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There are currently 24 member reviews
for French Exit
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Becky H. (Chicago, IL)
Don't waste your time
I just couldn't get interested in this book or the characters in it; Frances, a middle aged widow, and her son, Malcolm. While clearly drawn, neither was likeable or very interesting. Their situation (about to become bankrupt) and their reactions were also not interesting. I finished the book all the while wondering why I kept reading. I can't in good conscience recommend this book. Frances is a snide, snobbish and selfish person. Malcolm is a man/child who has no ambition and no desire to do anything including attend to his long suffering fiancé. The entourage they acquire is made up of misfits and ne'er-do-wells. The conclusion is a relief.
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Kate G. (Bronx, NY)
Not for Me
This was my first Patrick deWitt and I wanted to like it very much, but it was not for me. It is described as a "tragedy of manners", but the main characters, mother and son, were uninteresting and boring. I don't know how they made friends or how they kept them. The mother was a bully disguised as a society matron and the son was passive, useless (and uneducated). These were unlikeable characters without a point to make.
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MN book lover
Not the best use of my reading time
The hype for this book would have one believe that it is a madcap caper ("witty", "riotous"). To the contrary, it is full of one-dimensional characters -- perhaps the most well-rounded is the cat who embodies the main character's dead husband -- who fail to prop up a plot full of irrelevant events and boring dialogue. At least it was a fast read, due in part to its failure to generate interest in the reader.
