Victoire Charpentier is a young woman living in Lucie-sur-Vionne, France, at the end of the 18th century. When her father dies in a coach accident and her mother is drowned for witchcraft, she has no choice but to go to Paris to work as a scullery maid for a noble family. Overwhelmed by the big city and abused by the Marquis who employs her, life doesn’t get any easier for…
Tag: paris
Alexander Chee
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The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
Lilliet Berne is a famous opera singer in 1882 Paris when an author approaches her to ask her to star in an opera he has just finished writing. When she reads it, she realizes that the story relates her own secret past. As she tries to discover the person who betrayed her confidence, she remembers her humble beginnings as an orphan from Ohio, her travels in Europe with a circus and her…
Review
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Confessions of a Paris Party Girl by Vicki Lesage
Vicki Lesage, an American from St. Louis, Missouri, finds herself newly single at 25. When she loses her job in an IT company, she decides it is the perfect time to move to France and start over. As soon as she arrives, she relishes the delicious food and rich culture. However, she soon finds out that making new friends is not as easy as she thought and that life in Paris can be…
Review
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The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie
The five Mailly-Nesle sisters lived in early 18th century France. After their mother passed away, the sisters were separated. Louise, the eldest had just gotten married and was a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Pauline and Diane had been sent to a convent, but they dreamt of living in Versailles. Hortense and Marie-Anne stayed with their aunt in a pious and quiet environment. Eventually, four of the five sisters would successively…
Linda Kovic-Skow
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French Illusions: From Tours to Paris by Linda Kovic-Skow
Back in October 2014, I wrote a review of French Illusions by Linda Kovic-Skow. The memoir related Linda’s disastrous experience as an au-pair in the Loire Valley. Now the author is back with a sequel. French Illusions: From Tours to Paris starts right where the first book ended and tells the author’s adventures as a student in France. Linda still dreams of becoming a flight attendant and is determined to learn French. All she…
David Downie
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A Passion for Paris by David Downie
A Passion for Paris by David Downie takes us on a tour of Paris from the Père-Lachaise Cemetery to Montmartre. Instead of writing about the famous American expatriates of the 1920s, the author chose to shed light on the Romantics of the 19th century: Félix Nadar, Victor Hugo, Charles Beaudelaire, Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, Eugène Delacroix, Alexandre Dumas, Émile Zola, etc. David Downie guides us through the City of Light to…
Charlie Lovett
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First Impressions by Charlie Lovett
It is not always true that a subtitle aptly sums up what a book is about. However, it certainly is the case here: “A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen”. Sophie Collingwood has just graduated from Oxford when she meets Eric Hall, an intriguing young American teacher who, like her, loves classic literature, especially Jane Austen. Unfortunately, the young man soon leaves for Paris to continue his…