Journal Entry 1 by nyassa from Deal, Kent United Kingdom on Sunday, December 04, 2005

Synopsis from Amazon
Published privately by the author in English in Paris, A YEAR IN THE MERDE became an immediate local bestseller. Instant word-of-mouth spread like wildfire to England where booksellers began clamouring for it. Now Stephen Clarke?s delightful first novel will be rush-published officially in the UK to meet the ever-growing demand of fans. In A YEAR IN THE MERDE Stephen Clarke describes the French as they really are. They're not cheese-eating surrender monkeys, but they do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs' droppings. In general, they do not wash their armpits with garlic soap. They are still in shock at being stupid enough to sell Louisiana and thereby losing the chance to make French the global language. Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after petanque. And they really do use suppositories. Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives to set up some "English" tea-rooms in Paris and gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. Less quaint than A Year in Provence, less chocolatey than Chocolat, this book will tell you how to get the best of the grumpiest Parisian waiter, how to survive French meetings.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It has been much-heralded as a hilarious account of life in Paris and I will admit to laughing aloud at some parts. However I found the accounts of his sexual exploits totally boring and as a whole it was really very shallow. I suppose it is a fairly typical example of lad lit, the male equivalent of chick-lit which I don't like either. 

Journal Entry 2 by smartcat from Rotherham, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, January 14, 2006

Received this as a swap from the readitswapit website. Looking forward to reading this as my holiday last year was in Paris.

CAUGHT IN ROTHERHAM SOUTH YORKSHIRE UK