Customer Reviews

A Year in the Merde

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

As someone who lived for a year in France as an exchange student this book brought back memories of how it was to discover France and french culture.
Paul West, a young englishman, comes to Paris to work there for a year, establishing english tea-houses for a french business. During this year he explores french culture and describes his experience one month at a time.
And what a read. The author is extremely witty without taking it too far and manages to point out some striking differences between english culture and the french one without sounding condescending.
The french people loath America and american culture and England and all things english are only a notch less despised. In spite of that they have embraced some things american and/or english such as McDonalds with a fierce passion that would put the average American to shame. Taking the family for a Macdo on a Saturday is a ritual for many and the Happy Meal is loved like it belongs to french cuisine.

Of course, this book doesn't give you a complete understanding of french society but it does provide a pretty good insight. It mentions the importance of the shrug, for example. The shrug is heavily used in France, in fact I don't think anyone has mastered conveying such strong emotion (total indifference) like they have. The book also tells us, for instance, about the importance of using the right language when ordering something at a french restaurant/bistro (of course, speaking in english is strictly forbidden) to get exactly what you want, how you must throw away notions of being liked and embrace being rude in a polite way, how wishing somenoe Bonne journee (Good day) can drive people mad and how you never ever cut the lettuce on your plate.

Whether you are going to dwell in France for a shorter or longer time, are interested in France or are just looking for an amusing yet interesting read this is a good book to pick up.
The text flows easily, the anecdotes are totally believable and there is something to make you smile or even laugh out loud on every page.

Highly recommended, I couldn't put it down.

I'm French and I read this book because an American friend lent it to me. I spent a lot of time in the US where I studied and worked and it took me a lot of time to understand why I felt so lost in this country just like most Americans feel upon moving to France. I just felt Americans were so welcoming but at the same time seemed so rude to me. Obviously I was the one who should try to understand and adapt and after a while and some introspection things went very well.

I was first intrigued by this story but I enjoyed reading it. However, you should know this book isn't to be taken too seriously. It made me laugh because I could recognize typical French reactions to what we see as rude and arrogant British behavior. But everyone wouldn't act like that although at times I would have done the same because the character deserved it for being such an ass. He unconsciously realizes he is not going anywhere acting like that and gradually adapts to the French way of life. For sure, French are never going to change because foreigner don't understand them, which is quite normal after all, even if they should sometimes. In fact what is striking about the relationship between French and Brits or Americans is how much everything looks the same on the surface but is different underneath, in the details. Obviously one has to concede the character isn't trying his best to adapt to the codes and, unfortunately, gets what you would expect a (stereotypical) Frenchman would do to a foreigner acting that way: a revenge for not trying to act French in the form of rudeness and aggressivity. So if that book seems to illustrate your feeling about your last trip to France try to read a few tips on how to get the best of French people. Here are mine: be polite, not intrusive, and say it when something is wrong... French people also hate it when a waiter or store clerk is rude, they just go to another café or store or if they can't, they put up with it with a "C'est la vie" (It is life). French people will suffer the same hardships, they are just brought up to suffer them philosophically. There are some things that can be shocking to Americans. It is indeed OK to talk about sex, but slippery to talk about money. Well, that's just the way we are, it doesn't mean you HAVE TO talk about sex. French people will correct your pronounciation, but don't be mad at them, they just want to help you become more French. If they make you mad they'd probably make another Frenchman even more mad. French people can be really generous and welcoming provided they don't see you as the "Ugly American" or Briton and it doesn't take a lot: don't talk overly loud and when they offer wine don't ask for a coke. Everybody drinks coke in France, just not with their cheese. In a word, do not refuse to taste their culture. That's supposedly the reason of your trip. Although not everything is correct or accurate in this book, most is BUT you shouldn't take everything too literally. Most of the characters or the situations have been exaggerated a bit so as to make it more funny.

Enjoy it, it's a fun book and will definitely show you how bad it can get, but don't form an opinion about France based only on this book. It doesn't have to be that bad.

Here's a fun frolic not just for Francophiles but for all armchair travelers who like their globetrotting mixed with whimsy. Stephen Clarke presents the fictional experiences of an ex pat living in France with large servings of humor, contagious enthusiasm, and a sharp eye for laugh provoking detail.

Paul West is an almost thirty something Britisher who is in Paris to open a string of very English tearooms. He has ignored the advice of his pal, Chris, who told him in no uncertain terms not to go to Paris. Chris said the French had a great lifestyle, terrific food, totally uninhibited women, but, and this is the biggie - they were impossible to get along with.

"It's permanent payback time," Chris warns, reminding Paul that the French don't like the British one bit. Nonetheless, Paul is in the Eiffel Tower city where he runs into any number of obstacles, whether it be recalcitrant employees or a tyrannic boss. On the plus side he also enjoys a bevy of willing beauties.

All of this is related with colorful asides as listeners learn how to fend for themselves in Paris, and laugh at Paul's mishaps.

Voice performer Gerard Doyle's voice is spot on Paul - he's a bit husky with a tint of Upper Class British accent. It's a pleasant slightly sophisticated reading with no overplaying of the almost non-stop comedy.

Listen, laugh, and enjoy.

- Gail Cooke

or read a few pages before buying a book? Folks, be forewarned (which you should have been already) - this book is NOT from the Under The Tuscan Sun/Year in Provence school, although it does have to do with France. It's for folks who like Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. It's young, broad, British, bawdy, lovingly mean-spirited, frequently hilarious. The main character is obsessed with drinking and sex - almost like a male ex-pat Le Sex in Le City. If you are of a certain age, PLEASE do everyone a favor and sample this book beforehand. Many of you will recoil in horror, which is obviously the intention. If you "get it," you'll love this skewering of the French, and indirectly the British as well.

My wife and I, both of whom are French nationals living in Canada, were laughing out loud throughout the book.

It does a great job making fun of innumerable French foibles (a good deal of which consist of thinking that Civilization, decency, and common sense end at the French borders). Paul West, the main character _is_ a bit sophomoric and somewhat obsessed with girls (not all Parisiennes are nymphos but I will forgive him that overgeneralization). And, yes, the story isn't, quite, War and Peace, but it is good enough for its purpose, which is to carry the jokes and criticisms. Besides their funny side, some of the criticisms concern things that are really serious problems in France (strikes, racism, public sector entitlements, lack of new politicians), even if they are presented lightly.

That said, I think the humor will best be appreciated by someone who has lived in France for a while. Just having been there on a short vacation does not count. If you can't relate to day to day life in France, the book loses much of its appeal, is just critical, and you are left with a rather lightweight story.

Also skip if:

- you happen to be French and deprived of a sense of humor

- you are looking for any kind of serious analysis.

- you are an Ann Coulter fan. Much too subtle for you and Paul actually likes some aspect of France.

Before jumping on a plane recently, I picked up A Year in the Merde. As a current expatriate in a French-speaking country, I thought this book might be particularly relevant and funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the first few chapters (broken out by months in the book), but it began to lose my interest less than halfway in. The sharp wit and humor of the first 100 pages seemed to be less frequent and less funny in the remainder. Still somewhat funny, but a bit redundant. It is a light and basically enjoyable read - and not bad by any means - but keep your expectations low and you will not be disappointed.

Sadly, this is a book that falls victim to misleading advertising. The title and book description would lead one to assume this to be a travel memoir about our hero's experiences trying to get a chain of British tea rooms off the ground in France.
If you buy, or as I (fortunately) did, borrow the book from your library it won't take you long to come to the conclusion that in an attempt to make the book saleable and "real" the thing is written less as a travel memoir and more as a sexual misadventure. For, in truth the main recurring theme of this book is the narrator's failed attempts to bed women...any women...women he barely knows and for whom he doesn't care.

Now that's fine and I'm sure the hero of A Year In The Merde is not the first, nor will he be the last fella to go to France with getting laid as his main goal in life.

This goal is, however, not universally endearing, and is in fact quite off putting for a large number of the reading public...like the female reading public---quite a lot of those out there actually.

His constant attempts to prey upon people for sex are not endearing, not charming, and worst of all...not entertaining.
Last time I looked guys in their teens and early twenties weren't the major audience stampeding to buy stories about life for expats living in France.
Yes, there are insights into the French, but they are incidental and largely overshadowed by nearly continuous comments about women and their undergarments, lack of undergarments, attractiveness, and willingness to bed the narrator.
Casting a humorous light on the French people or the French culture is secondary.
Since my interest in France is NOT primarily focused on scoring with chicks...I was disappointed. Depending upon your interest, your mileage may vary.

"A Year in Merde" is a kind of response to romanticized views of France such as "A Year in Provence." While it's presented as a memoir it is a work of fiction.

Our hero, Paul West, is an Englishman who is hired by a French company, allegedly to bring ideas about English tearooms to the French marketplace. The book focuses on both office politics in the company he works for and on West's romantic life in France.

The people around him are an interesting cast of characters. Both the people and various events clearly reflect some of Clarke's own experiences in France, exaggerated and otherwise fictionalized of course. Some reflect English stereotypes of the French, and some events and people are more unpredictable

The book is really, really funny. It's fairly risque in places, so if you have a problem with that you have been warned. Clarke clearly has a very active fantasy life, and some of that has showed up in the book. Judging by his alter ego, he also has quite an ego himself and can be a bit insufferable.

For a more serious treatment of how the French are different, try "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French," by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow. Better still, read them both.

This book was enthusiastically recommended by a Parisian friend of mine. (Believe it or not, the French *can* laugh at themselves!) I picked it up to read on a recent long airplane trip based on Antoine's good review.

I am going to condemn the book with faint praise by saying that it was entertaining enough. It kept the pages turning, and I chuckled out loud several times-- particularly in the first few chapters of the book. Clarke is a smooth writer, if sometimes a little too slick.

Strong things about the book: The eye for French foibles is very good-- particularly the points relating to food, corruption, and French country houses. You can also derive some genuinely useful pointers about how to order in Paris bars from reading the advice that the main character receives.

Weak things about the book: The plot, particularly in the second half of the book. Jean-Marie is too much-- even if he is based on real life. The humor in the little details is much less funny because the large strokes of the plot are too slapstick for them to contrast well. The women are also annoying. I would expect that French women as exotic sexual other has been done to death as a plot point-- but being neither male nor British perhaps I am just the wrong audience for the sexcapades?

All told, not a bad book for an airplane ride or as a preparation for a stay in Paris. I might, though, look for it second-hand.

This book was hilarious, moved along at a brisk clip and was dead-on accurate about the French and about Americans living in Paris. I could barely put it down. It may be fiction but it definitely had the ring of truth! There was a little too much frat boy-style focus on trying to get laid, but it didn't bother me that much. If you liked "Le Divorce," "A Year in Provence" and David Sedaris's Paris essays in "Me Talk Pretty One Day," you'll love this. I hope to read more from Mr. Clarke.