Paris in July 2023 Reading Challenge. My first contribution. #
xxx BegoI was delighted to find this book hidden in my NetGalley shelf, perfect for the July in Paris 2023 Reading Title: Beginning French: Lessons from a Stone Farmhouse by Les Americains, published June 1, 2016
.I was delighted to find this book hidden in my NetGalley shelf, perfect for the July in Paris 2023 Reading Challenge I just joined.
Things may have changed since 2016 when this book was published, and I'm glad to see the archive date for this book has not yet been set on NetGalley!
I laughed out loud many times at Marty's wit in telling his story of finding and fixing and living in a stone house in Dordogne, France. The multiple fixes the old house required would have made others sell the house and move home to the U.S, permanently, but Marty and his wife persisted because of the million dollar views the house afforded.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the night markets in neighboring towns, the food, the camaraderie and the stories of the helpfulness of the French people in giving advice and fixing the old house time and again over the years. I also was amazed that there are so many English, Canadian, Australians and American expats who live full time or part time in France.
The book made me want to experience what the authors did, at least on a visit sometime.
The authors:Les Américains is the nom de plume of Eileen McKenna and Marty Neumeier, an American couple who divide their time between California and France. Eileen is the kind of person who can predict an entire plot from the first line of a novel or the first scene in a movie. Marty is a design consultant who has written six bestselling books on innovation, creativity, and branding. Their daughter Sara, who appears in Beginning French and contributes the recipes, is a New York food stylist who began her career at Martha Stewart Living. The trois Américains meet every summer in France—to cook, write, and share photos and travel tips with their followers. (2016)
Take a virtual walk in Paris: A Walk in Paris on YouTube.
Paris in July 2023 Reading Challenge. stime.
This sounds like my kind of read! Thanks for posting about it!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting and entertaining summer read.
ReplyDeleteArmchair travel at its best.
DeleteI'm so glad you featured this book. I will look for it.
ReplyDeleteI read this one a while back and really it enjoyed it. It left me feeling exactly the way you describe your reaction to it.
ReplyDeleteI have read quite a few books like this one, but they are always so enjoyable, thaks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many books like this - an expat's struggles to start new life in France - but I guess in the end, it's all about the writer's personality and writing style, isn't it? This one sounds witty, so I might put it to my wish list.
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