Product Description

'The most delectable novel I've read for a long time-Witty, informative, erotic, craftily plotted' Independent on Sunday, Books of the Year

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #611882 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
Isabel arrives in Paris to find that her sister's French husband has just walked out, leaving her sister pregnant. While she finds herself seduced by gourmet food, antiques and older men, her sister's marriage disintegrates into wrangles over money in this social comedy.

About the Author
Diane Johnson is the author of Le Divorce, a 1997 National Book Award finalist, as well as eleven previous books. Merchant Ivory is filming Le Divorce with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Diane Johnson has also written several screenplays herself and collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on The Shining.

Customer Reviews

light fun read with useful insights into Parisian life
This is a enjoyable light read with a bit of useful French vernacular thrown in. If you've seen the film, you'll know there is one part of the plot concerning a cuckolded husband which doesn't work too well, but it is still an entertaining read overall.

Not what I expected
I read this book while house-sitting for a friend a couple of years ago. I took the book off the shelf because the title intrigued me. The inventive opening chapter has the writer describing how she sees her life - as if she and the people around her are characters in a film. In fact, its worth noting that there is a film version of this book in the making. The Parisien setting is very well described, the characters are likeable and an interesting plot keeps your attention.

delightful - recommended for Americans in Europe
This book was thrust on me by several bright American friends trying to explain what they suffered in London, and I can see why it applies to a world beyond Paris. Very, very funny comedy of manners about love and betrayal, and thoroughly recommended.