Almost French

Finally I've finished this book. I know I haven't written a lot about the books I currently read but you know, I'm more into reading than writing (-;

Anyway, I really liked the book, since it portrays these two totally different cultures (Australian-French) in a very authentic and charming way.

The plot, in a nutshell, is that Sarah is backpacking through Europe, meets a French guy, visits him in France, falls in love with him, stays in Paris and finally marries him. That's that (-:

I hate writing summaries as you can see (-;

No, honestly, it's a delightful book, which describes the culture clashes Sahra experiences in a humorous yet authentic way.

What struck me most was that I could kind of identify with Sarah's character. I would describe her as a outgoing, open-minded, straightforward and uncomplicated person and that makes her situation in France very difficult. France is a country where discretion is highly valued and asking personal questions like, what someone does for a living or whether they have children, may be considered inappropriate or even rude. Besides, they are very restrained towards newcomers and have special rules for everything. So it is apparently very very hard for expats to find their way there and to adapt to this totally different culture. France would be just too formal and strict for me. What's more, is the battle among women. They always see each other as rivals and not as potentially new friends. That's something I absolutely despise.

Living in Australia for some time, on the other hand, is something I can imagine quite clearly. It is a great dream of Grex mine to live abroad for a longer periode and Australia is defenitely one of the prefered countries.

I'm happy, though, not to be an expat, since I know from friends that it's no bed of roses and I'm not sure if I could cope with it. You are torn between two nationalities, two cultures, two lives.

Sarah had to adapt to her new life and she has changed a lot during her stay in Paris. She is a warm hearted person but had to learn to be bold and insistant to survive in this big city. I'm not sure if I want to give up my habits and traits to fit into another culture, but that's exactly what you have to do. Well, maybe not give up your identity, but adjust to the situation.

It made me start thinking and I came to the conclusion that for my part travelling is the greatest thing in the world, but I always want to come back home, where my family, my friends and my heart is.

Sorry, once more I got too sentimental. (-:

But it's a topic I'm very into and it interests me a lot.

what a relief...

...I've chosen a book which is perfect for me (after the first chapters of jaywalking I'm a bit frustrated). Almost French is funny, not too hard to read and yet it contains a lots of nice phrases and idioms I can use for my own writing. I just like the way the author is writing.

I've already read the first chapters. Sarah (27) is travelling around Europe and meets a Frenchman who invites her to come to Paris for a couple of days. Well, and I guess that's were she ends up forever. So, obviously it's a love story, but not a typical one. It's a lot about cultural clashes and and the struggle to adapt to her new home.

Ok, I keep you posted.

Almost French

Finally I've decides which second book to read besides Jaywalking: Almost French by Sarah Turnbull.

I've already read "a year in the merde" by Stephen Clark and it was really fun. I liked the way he portrayed the stereotypes of France. I know that you can't take this serious because you should never generalize and yet it's funny.
If somebody likes that kind of books too, I have to reccomend this one:

"Keiner ist so toll wie wir" Blöde Briten, frustrierte Franzosen und 36 weitere hoffnungslose Fälle (die schönsten Vorurteile Österreichs auf einen Blick) von Markus Huber/Robert Treischler

I know it's in German (sorry Lisa) but sometimes you need to read a German book again AND it's simply sooooo hilarious but only if you don't take it serious.

Anyway, I've ordered "Almost French" at the English bookshop and hope it's fun to read and not so challenging like Jaywalking.

Oh, by the way, I've also read "round irland with a fridge" by Tony Hawks and can reccomend this one too, if you're into strange, yet funny books.

Tom Wolfe

Before I started reading "Jaywalking with the Irish", I was reading "Bonfire of the vanities" by Tom Wolfe.
Last year I read his new bestseller "I am Charlotte Simmons", which was a very hilarious yet challenging book to read. I can reccomend it to everybody who likes funny books but you have to be a bookworm, since it has 770 pages!!!.
Anyway, this other book, Bonfires of the vanities, is so challenging that I already considered to give up. It's not only difficult to read but also very lengthy. The plot, though, sounds interesting. A wealthy man working in the wall street, considers himself as "master of the universe" and is absolutely full of himself. But then he gets lost in the getthos of the Bronx and he runs over a black man and his whole life changes in a few seconds. So it's about the clash of the very rich and the very poor in New York.
Well, I intend to continue perhaps in the easter holidays when I'll have more time. Tell you more about it then.