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.
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.
Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives in Paris to start a new job - only to get the culture shock of his life. Between stepping in the dogs' droppings that adorn every pavement in Paris, getting caught up in their daily strikes and flirting with the idea of trying suppositories, Paul must tread through the minefield of French politics, women and wine. In his first novel, Stephen Clarke gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. A Year in the Merde reveals how to get the better of of the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make amour - not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.
