Merde Happens [Hardcover]

Stephen Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2008

From Stephen Clarke, the internationally bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and In the Merde for Love, Merde Happens is the third installation of Paul West's hilarious mis-adventures in merde. This time around Paul finds himself in financial trouble. After failing to translate the menu of his English-style tearoom into proper French, the Ministry of Culture levies him with a substantial fine, which he must pay within 6 weeks or risk losing his business. So, he sets off to America, with his French girlfriend in tow, to take part in an international competition to promote Britain as a tourism destination. But as the not-so-dynamic duo stumble toward Los Angeles, via Boston, Miami, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, Paul’s well-oiled plans for success, of course, turn to merde: While visiting Boston, he inspires an impromptu recreation of the Boston Tea Party; in Miami, he narrowly escapes a carjacking only to have to his hotel room catch fire later that night; and somewhere between Miami and New Orleans, his girlfriend hitches a ride with another man for a liaison dangereuse. Meanwhile, Paul’s old flame has declared war on her former beau by trying to sabotage his chances of winning the contest. And as Paul knows better than anyone, when you mix love and war—merde happens.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this entertaining third installment to his Paul West series, British journalist Clarke sets his acerbic sights on America. Paul, an ex-pat Brit running a tearoom in Paris, commits a grievous crime when he presents English menus at his tearoom. The Ministry of Culture slaps him with a massive fine, and a broke Paul returns to London and accepts a position with Visitor Resources: Britain to represent his home country in a global tourism contest. So, with his Parisian girlfriend in tow, Paul heads for America, picks up an embarrassingly decorated Mini Cooper in New York and heads to Boston, Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in an effort to win the prize. Trouble follows, of course, and what makes the transcontinental romp so much fun is Clarke's sarcastic sendup of each city, embellishing the traditional stereotypes of each with a dry, jaded Brit wit. (The magazines found in a Louisiana home include Sniper's Gazette, Drive-by Weekly, Firing Squad Monthly. Standard stuff.) Peripheral characters add even more color to the madcap story, and while not all of Clarke's stabs at the states hit their marks, the ones that do are sublime. (May)
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Review

“Clarke works his humor in a frantic, colorful choreography of mayhem, like Busby Berkeley conducting Harold Lloyd. Amusing travelogue from an engaging narrator who never lets a little bad news mess with his joie de vivre.”   —Kirkus Reviews

“Sublime. In this entertaining third installment to his Paul West series, British journalist Clarke sets his acerbic sights on America. What makes the transcontinental romp sp much fun is Clarke’s sarcastic sendup of each city, embellishing the traditional stereotypes of each with a dry, jaded Brit wit. Peripheral characters add even more volor to the madcap story.”—Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596915277
• ISBN-13: 978-1596915275
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first two, September 9, 2008

By 

Joshua Lambert - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Merde Happens (Hardcover)

I was disappointed by this installment of the series, after very much enjoying the first two. The book went on a fairly quick pace through the various parts of the US, without really diving deeply into any of them. I would have liked fewer cities maybe, with more focus on each.

I also found it to be fairly sad, with the humor not quite making up for it. My own personal life following a similar path however may have made it hit home harder than most.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beach reading for the not-too-picky..., July 13, 2009

By 

e. verrillo (williamsburg, ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merde Happens (Paperback)

Merde Happens pretty much sums up Paul West's life. In Clarke's third "merde" book, Paul bumbles his way across the United States hoping to win a prize for Britain's tourism board, and a big bonus for himself. Naturally, nothing goes as planned.

The disasters start in Britain, where he is mistakenly photographed in a skimpy kilt on his way to an interview for Visitor Resources: Britain, and instantly achieves internet fame on a somewhat questionable website ("Meninskirts"). Things go downhill from there. In Boston, Paul hosts an outdoor Tea Party (in February) that ends in a brawl on Bunker Hill between two fractious restaurant owners. In Miami, he manages to burn down his hotel (with the help of the language-impaired Jake). New Orleans seems to be filled with gun-happy "swamp things" and Las Vegas, is, well, Las Vegas. (Not even Stephen Clarke is capable of exaggerating Las Vegas.) Throughout his trip, Paul is sabotaged by the nefarious Elodie (who intends to win the prize for France), verbally harangued by his girlfriend Alexa and surrounded, unfathomably, by gorgeous, voluptuous women.

While I found the book entertaining, (more so than In the Merde for Love, but less so than A Year in the Merde), I can't say that I'd read Merde Happens anywhere but on a beach. Clarke's wit is sharp, but there chapters that drag, or that act as "filler." Paul West's personality grates after a while (and you'll really want to give Alexa a swift kick in the derriere about half way to Miami). Although I had fun with these three books, I hope there won't be a fourth. Clarke has wrung all he can get out of the premise that merde happens.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely funny, June 6, 2008

By 

tct - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merde Happens (Hardcover)

Clarke's version of America is every bit as funny as his version of France. Paul West (lead character)drives across the US in an attempt to win a contest that will save his business back in Paris. Aside from the inevitable culture clashes, what makes this book so enjoyable is his relationships with his friends, who are a ragged yet good hearted bunch who end up looking out for one another as Paul West gets himself into one weird (and occasionally life-threatening) situation after another.I have read the previous 2 books based on the Paul West character, and I found this to be every bit as engaging, although I did not care for the end, and a few plots were too far fetched to suspend belief. But as with the other 2, I found myself laughing aloud several times.