In the Merde for Love [Hardcover]

Stephen Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

The sequel to the international bestseller A Year in the Merde continues the hilarious saga of Paul West's misadventures in l'amour (this title was originally published as Merde, Actually in the UK).

The latest episode in Stephen Clarke's almost-true account of his adventures as an expat in France is just as delightful as the original--and already a #1 bestseller in the UK. A year after arriving in France, Englishman Paul West is still struggling with some questions. What is the best way to scare a gendarme? Why are there no health warnings on French nudist beaches? Is it really polite to sleep with your boss's mistress? And how do you cope with a plague of ripe garden vegetables? Paul discovers how to judge a French vacationer by the rustiness of his bicycle; opens his English tea room and finally understands why Parisian waiters are so cranky; and, on a return visit to the UK, sees the full horror of a British office party through Parisian eyes. Meanwhile, he continues his search for the perfect French mademoiselle. Will Paul find l'amour éternel, or will it all end in merde?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clarke, a British journalist working in Paris, offers fans of his international roman à clef bestseller A Year in the Merde a novel-sequel that mixes adolescent humor with occasionally astute observations about an expatriate's life in France-with happy results. Clarke's alter-ego Paul West, a 27-year-old Englishman and culinary school graduate turned entrepreneur, opens a tearoom in Paris. After "accidentally screwing someone else," Paul must prove himself to Alexa, the woman he loves, and many shenanigans ensue. A chef with the Breton name of Yann Kerbolloc'h and the French seaside resort town of Ars are sources of great mirth, as are bum jokes, see-through nighties, the many names for male genitalia (dongler, todger, zizi, pair of walnuts and a chipolata, and "what I hoped was an adequate bump in my surfer shorts," to name a few). Clarke doesn't gloss over the racial tensions in Paris, and an occasional editorial voice can be heard, as when the protagonist laments "the dire state" of Britain's railways. On Nutella, he says, "Teenagers and jobless graduates turn to it with a spoon in times of stress." This quick summer read is a rollicking, self-mocking, and brazenly uncouth meal of bonbons coton.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Clarke continues his gentle spoofing of Peter Mayle's Provence memoirs. Paul West, Clarke's alter ego, the Englishman who came to Paris in A Year in the Merde (2005), is now trying to bring to fruition his dream of opening a chain of tea cafes. But first he must make it through a weekend in the country with his new girlfriend's family. This memoir is full of comic misadventure and misunderstanding (Paul briefly thinks his girlfriend's nephew's name is Semen), but underlying it is a deep affection for France and its people. Along the way, though, there is plenty of hilarity. An equal-opportunity satirist, Clarke lampoons French arrogance, British pomposity, and the naivete of all Francophiles with equal gusto. Like Mayle, though, he writes not to condemn the French but to celebrate them. Both Merde titles have been number-one best-sellers in the U.K. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596911905
• ISBN-13: 978-1596911901
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same Merde, Different Day, August 15, 2006

By 

Eric A. Seiden "darsys" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Merde for Love (Hardcover)

I recently read A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke. I ended up liking it quite a bit, so I ordered the sequel In The Merde For Love.

The first book had this quote: "There are lots of French people who not at all hypocritical, inefficient, treacherous, intolerant, adulterous or incredibly sexy.... They just didn't make it into my book." That brutally up front statement, is indicative of the sequel's attitude as well. The excitement for the sequel comes with the realization that our English protagonist has almost become, Mon Dieu, French! Alors!

And that isn't a bad thing because that's what makes it such an enjoyable read instead of a pedantic rehash of the first book. You will have to read the original or this book will be of no value to you. I will be honest, the parts that take place in England are a bit tiresome. Overall, it kept me occupied whilst the workmen spent the day repairing more hurricane damage -- it was sort of ironic because I related to the workmen he had to deal with in this tome.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel, March 8, 2007

By 

Ralf G. Augenstein (GA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Merde for Love (Hardcover)

to A YEAR IN THE MERDE: witty, and often outrageously funny, yet describing quite realistically life on another planet. I certainly enjoyed this book from start to end and I am waiting impatiently for more from this author.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the Cynics Out There, December 4, 2006

By 

Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Merde for Love (Hardcover)

For those that think "Under the Tuscan Sun" or "A Good Year" being too sugar-coated or too good to be true, this sequel novel is for the cynics out there who sees France as it is. The book is contagious to read. It's funny and the author's observations about the mannerisms of the French is as good as it gets. For those that have been to France, this book would most certainly bring back fond and not-so-fond memories. The story is simple enough regarding the writer's alter-ego who's to open his English tea house in the hub of Paris. He's constantly fighting with the Polish builders who have laissez faire approach towards time management, architect who doesn't want to stick to his contract & who happened to be sleeping with his girlfriend, the politician who's looking for a favour in having his son working at his tea house or else. At the same time, he also has to thwart or perhaps not advance by a married female journalist who's looking for a fling, a movie crew who simply wants to have a great time after breakup with her boyfriend. Amid all this commotion, Paul realises that after all this time, he's still very much in love with Alexa, his true love who happens to be going out with a wealthy Ukrainian whose father has just bought a soccer club in England. Paul needs to pull all the stops to win his love back. Is he going to make it? That's for you to find out! I can't wait for the finale of the trilogy if there's such a thing. Highly recommended!