Scott Dominic Carpenter, Travellers’ Tales, €15.22; ISBN: 978-1609522124
Reading this book, you really need to put your feet up and relax with a tipple as you start the first page because Scott Dominic Carpenter writes like an intimate friend telling a series of fascinating anecdotes in a bar.
Paris Lost & FoundScott Dominic Carpenter
He kicks off with a tale about realising tourists are being fed a diet of fantasy-France pap in the Dordogne, and segues seamlessly into bringing up kids in Paris.
Part personal memoir, part travelogue, he takes a wry look at exploring authentic France rather than its hackneyed image, and very amusing he is, too. His descriptions bring the scenes alive and you’ll find yourself nodding and sniggering in recognition of the people and places he describes.
This is probably especially true of Americans moving to the City of Light in search of the city they saw at the movies.
Paris is not a fantasy, it is not paradise, and many parts of it are shady indeed. But for Francophiles everything is precious, everything is a clue to the nature of France’s beating heart.
As Scott Dominic Carpenter’s wife slowly disappeared into a fog of dementia and died, he clung to Paris for survival, exploring the streets, noting down overheard snippets, and small exchanges with strangers.
By the end of the book, he is starting to recover and rebuild his life, inspired by the city he came to know so well. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to see the real Paris, the vibrant modern city behind the tourist mask.
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2. How to Cheat at French Verbs
Karen O’Toole, Give a Dog a Bone Press, €12.65; ISBN: 978-0982901946
The full title is How to Cheat at French Verbs: The Tips, Tricks, Secrets and Hacks. (Or, how a lone American chick turned French grammar upside down and lived to conjugate again.) Wordy but accurate.
How to cheat at French verbsKaren Otoole
This book isn’t a French course, but a valuable short cut for anyone wanting to speak fluent if faulty French in a hurry. You can always perfect your skills later.
Karen O’Toole’s other books take an equally fun approach to serious subjects like Rio’s Favelas, the animals that were rescued from New Orleans in the aftermath of Storm Katrina, and a children’s book about being accepted when you’re different.
How to Cheat at French Verbs is your best friend if you’re wrestling with French grammar, especially all those verbs that sound like they end in ay but are all spelt differently. It’s an addition to your learning journey.
Is it complete? Is it comprehensive? Not so much. Is it engaging? Easy to read? Does it make basic French grammar easier to remember? Yup, that’s just what it does, and there are plenty of little anecdotes and jokey cartoons to keep your nose to the grindstone.
3. The Champagne Letters
Kate MacIntosh, Center Point, €22.11; ISBN: 978-1432847883
This newly released novel weaves the tale of Veuve (Widow) Clicquot with a modern story about Natalie Taylor, who is in Paris to rebuild her life. After the death of her winemaking husband, La Veuve Clicquot famously refused to remarry, instead steered her fledgling Champagne house to greatness after his death.
The Champagne LettersKate MacIntosh
As she defied tradition by inventing new methods of making Champagne herself, she also lived through tumultuous times. When Natalie finds a collection of letters from the famous widow addressed to her great granddaughter, she is amazed by the contents.
Facing all sorts of modern challenges, she finds the letters full of timeless wisdom and insight. Finding yourself alone and having to rebuild from scratch is not unique to our day and age. Faced with dilemmas and difficult choices, she finds herself asking, ‘what would the widow do?’
A debut novel from Kate MacIntosh, the historical research is thorough and the writing efficient. The two stories mesh together very well, and even if you already know how Champagne became the favoured drink of the aristocracy, you’ll love reading about it all over again.
Right from the start the book is gripping. Many readers find they race through it in a day or two. And once you’ve gobbled the novel up, there is still a film to watch: Widow Clicquot (2024) starring Haley Bennett.
