Journal Entry 1 by cats-eye from Bishop Auckland, County Durham United Kingdom on Sunday, July 16, 2006

Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Newcomer of the Year, 2006.
audible.co.uk download

Publisher's Summary:

Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives in Paris to start a new job and finds out what the French are really like. They do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs' droppings. They don't wash their armpits with garlic soap. Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after petanque. And, yes, they do use suppositories.

In his first novel, Stephen Clarke 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, A Year in the Merde will tell you how to get served by the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make perfect vinaigrette every time; how to make amour, not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside. 

Journal Entry 2 by cats-eye from Bishop Auckland, County Durham United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Oh my, this was far too funny!! I'm so glad I opted to listen to this, rather than read it - the narrator's exaggerated phoney French accent is to die for, and I found myself laughing out loud on the train several times as I listened via the iPod(which is good for keeping others from sitting too close!). I'm looking forward to listening to the other "merde" books very soon :)