especially Josie and Riley's stories, until their grief and wild desperation seep right into you and fill you up.

I love how time is used in the book, how the characters move back and forth between the day that is the present and their memories of what's happened up until then to bring them to the state they're in at this point. The seamless interweaving works beautifully to transcend time and make their experiences timeless. Josie's story also works really well because her grief is portrayed through that cutting back and forth, in the way a grieving person would really remember things in fits and spurts throughout the day. ( )

fast read. typical american view of france and french people. why do american think that all frech people think about is sex? it just shows a shallow view of paris and is just another quick summer read. ( )

This is a Reading Good Books review.

Paris. The city of sex. The city of clandestine affairs. Basically, this whole book has “clandestine affairs” as a common theme. And Paris.

The book is about three Americans in Paris and their respective French tutors. They are in Paris for different reasons. And all of them are looking to find themselves in the alluring and romantic city of lights. It starts with Josie and her charming teacher Nico, looking to heal a broken heart. Nico helps her find that closure and at the same time, Josie helps him realize his true love. Riley, an expat’s wife, and her tutor Philippe go into a risky relationship with themselves and each other. And finally, Jeremy’s last day with his teacher Chantal finds the student imparting more lessons to the teacher than the other way around.

It is like a collection of three short stories. The book itself is fairly short, less than 300 pages so it’s an easy read. The stories are very well-crafted and fast paced. It was candid and light. For me, the French characters are more likable than the American ones. All of them are, in some way, tragic and they felt raw. Philippe and Josie, mostly. Some situations were slightly unrealistic but the writing is poetic and beautiful. And a little bit racy. The three couples end up in the same place and that’s the one thing that I didn’t really get.

Paris is such a great backdrop to the story. It’s like a love letter to Paris. I picture it like I was looking through a dreamy haze. I’ve always wanted to visit Paris, to see for myself why a lot of people dream of going there. From all the books that I’ve read about it, it’s seems like a whole new world. Also, I think the French language is romantic. Maybe I’ll get my own French lessons while I’m there.

In the novel, Chantal says, “But sometimes we have to run away from ourselves in order to find ourselves”. I think this is the whole book in a nutshell. And it also rings true for a lot of people. Soul-searching is pretty much getting away from life as we know it to find our true selves. Josie, Riley, and Jeremy managed to find theirs in Paris.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation: A light romantic story if you want to be swept off to Paris, even in dreams. ( )

This book covers one single day in Paris, when three French tutors each walk around Paris with their student for that day. Sensitive poet Nico’s student is Josie, who has come to Paris to try and mend her broken heart. Womanising Phillipe’s student is Riley, who has moved to Paris when her husband’s job relocated him there. She feels lonely and disconnected in Paris, and even more so when she is with her husband. Elegant and graceful Chantal’s student is Jeremy, the loyal husband of a movie star who finds his wife’s way of life too hectic and noisy for him.

The stories of the three tutors and their respective students are all told separately, so that the book reads more like three short stories than a novel. Apart from the fact that the tutors all work for the same language school, and that relations between the three of them are complicated (Chantal and Phillipe are in a relationship, but his constant unfaithfulness led to her ending up in bed with Nico), there is little connection between the three stories, except that at some point in the day they separately end up at the same location.

As well as learning or improving their French language skills, each student – and certainly one, possibly two of the tutors – learn somethng about love, passion and loss.

I wasn’t too sure what to make of this book – the cover image led me to believe it would be in the chick-lit genre, but I wouldn’t class this book as chick-lit. It is easy reading, but there are some deep insights within the stories. Paris itself is portrayed subtly but beautifully (with each story there is a map showing where that particular student and tutor walked).

There is some beautiful writing contained within the pages, especially in Jeremy’s story, while Riley’s story contained some sharp humour (and a fairly explicit bedroom scene). However, as each character is only shown for a few hours of one day - providing little more than a snapshot - I never felt that I got to know any of them particularly well, and therefore felt unable to connect with any of them.

Overall, I would call this undemanding and enjoyable read, but I’m not sure that it’s one that will linger very long in the memory. ( )