return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
   First Impressions: Book Reviews

Member Reviews of forthcoming books.

Book Jacket

Paris in Love:
A Memoir
by Eloisa James

Publisher: Random House
Publication date: 04/03/2012.
Biographies/Memoirs, 272 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 23
Readers' Consensus: 4.0
More information
Buy This Book
First Impressions: Page 1 of 4
Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Margaret B. (pompano beach, florida)

Paris in Love
When the author took her family to live in Paris for two years, she was going to see Paris. The descriptions of museums, stores and food are incredible. The events of each day sound so exciting that one wants to get on the next plane to Paris. She tries so many foods, searches the markets, gives lectures and still take time to love her family.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Carolyn A. (Questa, NM)

I love Paris
I love Paris in Love. It is so beautifully written. The technique of using vignettes gathered from facebook and Twitter works brilliantly. I thought I'd have to read it again just to glean names of museums, bistros, and shopping experiences, but surprise! They are listed in the back of the book with locations and websites. I'll read it again anyway because it is so delightful.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)

Paris in Love
I really liked this book. For the most part it is written with short entries much like a diary. Eloisa James has a charming and witty style, and the book is put together in such a way that it gives a delightful look at not only Paris, but also the author's family. It is spot on funny in many places, and tenderly touching in others. It makes me want to go to Paris, and sit down in a cafe to soak up the atmosphere! If you like memoirs, you will love this book!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Marion W. (Issaquah, WA)

Paris, je t'aime!
Imagine that you are visiting an old friend, who's spending a year in Paris with her husband and two kids. She's a professor of English on sabbatical, and also an author of (among other books) Regency romance novels. You accompany her as she walks around: visiting small museums, shopping for groceries and trying new recipes, and noticing the Parisiennes' flair and attention to detail. Her joie de vivre, enhanced by her having survived breast cancer, is contagious. But she's also down-to-earth and wryly funny as she copes with her kids' struggles at school; diets by getting her husband to eat half her restaurant meals (my technique too!); and struggles with her "appalling French." This book is partially a collection of vignettes, just what you would cherish after chatting with a warm and astute friend. It's guaranteed to delight, and to set you dreaming about going to Paris. Five stars!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Mary A. (Fernandina Beach, FL)

Paris in Love
I loved this memoir. Elisa James moved to Paris for a year following a cancer diagnosis.Her memoir allows the reader to share the tastes,sounds,and insights that occur during that year.

The structure of the book-similar to Facebook posts-was deliberate on the author's part. She felt it best captured "...the small explosions of experience (that) best give the flavor of my days." That format creates an easy reading experience as well.

The author's wry observations about family life weave a delightful thread of humor throughout the book,particularly regarding her daughter Anna's antics.

Life in Paris seen through the remarkable lens of James is a satisfying journey for the reader. James writes about topics as diverse as the homeless,school,food,art,her favorite Parisian bridge-and somehow elevates the ordinary into something special. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book.I loved it and would recommend it.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Janet P. (Houston, TX)

Hedonism 101
If we could all live in Eloise James' "moment," what a smorgasbord of delightful memories we would have with us to take us to the grave. James has it all: a wonderful and tolerant husband, two bright, articulate children, a pocketbook that allows fine dining, the best shopping, time for museums and the fine arts, and a year in the most romantic city in the world, Paris. Her brief vignettes, are often so touching, that this reader felt as if she had experienced these moments herself. James is a master travel guide, chef, writer, mother and wife. There is much to learn from her memoir and much to enjoy.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Linda K. (Belvidere, IL)

Paris in Love...or In Love with Paris?
Paris in Love, by Eloisa James, was such a delightful read. It is formatted with clips or thoughts the author had while spending a year in Paris with her family. Most of these clips were just everyday observations of things going on around her and her family, but each was absorbing, many were humorous. The idea of selling everything and packing up to move to another country for a specified amount of time, while knowing you have jobs to return to is very appealing and something everyone who has that opportunity should dive into in full cannonball style. What a joy!!

1 2 3 4   next »

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  Jun 19 
  •  Jun 17 
  •  Jun 15 
If You Find Me
Emily Murdoch

If You Find Me Jacket

There are some things you can't leave behind…
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah Jacket

Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Karen Joy Fowler

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Jacket

The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The Expats by Chris Pavone
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Top Ten Guidelines For How to Behave in a Book Club
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Themed Young Adult Books, Not About The Holocaust
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story... read more
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years... read more
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. Coraline
Neil Gaiman
2. Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
3. The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
5. Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Katherine Boo
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple
Paperback (Apr/13)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
by Rachel Joyce
Paperback (Mar/13)
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards
by Kristopher Jansma
Hardback (Mar/13)
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
by Mohsin Hamid
Hardback (Mar/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani
4.5 Stars            (Jun/13)
Her Last Breath
by Linda Castillo
4.5 Stars            (Jun/13)
Crime of Privilege
by Walter Walker
Four Stars            (Jun/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
Amazon cuts off 5200 affiliates in Minnesota (Jun 19 2013)
With Minnesota's online sales tax law due to take effect July 1, Amazon has played a familiar card by cutting ties with 5,200 members of its Associates... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: We've been discussing guidelines for book club etiquette. Which of these do you think are important?
Read the book
Listen thoughtfully to all members
Take notes while you're reading
Stay on topic when you're speaking
Enjoy yourself
Don’t get drunk
Bring chocolate, everyone likes chocolate!
Eat before you come so you don’t devour the snacks
Compliment others sincerely
Have a good sense of humor
Don’t fret the small stuff
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters

Online Book Club
More about
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
You Only Get Letters From Jail


one of the finest and truest collections of 'American' short stories I have ever read

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"T M T C, T M T Stay T S"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Lawrence Osborne
Carol Rifka Brunt
Kent Wascom
Jennifer McVeigh
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us