Customer Reviews

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I absolutely adore David Lebovitz. I took a couple cooking classes from him several years ago and am a fan for life. His recipes are the absolute best plus he is smart and hilarious. So I had to have his book which shares incidents from his life since his move to Paris. It's a quick fun read that will ring true to anyone who's spent time there. David spares no one, from the French men in their religion revealing bathing suits to the American tourists in their fanny packs and plastic flip flops. David shares incidents which will have you laughing and glad you live in the U.S. yet earning for the unique charm and culinary delights of Paris. The book is filled with Parisian shopkeepers who would rather smoke outside or text their friends than sell you cheese that you are unworthy of; the mindless buracuracy needed to return an item that broke with its first use; and the endless strikes that usually start right outside his apartment. While David can be acerbic and slightly misanthropic, he's always endearing. Of course, the recipes look amazing and I can hardly wait to try them.

I could not wait for this book to arrive in the mail and it exceeded all my expectations. Not only is it hysterically written, it is chock full of recipes I can't wait to try. Written from an American's point of view who adores living in France (making a gutsy, change-of-life, crazy, impulsive decision to pull up stakes in the US and cross the pond in search of adventure) and who also hits the nail on the head about the idiosyncrasies of the French as well as the many unusual cultural differences. Recommended for foodies, especially those who've travelled in Paris or who want to travel there. A+++++ from someone who's been to Paris more than 50 times and who learned a ton of stuff from Daveed. :D

Great book, done in the witty, entertaining, and informative style that is the trademark of DL's popular blog (of which I am a regular reader). If you are looking for great summer reading, look no further. This book really is perfect for the beach, travel, or anywhere, really. I am glad to say that when I met David a few months back at a "meet up" here in NYC, he was as warm and personable as his writing indicates. Hopefully I will one day make it to Paris, and be a *little bit* smarter having read his work. Definitely recommend.

Okay, let's get the subject of the many recipes that appear in "The Sweet Life in Paris" out of the way first. These recipes look great, although I haven't made any of them yet. David Lebovitz is a well-known pastry chef, and when he's talking about food he's on his own turf and his writer's voice is opinionated and sharp. No problem there. His list of chocolatiers and other shops is welcome, too.

It's the non-recipe part of the book I had a problem with. Here, Lebovitz could have really used a good editor, since his short vignettes about life in Paris read like a blog, not a book. What is good for one is not good for the other. Blog entries are short and often read by people new to the web site. It's okay, in other words, to start in the middle (if you're the reader) or repeat yourself (if you're the writer). In a book, however, the recurrence of observations (fanny-pack wearing loud Americans, pushy Parisians, haughty shop personnel, and so on) gets pretty old after a while, particularly since Lebovitz is hardly the first person to write about them. The placement of recipes is also odd; often they are just stuck in at the end of a section, for no particular reason that's evident. Oh for a Laurie Colwin, who built her food essays so beautifully around a particular recipe or two. And David Sedaris, when he writes about his life in France, is a whole lot funnier.

While the recipes may be first rate, there are better books about an American in Paris. There's Julia Child's great "My Life In France," of course, but for something more contemporary there's Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon," which never repeats itself and which opens up aspects of French life that are just plain fascinating. Lebovitz recycles the obvious stuff; Gopnik takes you where you never thought to go in the first place. There are reasons why so many people (including me) love Paris, but "The Sweet Life in Paris" is more likely to make you reach for your whisk and bowls than to make you book a plane ticket.
M. Feldman

I am also a Californian living in Paris, and I know some of the places the author describes. I also understand some of his experiences--it IS difficult to return things--this is not a client-oriented environment--and it IS difficult to get workmen for projects. Monoprix IS much better than Franprix. Inventory control IS appalling everywhere in France, even at Monoprix, and has turned me into a hoarder of light coconut milk, Thai curry paste, tahini, and maple syrup. But ordinarily I find the French exceedingly courteous and helpful. They are far more dependably polite than Americans, and this is one of the pleasures of being among them. And I love French coffee...absolutely love it...Italian espresso is too bitter. So I have points of disagreement with the author. This book is a very easy read, but I think in trying to be funny it gives a very superficial and not very pleasant description of Parisians and Paris.

...however I find that reading this book late at night has been a challenge because I find myself laughing out loud and wanting to wake my boyfriend to passages to him.
Having just recently returned from Paris, we recall many of the same funny experiences and can understand the joy of living in the City of Light along with the many challenges of living abroad. David's book also made me long for the delectable markets all over the city.

A great quick summer read!

I follow the blog that David Lebovitz publishes most days of the week (well, many days of the week any any rate) his updates come to my igoogle home page and are a welcome treat every time. So I knew David's very accessible prose style and his keen interest in food (especially the sweet things of the culinary world) so I was very interested to get my hands on *The Sweet Life In Paris.* The book does not disappoint! Part cookbook, part autobiography and part study of the cultural mores of living in Paris and living with the French - I found I could not put the book down. There are many surprising and odd observations and much wit and humor - and I have great luck with David's recipes too - which are not limited to sweets but feature all courses from breakfast to late-night snack time and all sorts of foods. I must admit I live David's life in Paris vicariously and what a gift that is!

I was looking forward to this book coming out, and it does not disappoint. As a recent American transplant to Paris, I can say that this is an incredibly accurate view of the challenges of life when making such a move. Many of which are quite humorous. I have described to friends over and over again how, in Paris, you need an address to have a bank account, but you need a bank account to have an address, and you need both to get a visa, but you need a visa to get either. David captures this in his chapter "my cle to success" about his challenges in obtaining a bank account. And brilliantly follows this with two recipes for Mousse au Chocolat! Yum! If you ever wanted to learn what it is like to move to France, this is the book. With recipes!

Great read! David Lebovitz tells funny and witty tales of living everyday in Paris. Every city has quirks-the good and bad and David tells us some of them that he's experienced day to day. A good observer of human behavior with fabulous recipes shuffled throughout. You laugh and then you crave chocolate a few minutes later! Makes me want to visit Paris even more to feel the "real" city, not just the storybook, romantic fairytale that we've been brainwashed to believe! Loved it :)

I liked:
-Open this book at any page, start reading, and it makes sense. There isn't much of a linear narrative. Would make for a great airplane read, for example.
-The recipes. I brought the Bacon and Blue Cheese bread to a potluck. Rave reviews. I'll keep the book for the recipes.

I didn't like:
-The superficial observations. Who cares if his fridge is Euro-dinky and that he has to flush his ice cream experiments down the potty because of quirky plumbing. My list of who-cares is a lot longer but who cares.
-A little of the author's personality goes a long way. Read this book in dribs and drabs or prepare for Lebovitz Overload.

What I really didn't like:
-The couple of jabs at 50something women. Can you guess my age and gender?