Outrageous, irreverent and politically incorrect, a young Englishman copes with the French. The odd spelling as he phoneticizes the French accent takes a bit of getting used to but get passed that, for it really is very funny. The scenario of setting up English Tea Houses in Paris seems, in my mind, ridiculous from the start; in this author’s hands it’s crazy. Real chuckle aloud stuff.
Comparison: Bill Bryson, Peter Mayle, Tim Moore.
Similar this month: Tom Sharpe, Anthony Horowitz.
If you would like to read more books set in and around Paris, then go to the fabulous City-Lit Guide to Paris where you will find a plethora of titles featured.
| Primary Genre | Travel |
| Recommendations: |
Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives in Paris to start a new job – and finds out what the French are really like. They do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs’ droppings.
They don’t wash their armpits with garlic soap. Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after pétanque. And, yes, they do use suppositories. In his first novel, Stephen Clarke gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. Less quaint than A Year in Provence, less chocolatey than Chocolat, A Year in the Merde will tell you how to get served by the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make perfect vinaigrette every time; how to make amour – not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.
A Year in the Merde features in the following genres: Travel, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, eBooks of the Month, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Recommendations
A Year in the Merde is available in CD-Audio, Paperback
A Year in the Merde was written by Stephen Clarke and published by Bantam Press
A Year in the Merde has 382 pages
Yes it is part of Paul West series
£8.99
