Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down: Book summary and reviews of Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin

Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down Summary

A self-described Francophile, Rosecrans Baldwin always dreamed of living in Paris - drinking le café, eating les croissants, walking in les jardins - so when the opportunity to work as a copywriter for an advertising agency in Paris presented itself, he couldn't turn it down. Despite the fact that he had no experience in advertising. And despite the fact that he wasn't exactly fluent in French.

Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down is a nimble, comical account of observing the French capital from the inside out. It is an expedition into the Paris of Sarkozy, smoking bans, and a McDonald's beneath the Louvre - the story of an American who loves Paris all out of proportion, who loves every beret and baguette cliché, but who finds life there to be very different from what he expected. At first, it's just the joy of running across the lingerie section in the hardware store, but over the next eighteen months, Rosecrans must rely on his American optimism to get him through some very unromantic situations - at work (where he discovers a shockingly long-honored Parisian work ethic), at home (where his wife, who works at home, is dismayed not just by his hours but by the active construction that surrounds their apartment on five sides), and everywhere in between.

An offbeat, up-to-date, surprising entry in the expat canon, Paris, I Love You is a book about a young man who witnesses his preconceptions replaced by the oddities of a vigorous, nervy city - exactly what he needs to uncover a Paris of his own, and fall in love with the city all over again.

Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down Reviews

"Starred Review. Baldwin, a witty and polished writer, never pretends to be doing more than taking snapshots, but his vivid impressions of Paris and its people (expats included) are most engaging. Great fun and surprisingly touching." - Kirkus Reviews

"A book to tempt anyone flirting with the idea of life abroad and sure to strike a chord with any foreigners currently living in the City of Lights. For readers familiar with Paris, Baldwin's work is not typical; instead, it's a nitty-gritty travelog about one writer's sometimes difficult transformation from New Yorker to Parisian." - Library Journal

"Brilliantly conveys how even the most mind-numbing antics can't tamper one's true love for Paris..." - NPR

"This is not only a fantastic portrait of modern-day Paris, it's also a very realistic and moving portrait of a young married couple, and a psychologically intricate – and very, very funny – portrait of a workplace." - Open Letters Monthly

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Rosecrans Baldwin's first novel, You Lost Me There, was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2010, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and a Time and Entertainment Weekly Best Book of Summer 2010. He is a co-founder of the online magazine The Morning News. Visit him online at www.rosecransbaldwin.tumblr.com.