Title: Lunch in Paris: A Love Story With Recipes
Author: Elizabeth Bard
ISBN: 9780316042796
Pages: 336
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
Lunch in Paris is Elizabeth Bard’s memoir of her love affair with her French beau, Gwendal, but also with French culture and cuisine. At the beginning of the book, Elizabeth moves to France to be with Gwendal. Once there, she deals with snobbery, inefficiency, and utter frustration – but also with love and genuine affection for her adopted culture. This is a story of culture clash, but also adaptation as Elizabeth takes on a new culture as her own through cooking.
Review:
Lunch in Paris was a wonderful memoir about life in France. Often, people dream of the romanticism of running away to live in a foreign country. Elizabeth’s experiences put a human face on that dream – in some ways, she turns it into a delusion. While she doesn’t argue that living in France is simply amazing, it’s also incredibly difficult. She loses the life she’s used to, and as a result loses a grip on the reality she once had.
In a lot of ways, this is a memoir about depression. Elizabeth loses her own self-identity to that of France. She doesn’t know what to do with herself because she is so lost in the quagmire of an new culture. At times, she throws herself into her husband’s career, trying to forget the fact that she has no direction of her own. Eventually, Elizabeth finds her solace in French cooking, in the simplicity of the markets she visits daily.
The recipes in Lunch in Paris are delectable. I haven’t made any yet, but I’m eager to try some of them and see how wonderful they really are. The descriptions of food are so vivid that the reader can actually imagine the taste of the food in their mouth. It’s a wonderful way to identify with and connect to the author of the book.
While Lunch in Paris is self-indulgent, it’s also a wonderful travel memoir of another culture. It’s a fun read about the search for self-identity. I definitely recommend it for those who enjoy light memoirs, or those about food.
12 comments:
I am always jealous of expats that live in fabulous foreign places! It seems like a LOT of the women find direction in cooking and grocery shopping, which is interesting. I am glad this one includes recipes, as that upset me about Keeping the Feast.
The cover grabbed me immediately (it's so CUTE!) but your review cinched the deal. I have to read this book!
This one wasn't on my radar at all but t sounds very interesting and yummy!
Great review. This looks terrific! Plus the cover is so adorable!
I've got to read this book! I think I can totally relate to it - when you live in a foreign country, you don't feel like you fit in anywhere.
If it is about food and France, I'm there. Even if it is a little self-indulgent. I have fantasies (probably unrealistic ones) about living in a foreign country and eating and reading and learning the language!
Paris AND Food? Sounds just perfect!
What a wonderful sounding story - and with recipes?! Heaven! lol Great review!
I adore books about France - thanks for the great review!
A book so made for me. Going on my wish list for March...
This sounds really interesting... and I like the twist, that it isn't an escape. Thanks for the review!
I recently finished and reviewed this one too! I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) I'm not much of a cook so I tended to skip over the recipes, but the accounts of the food she ate were mouth watering! It was a very enjoyable book. :)
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