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A Year in the M....e


Evianers
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 Yes I did read it, not my favorite Francophile tale by a long way - I suppose I am just the wrong age to be endlessly fascinated by the main character and his romantic ambitions.

 Having said that there are some amusing sections and light hearted stereotypes - I read the sequel too, more a question of travelling in hope ! 

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I appreciated the slightly critical side and particulary his view on how french businesses are run (or not) I felt there was more than a grain of truth in that. On the other hand, chapter-loads about his (I'm assuming) imaginary love life was extremely uninteresting and the french women seemed very stereotyped to me.
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I liked the first one, with its humorous, but true to life take on French bureaucacy and the backhander culture, but thought the second one was dire (unless you like too much detail about the writer's rather pathetic sex life) and didn't manage to finish it. So it sounds like I'm with Mistral on this one.

There are still worse books about French life though. [;-)]

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[quote user="Russethouse"]Yes, there are worse books - beware the Olive Route - Ms Drinkwaters latest tome ![/quote]

Oh crikey I read one of her 'Olive' books once (I may even have bought it myself [:'(]) and it was the worst book ever written (not just the worst I've ever read, the worst ever written).  Don't give Waterstones your £7.99, give it to the man with the dog sitting outside. 

Carol, if you're reading this, love, give it up.  You were passably adequate in All Creatures Great And Small, but you're no author.

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It just shows how tastes vary. The Carol Drinkwater books were certainly among those I had in mind with the 'worse books' comment, on which RH so perceptively picked up. The woman should stick to acting. The books which I have read are - to me - twee, self-indulgent sentimental tripe which read like exercises on a creative writing course rather than something which the author really wants to say. I find her style intensely annoying and lacking in the depth that the subject matter really needs. But plenty of people like the books, so they can't be all bad.

The Merde books (well, the first one anyway) are much better written though they certainly aren't going to win any prizes for literature. For a humorous look at French life that also gets over some more serious lessons about the country and its people I would recommend George East. He's not a Nobel prize winner either, and he can stretch credibilty a bit too far at times, but at least he can write properly and his stuff is enjoyable.

But I know that a lot of people don't like him either.

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Having been holed up in intensive care for a week with nothing better to do than listen to monitors beeping missives about my bodily functions and being dragged to various hitech machines to be photographed, echographed and magnetographed. I have read a selection of books that visitors have left at my house.

I read both the Merde books and found the writer rather Brysonesque but funnier.

I read the last of the Squashing Lemon books which seems a con as most of the stories were old ones and he still claims to be destitute after 3 well selling books.

Read about a woman and a vineyard in Begerac with verbose minutae on viniculture a thoroughly depressing book.

Colin Edwards the Motorcycle racers Biography was not very uplifting either.

But was cheered up with the latest three Alexander McCall Smith books.

Further bored to tears by and want to find out who left The L.A. Diaries by james Brown at my house? It is a waste of paper and ink.

I am sure I read some other books but cannot remember them at the moment.

Ahh did get a crisp recent MCN and some bike mags so was very happy.
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[quote] I read both the Merde books and found the writer rather Brysonesque but funnier [/quote]

Dog,

First, I sincerely hope you are feeling a lot better very quickly...

Secondly, did you hit your head ? Bryson and Clake in the same  mould...not a chance.

Bryson rarely writes a bad word, let alone a bad book, I have been spotted laughing out loud at Mr Brysons observations, probably says much about me I guess[;-)]

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Funny enough, we talked about it a while ago and had decided to get it back in the UK at Xmas but my bet is that Tina has told one of the kids and so, I expect to find it in my sock !! I heard a report that as normal with Mr B, it is very funny and a return of the infamous Stephen Katz as well !!

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My mother has read it - my sister had it on pre order from Amazon for her  and it was delivered on the publishing date - I know she liked it (she's a big Bryson fan) but I'll see if I can find out more about it, when I see her tomorrow.

I'm on a Philippa Gregory trilogy at present (historical novels) but a book I found really good this year was Jenny Tomlin's 'Behind Closed Doors' (Jenny Tomlin is Martine McCutcheon's mother and now lives in France) The book is about her childhood in London, I guess in the 50s - 60s, a compelling read IMHO.

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I am not sure exactly why Stephen Clarkes Merde books reminded me of Bryson it must have been the medication and boredom. I dreamt of mysterious circumscribed polygons and discovered how to square the circle in the most indecent meanderings of my feeble mind before realising I had compared Clarkes book with Bill not the Greek mathematician bloke.

I am a simple organism and I just find Bill Bryson tries too hard to make a cheap joke just about every line and his humor doesn't hit my funny bone like Tom Sharpe does.

I have discovered that in France once the Docs get their hands on you they don't let you go. I reckon they charge for what they have done so every test and examination rings up on the cash reigister whereas in UK the Docs get paid whether they do anything or not.

I had never ever been in hospital before and not been registered with a Doctor for 25 years and I would not recommend being a veggie in a French hospital the food was hilarious. Just because I only eat vegetables doesn't mean I like all of them - I detest celery and whoever prepared the slop had a myriad of ways of serving them. I had never had a blood or cholestrol test but they had a great fun even testing my pee.

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