Customer Reviews

An American in Paris

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I opened this book with some trepidation. From the cover it looked like Ms. Vandenburg had taken an awful lot on herself. Paris in the 20s? "Talk about overdone!" However, from the moment I read the first line I was quickly transported into the world she had created. The main strength of the novel is the fine-tuned characterization of the protagonist, Henri Adams. The coming-of-age plot is nicely enhanced by the obvious growth of the character. The entire book is narrated by Henri, which helps this, even though she's supposedly reminiscing. The prose is occasionally overburdened with adjectives and awkward word combinations, and while some of that can be attributed to the narrator I found it a bit tough to get through once in a while. That said, there are some wonderfully witty bits of prose that stand out... the scenes in the Paris underground gave me exquisite chills and some of the dialogue made me laugh so hard I had to hold on to my chair. The setting of the story, while vast, is handled deftly. It is obvious that the author has a vast knowledge of the time period. All of the famous characters (Gertrude Stein, Picasso, etcetera) are nicely depicted in a way that makes me almost forget that they were and are celebrities. That was a nice touch. Overall, this is quite nicely done. I recommend it highly to most. I look forward to seeing more from this new face in the future.

Having been a lover of the Paris of Gertrude Stein and Picasso since my early teens, I was very excited to read Vandenburg's An American in Paris; and, I was not disappointed. Vandenburg has written an eloquent, funny, delightful romp through the academic and sexual turns of the fictional Henri and the "non-fictional" Stein and Alice B. Playing with language (both academic and foreign) and gender stereotypes, Vandenburg illuminates a young woman's journey to self-discovery with a wonderfully light touch and deliciously wry sense of humor.

Vandenburg loves hysteria, female repression, and of course, dildos. And while she is an excellent theorist, her writing is juvenile. If you like Sex in the City a la 1920s Paris but minus the wit (and the great clothes), then An American In Paris is the ice cream for you. Vandenburg knows how to pop a cherry with aplomb, but this type of self-masturbatory prose is self indulgent. Not only is the movie better- I'd watch it for dessert instead.

In An American in Paris, Vandenburg wants nothing more than to stick a giant carrot up Gertrude Stein's ancient bum, which is evidenced by the massive descriptions of phallic vegetables. Just as the Eiffel Tower looms on the front cover like an erect phallus, Vandenburg cannot escape her own desire to be "mannish". Her thinly veiled main character is a poor disguise for Vandenburg, and the prose lacks elegance. The diction sucks the carrot that Henrietta, the main character, longs to feed upon. Freud claims that all women have "Phallic Envy", and although Vandenburg admirably tries to rid Henrietta of this, she only succeeds in creating a Freudian slip. Unfortunately, when Henrietta transforms into Henri (christened by vandenburg's patron saint Gertrude Stein), she is actually transforming into the exact monster that Vandenburg fails to slay.