An Englishman in Paris

Michael Sadler's An Englishman in Paris is the perfect guide for the man or woman from these shores who wants to be au fait with day-to-day life in Paris. Whatever the historical enmity between our two countries (from the Battle of Waterloo onwards), there's really a marked rapprochement between the French and the English (note that the best word for our accord is a French one!); many French citizens are devoted Anglophiles (whatever they think of our food), and it's a dull Englishman whose heart doesn't beat faster pacing the boulevards of the City of Light. Of course, it's not just the language that trips up the unwary Brit in France--the customs, the everyday transactions and so on are potential minefields.

Knowing that however keen you might be to excel in such matters it's easy to get it wrong abroad. South coast-born, (but temperamentally Parisian manqué), Sadler decided to spend a year in the city of Renoir and Debussy to steep himself in continental manners. Braving the terrifying French traffic, finding out what wine to buy at the Bon Marché, tackling a diner bourgeois, negotiating affairs of the heart, coming to terms with tripe, and a million other challenges peculiar to the French capital--all these became grist to Sadler's mill, and if he didn't crack all of them, we are the beneficiaries of his wise and witty advice on how not to make too much of an ass of yourself. Sadler points out that the best approach is a commixing of British cool and French gusto. As he risked his cholesterol levels with mouth-watering French cuisine and learnt how not to give offence (or how to give it, if necessary) and as he discovers how to belong in a city that is distrustful of incomers, the process is fascinating. And as An Englishman in Paris proves, Sadler certainly did his damndest to be a boulevadier. His book is a canny, knowing and enthusiastic look at our neighbours at the other end of the Chunnel, and even makes some cogent observations about the nature of foreignness--theirs and ours. If you're packing your bag for that Eurostar trip, you'd be well advised to put this in. --Barry Forshaw

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Bachelor living in the City of Light - Rated
Expat Brit Peter Mayle has written several delightfully witty books (A YEAR IN PROVENCE, TOUJOURS PROVENCE, ENCORE PROVENCE) describing his long residence in Provence in an old farm house that he and his wife fixed up. Peter contributes the preface to AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS written by lunch-buddy and fellow countryman Michael Sadler.

According to the book's back flap, Sadler now lives in Paris and Touraine with his French wife and their daughter. There's no time frame to AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS, but I gather that it recalls Michael's experience as a younger and still-single man during his first extended trip to Paris from his home in England.

Sadler's narrative contains some decidedly humorous moments, as when he transports a large wheel of odiferous cheese from point A to B. Or when he makes his first tremulous journey through that chaotic maelstrom of traffic known as the Place de l'Etoile. And when he must transfer his belongings from temporary hotel lodgings to a new apartment, and there's nowhere to park in front of the latter. Or his culinary introduction to such delicacies as beef testicles and pigs ears. Then there's his giddy affair with a married French woman.

Compared to Peter's volumes, however, Sadler isn't quite so relaxed. Perhaps it's the abundant energy and hormones of a younger man. At times, Michael's activities seem positively frenetic. Moreover, he introduces into the text many French phrases and sentences, the translations of which aren't always readily apparent as you read them, if at all. To be fair, there is a 5-page glossary of terms and colloquial expressions at the end. Language aside, chapter 28 is entirely incoherent (by design, I assume) - as if he was writing under the influence of some cooking sauce made with hallucinogenic mushrooms.

AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS is short - only 193 pages in a small hardcover format. Reading the book doesn't require a large investment of time. But, if you want something more satisfying about life as a foreigner in France, go first with Mayle.

More About the English than the French - Rated
The book is recommended by Michael Palin, Prince Charles, Anne Robinson, and Punch magazine on its cover. If you can imagine the sort of thing that amuses this coterie you will not be taken by surprise. The book has a few amusing moments, when the author is not trying to sound like a comedian, and there is the odd flush of literary flair, but on the whole it read just like a Richard Curtis story board- perhaps the author had this in mind when he wrote it. If you enjoyed Four Weddings and A Funeral you will think it "wonderfully amusing" (the endorsement that Prince Charles gives the book), and I couldn't help thinking Bridget Jones had found her soulmate in the character. If you have ever enjoyed a Brit Flick of this ilk you will like this book. For my part "one was not amused"- too contrived, and dare I say it "too English".

More About the English than the French - Rated
The book is recommended by Michael Palin, Prince Charles, Anne Robinson and Punch magazine on its cover. If you can imagine the sort of thing that amuses this coterie you will not be taken by surprise. The book has a few amusing moments, when the author is not trying to sound like a comedian, and there is the odd flush of literary flair, but on the whole it read just like a Richard Curtis story board- perhaps the author had this in mind when he wrote it. If you enjoyed Four Weddings and A Funeral you will think it "wonderfully amusing" (the endorsement that Prince Charles gives the book), and I couldn't help thinking Bridget Jones had found her soulmate in the character. If you have ever enjoyed a Brit Flick of this ilk you will like this book. For my part "one was not amused"- too contrived, and dare I say it "too English".

Good book! - Rated
I've been trying so hard to find a good, humourous, entertaining read and was starting to lose hope. Then I got this, and by the end of page 3 I knew I was onto something. This book delivers the goods!

Brilliantly written, it sets fire to one's imagination. It isn't only funny, it also succeeds in being a real page-turner at times. And my earlobes almost curdled when I read about what kak this guy sometimes ate in Paris.

This book has something for everyone. This title receives my award for grearest read of 2004.

Now I'm just waiting for the movie, then I can die in peace.

Un Vrai Classique ! - Rated
Think of a water biscuit - a table water biscuit. It's dry, delicious and well-rounded. It has a little crunch and a little bite that's just enough for one mouthful, alongside a sip of fruity red wine, of course! Imagine reading somebody's diary, and finding it zestier than a basket of freshly-grated lemons, and with as much sharpness to boot! This is very much how I found this book. It is truly excellent! A veteran academic from some little village in England finds himself catapulted into a Parisian cutltural crossover, a whirling, swirling vortex of elegant women, culinary discovery and comedic capers - kind of like a French "Dynasty" meets "Crossroads" meets Alan Bennett meets William Shakespeare! I read through the whole book in one go, finding it one of those rare gems that just compels you to do that. To say it is light reading would be fair, but it has an insight that gives it guts - and depth. Sadler's perception of Paris life - with its funny little pretensions and piquancies is observed with a wry eye. This book is a tapestry of little mini-sagas all interwoven. Each story a poignant little vignette, a bit like a whole tray of water biscuits, darling! Each one with a different and unique topping.