Not Logged in.
Book Jacket

Lessons in French


"An appealing debut novel...Paris entrances" - Editor's Choice, Oprah.com
More about this book
Author Biography

Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

Created: 10/22/14

Replies: 11

Posted Oct. 22, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
donnac's Gravatar
donnac

Join Date: 03/26/14

Posts: 139

Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era? Do you think she seems more or less mature than other young women her age? What about her level of sophistication? Is she more cosmopolitan for having spent time in France as a child?


Posted Oct. 23, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Miznanner's Gravatar
Miznanner

Join Date: 01/19/13

Posts: 20

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

i think her voice does ring true and also think that having lived in France as a child did not make her moe cosmopolitan. i do think that the loss of her father at a vulnerable age for girls does make a difference in her maturity but as a charcater i felt she seemed authentc.


Posted Oct. 24, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
mariannes

Join Date: 12/17/12

Posts: 206

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

One of the things I like about this book is that Kate seems like a real person. She hadn't led a typical life, since she had partially grown up in France with her aunt and uncle, but she seemed real. She was naive and vulnerable, but she also had strengths, just like a real person.


Posted Oct. 24, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
francinee

Join Date: 07/25/14

Posts: 14

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

Despite the fact that Kate lived in France as a child, she lived a protective life being raised on a farm with her aunt,uncle and cousin. The setting for Kate's return to France was cosmopolitan Paris. This alone would have been overwhelming to a young adult working abroad. The naivety and confusion displayed by Kate rings true as she navigates the waters of adult interpersonal and work relationships.


Posted Oct. 25, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Suzanne

Join Date: 04/21/11

Posts: 281

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

During those years, I was raising my kids, worrying about my husband in Vietnam, and just couldn't think of what was happening outside my little world. So although I remember the wall coming down and watching it do so on our lovely black and white TV, Kate's voice may ring true but I feel she was so immature.


Posted Oct. 26, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
pennyp

Join Date: 03/22/12

Posts: 353

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

Yes, very authentic if a little sheltered. I think she was very believable as a young woman who was trying to find her way both in the art world and in life. The author did a good job of showing her caught in situations where she had to make ethical choices that might possibly endanger her own situation.


Posted Oct. 27, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
rebeccar

Join Date: 03/13/12

Posts: 548

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

I think Kate is believable. However, there were a couple of times where I was jolted out of the story by what struck me as an anachronism. This book is supposed to be set in the 80's, yet early in the book (page 8) it refers to appliances that are "white not stainless." Almond colored appliances were a big change from white, in the 80's but stainless? I think stainless is more the 21st century decor.


Posted Oct. 29, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
malindan

Join Date: 05/10/12

Posts: 48

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

I think that her voice does ring true for the most part. I didn't particularly like her as a character but I think she is fairly typical of a young adult right out of college who is trying to find there way in the world. It is easy to think of a twenty-one year old as an adult but they are really just leaving the shelter of home or college. More adult like decisions can prove difficult at that age.


Posted Nov. 01, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
theresex

Join Date: 05/21/11

Posts: 18

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

She seemed open to experiencing the job, meeting the "famous authors" and experiencing the exciting side of Paris, yet she seemed naive as well. I was more put off by Lydia from the beginning because she seemed to make the job so open-ended so that she could get Kate to do anything she didn't want to be bothered with. When Kate was going out to meet Olivier and Lydia nipped that in the bud, I felt Kate was disappointed but was too new to the job to defy her new boss.


Posted Nov. 13, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
heatherf

Join Date: 11/13/14

Posts: 17

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

One of the strengths of this novel is that Kate is real. Her inner dialogue is rich yet matches her nature and her interests. Her dialogue with other characters in various scenes seems so real I felt like I was reading a script, a well-written script, with perfect stage direction. Her lack of experience and confidence is especially well done and relatable.


Posted Nov. 29, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
shirleyf

Join Date: 04/25/11

Posts: 63

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

I think that her voice rings true for a young woman just out of college. However, I do think she was naïve and wondered how she could choose to go from her sheltered protected life to live in Paris because even though she lived there as a child, she was with relatives and probably never had to go through the city alone or have the responsibility of coping alone. The author did a good job of describing her dilemmas, and her mental processes to resolve her conflicts - yes, they did seem genuine for a new college grad.


Posted Dec. 03, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
poniesnpearls

Join Date: 06/28/11

Posts: 78

RE: Do you think Kate's voice rings true for a young woman of her age and era?

I think her voice is mostly true for her age and the era. I think she was an interesting mix of sometimes pretty naive vs. sometimes displaying a bit more of a worldly view.


Reply

Please login to post a response.