Helpful Score: 1
Another great book about Paris, where I simply must live some day. Falling in love with a Frenchman, moving to Paris, delving into a new culture and cooking all the while. Recipes included.
Great book for any francophile or food lover
This love story memoir of an American foodie falling for a Frenchman and becoming an expat starts out strong with its visuals of real life day-to-day Paris and the cute love story. However, it starts to suffer partway through due to Elizabeth's tonal change to a pity party. She truly has an amazing life, and I cannot possibly sympathize with her. She starts to sound like a spoiled rotten brat and doesn't really improve. Additionally, for a vegetarian, the extensive descriptions of bloody meat-based dishes were painful to read. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to believe she's such an empathic, romantic person when her life seems to largely revolve around eating innocent animals. Overall, I'd recommend this memoir to meat eating foodies who won't mind a bit of a pity party partway through.
Check out my full review.
Check out my full review.
Cis H. (californiadreamin) reviewed Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes on + 279 more book reviews
Elizabeth Bard writes in a conversational tone about her life and love in Paris. She's a New Yorker who was working and living in London, met Frenchman Gwendal, enjoyed weekends with him in Paris for two years before she finally moved into his tiny apartment. She writes about adjusting to the French lifestyle where money and job status are not as important as they are to Americans. She also shares with us her love of food, shopping the the markets of Paris, learning how to cook, and eat, like the French. While some readers may think of her as a spoiled rich girl from NYC, I overlooked references to her previous lifestyle in NY to simply enjoy how she embraced her life in Paris. The book really shows us how important family, friends, and good food is in our lives. I even enjoyed reading all of the fabulous recipes, even though I don't cook!
