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A Year in the Merde

By Stephen Clarke

(126)

| Audio CD | 9781593977559

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Book Description

An urban antidote to A Year in Provence, Stephen Clarke’s book is a laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of an expat in Paris— for Francophiles and Francophobes alike
A YEAR IN THE MERDE is the almost-true account of the author’s adventures as an expat in PContinue

An urban antidote to A Year in Provence, Stephen Clarke’s book is a laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of an expat in Paris— for Francophiles and Francophobes alike
A YEAR IN THE MERDE is the almost-true account of the author’s adventures as an expat in Paris. Based loosely on his own experiences and with names changed to “avoid embarrassment, possible legal action and to prevent the author’s legs being broken by someone in a Yves Saint Laurent suit (or quite possibly, a Christian Dior skirt), ” A YEAR IN THE MERDE is the story of a Paul West, a 27-year-old Brit who is brought to Paris by a French company to open a chain of British “tea rooms.” He soon becomes immersed in the contradictions of French culture: the French are not all cheese-eating surrender monkeys, though they do eat a lot of smelly cheese; they are still in shock at being stupid enough to sell Louisiana, thus losing the chance to make French the global language, while going on strike is the second national participation sport after pétanque. He also illuminates how to get the best out of the grumpiest Parisian waiter, how to survive a French business meeting, and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.
The author originally wrote A YEAR IN THE MERDE just for fun and self-published it in France in an English language edition. Weeks later, it had become a word-of-mouth hit for expats and the French alike, even outselling Bill Clinton’s memoir at Paris’s fabled American bookstore Brentano’s. With translation rights now sold in eleven countries, Stephen Clarke is clearly a Bill Bryson (or a Peter Mayle...) for a whole new generation of readers who can never quite decide whether they love—or love to hate—the French.

Critics

  • A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

    A Year In The Merde was recommended to me by a friend whose sense of humour is very much on a par with mine. I read it a couple of years ago and decided, on discovering that Stephen Clarke had written a couple of not-to-be-missed follow-ups, that I w ... (read full critics)

    thebookbag published on Mon, 27 Sep 2010

  • A Year in the Merde By Stephen Clarke

    If the rising price of airline tickets has you spending your summer vacation on American shores instead of jetting off to the Cote d'Azur, Stephen Clarke's hilarious new book is the perfect antidote. (Readers too relaxed to turn the pages can check o ... (read full critics)

    bookpage published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

10 Reviews

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  • 5 people find this helpful

    this is a must-read if you have lived in France and in the UK.
    this is a must-read also if you have lived in either one of those countries.
    interestingly enough, this is a must-read even if you have lived in neither of them, as we all have met - at some point or the other - the English an ... (continue)

    this is a must-read if you have lived in France and in the UK.
    this is a must-read also if you have lived in either one of those countries.
    interestingly enough, this is a must-read even if you have lived in neither of them, as we all have met - at some point or the other - the English and the French.

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    disastrino said on Nov 2, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    Voulez-vous shag with me?

    The French world seen trough the eyes of a londoner lost in the streets of Paris... watch him learn learn "le français" the hard way!

    Hilarious, but you'll need a little insight in both English and French culture.

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    Nonethousand said on Jun 24, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Paris is, a bit like an ocean. An ocean is great place to live if you are a shark. There's a loads of fresh seafood, and if anyone gives you shit you just bite them in half. you might not be loved by everyone, but you will be left in peace to enjoy yourself.

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    Blue Hawaii said on May 3, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • You don't read this book expecting a masterpiece of literature, as it is not.
    ...But surely this is something you want to read when as a foreigner you are living in France!
    Sharp, accurate, HILARIOUS!
    It will crack you up...ABSOLUTELY.
    ...to remind you that books might not all be ... (continue)

    You don't read this book expecting a masterpiece of literature, as it is not.
    ...But surely this is something you want to read when as a foreigner you are living in France!
    Sharp, accurate, HILARIOUS!
    It will crack you up...ABSOLUTELY.
    ...to remind you that books might not all be masterpieces, but they can always be LOT OF FUN!

    Is this helpful?

    Bryterlayter said on Aug 27, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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