Customer Reviews

My French Whore

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gene Wilder is a man of many talents. Yes, he is a brilliant comic actor (the best this country has ever produced, if you ask me). He also is a gifted watercolor artist, director, and writer. "My French Whore," his first novella, is a charming World War I tale about an American soldier who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances as he fools the Germans into thinking he is a famous spy.

This is an idea Wilder had for a screenplay back in the late 1960s, but he abandoned the project. As a first novella, "My French Whore" is suitably entertaining and well-written with an ending that is subtle, moving, and restrained. The book reads like a very good short story, with the central character having a lot of the characteristics we have come to know in the roles Gene Wilder plays - indeed, I kept picturing Paul Peachy as a young Wilder.

I think it a crime that Gene Wilder has basically retired from acting. He is just too talented not to be appearing in films anymore. But he enjoys his quiet life writing these days and is already set to publish his second work of fiction entitled "The Woman Who Wouldn't." "My French Whore" is not a great book by any means, but it is a witty, breezy read and good enough to make one look forward to Wilder's next book.

Leaving his uninterested wife, Paul Peachy joins the armed services and is soon deployed to France during World War I. When his camp is decimated by the Germans, he finds himself at the wrong end of a number of rifles, but some quick thinking and a fluency in the German language serve to buy him some time.

He assumes the identity of an infamous German spy, Harry Stroller, and is not only accepted into the German camp, but is eagerly welcomed. Indeed, his `host' even introduces him to a lovely young French whore named Annie, who captures the unlikely hero's heart.

But how long can Peachy maintain his subterfuge? Surely it is just a matter of time before someone who knows the real Harry Stroller shows up...

I am going to come right out and say it - neither the story nor the title of this book much interested me, but when I saw it was written by Gene Wilder, my curiosity got the best of me and I simply had to buy MY FRENCH WHORE. Once I began reading the story, I soon forgot who the author was, finding myself completely immersed in the story Mr. Wilder spins with apparent ease, as if he is relating the facts of something that actually occurred rather than delivering a vignette borne of his own imagination.

Gene Wilder shows a decided talent for stringing words together in such a way that the story plays in the readers' minds like a movie or even a memory.

I stated previously that neither the story nor the title caught my attention, but I avow the story more than satisfied this reviewer. An unusual piece, MY FRENCH WHORE is a kind of `day-in-the-life' story that encompasses several days in the life of Paul Peachy and the adventures he lived in France during World War I, all the while finding in the most unexpected of places the woman who would forever hold his heart.

The ending is surprising, and I won't tell so much as to give it away. Suffice it to say that Paul Peachy is an undeniably noble man, and MY FRENCH WHORE offers an ending befitting his character.

**4.5 Bookmarks, courtesy of Wild on Books Reviews**

As a fan of short fiction, I was initially drawn to this book by the charming cover art. That it was written by Gene Wilder was of added appeal. I had several other books going, so this one sat stashed away patiently waiting its turn. I read My French Whore in one sitting and felt an elevation and expansion in my mood immediately. The word delightful kept surfacing in my mind and heart. Now, a book about WWI, trenches, disease, death, prostitution doesn't usually signify delight. But Wilder's pristine gem of a book is also about love, loyalty, grace and clarity. Marvelous--best book I've read in a long time, and I've read many.

Wilder did his best, and you can see his desire to please on every page. I so very much wanted to be pleasantly surprised by this book but ultimately it was just not well written. I'm not sure how long he's been working on crafting these sorts of novellas, but it was very amateurish. It's an okay story and it certainly moves at a good clip, but I don't think it conveys nearly so much as he hoped it would.

While visiting my folks one weekend, I finished the book I was reading at the time, so my dad suggested this one. I stayed up late reading it and finished it in only a few hours. I'm a pretty slow reader, by the way.

The Review:

First of all, the title is brilliant.

This story is of a forced case of mistaken identity that you hope will never be resolved because it will mean the end of this pretty little love story.

I couldn't help but picture Gene Wilder in the role of the story's amusing protagonist and a young Audrey Hepburn as the French whore.

It was a few months ago that I read the book, so I won't try to recall anything specific.

Don't expect some great literary work here. Gene Wilder is not that kind. This is just an entertaining, but still worthwhile book.

I truly did enjoy this book. The length is fine with me, and the "fact" rather than the "explanation" of why the main character felt so strongly about his two comrades in arms who were killed, is a silly complaint that someone made. Giving us history about them would take the book off its track.

My one complaint is this: In the front cover matter on the book, it says, "But when...Annie, a young, beautiful and wary courtesan, turns out to be more than she seems, Peachy's life is changed forever." And so for the entire book, I kept waiting for her to turn out to be something other than she seems. Really, all that happens is he gets to know the real Annie, beneath the "whore." But on account of that text, I was under the impression that she, too, would turn out to be some kind of spy. When she didn't, I felt betrayed by the book's own description.

I could say more, but it would give too much away.

Other than that, I thought it was fairly clever, and did a good enough job of sticking to the time period. Not a great book, and for that reason I give it 4 stars. If you are an adult looking for a short book to read, I can heartily reccommend this one. Not suitable for anyone too young to deal with the issues of rape, death, war, etc.

It would probably make a nice "Lifetime" channel, made for TV movie.
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I found this book delightful. I had a hard time putting it down. The characters were described brilliantly. I happen to be a big fan of Gene Wilder, and I could often visualize what he would sound like if he was the main character. The story made me smile in parts. I thought Mr. Wilder was very clever the way he wrote with compassion about the atrocities that happened to some of the soldiers. He made the main character show concern for his fellow soldiers and for his enemy. I look forward to Mr. Wilder's next book.

What a great read. I picked this up based on a mention someone made on the internet. I was not disappointed. This book was both a great story and an interesting piece of history. Thank you, Mr. Wilder, for brightening my afternoon.

Paul Peachy, naïve coward, becomes a hero, and a prostitute inspires him. This is the premise of this tiny book. Paul Peachy, a train conductor, sometimes actor, walks out on his dull life and dull wife to take on a real-life acting role. He enlists in the army, but, being the coward he is, deserts when his buddies are shot. Unusual events lead him to pose as a famous spy, one he'd gotten to know before deserting. Exposed to a life he has never before seen or known existed, he is treated to the good life, befitting the famous spy. He is offered a "whore", Annie, to keep him company. After several chaste meetings, he finally breaks down her reserve and gets to know the true Annie. Through their love, she helps him to find the strength of character in order to become a hero.

The characters are simple, but likeable, the minimal plot is somewhat overly simplified, but what can one expect for only 192 pages. Although I mush preferred THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T, this was a fun little book.

My French Whore is a fantastic short comedy/romance novel set during World War I. If this had been written by someone else, I probably wouldn't have liked it nearly as much, but I couldn't help but imagine a younger Wilder playing the role of his protagonist Private Peachy in a Mel Brooks film. Every word on paper is read as if Wilder's voice is narrating it. It is very short, and for most of you could probably be read in 1-2 hours. I'd be shocked if this book isn't adapted for the screen.