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magmae's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this on the flight to Paris... perfect timing to learn such lessons as "don't bother being as friendly as you would at home... Parisians will think you are tacky," "don't wear schlumpy clothes out of respect for those around you and your role in the postcard of Paris," and "as an Anglo-Saxon, know you'll want to drink twice as much as the French will be drinking."
roscoehuxley's review against another edition
3.0
Sarah Turnbull did the typical Aussie tour around Europe in her mid-twenties, met a Parisian, and stayed. Almost French is an entertaining look at how an expat found her place a la belle France.
stephaniereads9b0f8's review against another edition
4.0
Cute! An Australian woman travels to France to spend time with a man she just met, and ends up staying.
dereadergal's review against another edition
2.0
I was a bit disappointed in this book. I assumed it was going to have a little more tale of the love between the author and her Frenchman and a little bit less whining about not fitting in in France. I know it must be hard being an outsider, but it was just a bit much, so much that I wondered why she stuck through all the turmoil...I assume it was because she loved her man, but it surely didn't depict much of that in this book.
juliemanning's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
irishtraveller's review against another edition
4.0
A longtime Francophile, I love these kinds of books. While Sarah Turnbull is Australian, some of her perspectives and thoughts are very American. It was fascinating to read how her thought processes and ideas slowly changed to reflect that of the French--or to at least understand French thinking. Some of the events she experiences are at once hilarious and humiliating, yet Sarah sticks it out, determined to remain in France with the man who drew her there--Frédéric.
As a reader, we see from Sarah's perspective how Frédéric was forced to change as well, becoming more lax with his French societal rules and stipulations. By the end, they had come to a cultural understanding.
Sarah has a writing style that is conversational...I felt as if I were sitting down to tea with a good friend to hear all about her French adventures. And at points, I felt as if I should be taking notes about French culture so that the next time I'm there, I can fit in better. But I learned that a foreigner can never really be mistaken for a Frenchman. We will always be on the outside looking in one way or another.
As a reader, we see from Sarah's perspective how Frédéric was forced to change as well, becoming more lax with his French societal rules and stipulations. By the end, they had come to a cultural understanding.
Sarah has a writing style that is conversational...I felt as if I were sitting down to tea with a good friend to hear all about her French adventures. And at points, I felt as if I should be taking notes about French culture so that the next time I'm there, I can fit in better. But I learned that a foreigner can never really be mistaken for a Frenchman. We will always be on the outside looking in one way or another.