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mrs_darcy_of_gt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
lauroska's review against another edition
5.0
There is something about the Parisian lifestyle that tempts people. The nonchalant dating, perfectly raised kids and endless dinner parties seem like a dream lifestyle. But behind the romantic fantasy, there is a lot of annoying paperwork and language misunderstandings that are an inevitable part of the real Parisian life. Paris Match by John von Sothen talks about the first-hand experience of a foreigner living in Paris, getting to know the culture and people after being born and raised in America.
I enjoyed reading Sothen's adventures a lot, as they truthfully depict the real-life in France. His style is hilarious yet childishly curious, and reading this book you feel like you are in a group of friends listening to one guy talking about his life in Paris. It is charming without leaving out the difficult parts.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to take a glimpse of the French way of life. You will probably lose some of the unrealistic expectations but may fall in love with many new and unexpected things instead.
I enjoyed reading Sothen's adventures a lot, as they truthfully depict the real-life in France. His style is hilarious yet childishly curious, and reading this book you feel like you are in a group of friends listening to one guy talking about his life in Paris. It is charming without leaving out the difficult parts.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to take a glimpse of the French way of life. You will probably lose some of the unrealistic expectations but may fall in love with many new and unexpected things instead.
keepingupwiththepenguins's review against another edition
4.0
The American-man-abroad (and specifically the American-man-in-Paris) memoir is well-trod ground. John Von Sothern enters a pretty saturated market with his new book, Paris Match. Still, even though David Sedaris and his ilk have set the bar pretty high, I couldn’t resist giving this one a go. The chapter that had me in stitches – knee-slapping, snort-laughing stitches – was “Wesh We Can”, about his fumbling attempts to make himself understood in French, absolutely the highlight of this generally charming book.
An extended review is available through Keeping Up With The Penguins.
An extended review is available through Keeping Up With The Penguins.
travelling_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
"Paris was my kind of town, cold and cynical, and Anais is as Parisian as they get."
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It is not a secret that the French have their own way of doing things, and the Parisians even more so. It is a culture of its own, where you adapt to the new social rules of the urban jungle of contradictions, or you perish trying.
For starters, is there anything more Parisian than being a foreigner who hates other foreigners?
Von Sothen has succeeded in portraying what it feels to be an expat in France with all the good, the bad, and the hilarious. His stories are told in a surprisingly honest, open, and sometimes even self-deprecating way. Although it might be a bit snobbish, and completely lacking in self-awareness at times, it is also very funny, emotional, and for a past Parisian like me, an irresistible stroll down the memory lane. After all, as the author's charming wife Anais has said, "On critique bien, ce qu'on aime le mieux."
(I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.)
--
It is not a secret that the French have their own way of doing things, and the Parisians even more so. It is a culture of its own, where you adapt to the new social rules of the urban jungle of contradictions, or you perish trying.
For starters, is there anything more Parisian than being a foreigner who hates other foreigners?
Von Sothen has succeeded in portraying what it feels to be an expat in France with all the good, the bad, and the hilarious. His stories are told in a surprisingly honest, open, and sometimes even self-deprecating way. Although it might be a bit snobbish, and completely lacking in self-awareness at times, it is also very funny, emotional, and for a past Parisian like me, an irresistible stroll down the memory lane. After all, as the author's charming wife Anais has said, "On critique bien, ce qu'on aime le mieux."
(I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.)
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