Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes

This is a terrific book. It is a memoir of the Author's move to Paris as she meets and gets to know her new boyfriend and as their relationship develops and he becomes her husband. But it is much more than this, it evokes the author's past, family (both real and chosen), in-laws and the reasons why they all have arrived where they are today. It is gentle, but also raw, passionate and angry at times. The descriptions of living within, and yet on the fringes of a different culture are so well expressed and resonate deeply for me. Small things become both joys (the perfect croissant) and frustration (bureaucracy). The need to connect and engage within a culture where you are without the rules is difficult to experience and more difficult to express fluently and coherently. The book is honest about her lonely times, and her struggles to adapt, but is leavened by the small and great triumphs she enjoys... lunch in a cafe, reading her first french book with fluency... I have been absorbed, transported, emphasised with the author and resented having to put it down to carry on with my normal life. Thank you for this glimpse into your life Elizabeth! I can't wait to get home to try the recipes, many of which are written with an emotional context. I think french onion soup will be first. Can we have a recipe for the chicken broth too please? It has also changed my eating habits. I was very struck by the different attitude to food that the french have, and have consciously changed my habits as a result. I feel better, and am losing weight!

I have secret fantasies of living in France, of shopping for food at the local market, heading over to the butcher and then whipping it all together in my quirky ancient apartment. But reality keeps me lodged firmly in my desert home, so I devour stories about other people living my fantasy with relish. Lunch in Paris is the perfect escape. Lunch in Paris is the story of a New York gal falling in love and leaping across an ocean to live with the object of her affection. The story weaves back and forth between France, New York and the UK, between passion, food and fashion. Beautifully written and a pleasure to read, Bard manages to be both frothy and light, intelligent and observant. She isn't blinded by love (for France or her lover) and expertly slashes at bureaucracy and frivolity with equal humor. My single complaint - and one that doesn't warrant a lower star ratings - was the recipes at the end of each chapter. I hate novels with recipes peppered in (except anything written by M.F.K. Fisher - the woman could do no wrong). I can never find a recipe when I am looking for it, it is difficult to reference a novel while cooking and it is so often unnecessary. This book is no exception. The recipes are delicious and easy to make, but they are totally unnecessary and often don't even relate all that well to the preceding chapter. Ah well, I'll just consider them to be an added bonus to a book well worth having all on its own.

I can not say enough wonderful things about this book. I confess that I am a sucker for all things French, and any book that tells me about Paris, food and the French is a book I will treasure. I didn't read the chapters in order, necessarily, and that is what I really loved about it. Although there is a chronological time line, you can read it out of order and enjoy it just as much as if you had done it the way most people do. The chapters really stand on their own, and the writing was delightful. It was tender, sassy, and kind, but honest. Ms. Bard clearly loves France, but she doesn't hold back from offering critiques either. I like her honesty, and I like that it was tempered with affection and humor. These are the stories that a friend would tell you, and make you laugh and think about, long after the covers are closed, and the book is sitting on a shelf. This is not a book that will, or should, sit on a shelf. It is part philosopher, part lover, part friend, and part chef. I loved the fact that the recipes are generally simple and good, and things that the French themselves eat, and are not show off or Haute Cuisine. Ms. Bard fell in love with a guy and with France, and she got both. Hats off to her. She made me feel like part of the family with her stories; this book is infectious and really invades your consciousness, and makes you want to read it. I would definitely give her high marks for voice, style and content. The only disappointment with my copy of the book, was the binding. The first time I opened it, one of the pages nearly fell out. I felt that the publisher let us down by putting up with such shoddy workmanship. I love this book enough to buy copies for my daughter and daughter-in-law, but I will warn them to handle it with care! It does detract from the joy of reading when you have to handle a book as gingerly as if you were holding a baby. It's a real shame that the book wasn't put together better, because it is one that you will want to read and savor more than once.

I was a little hesitant to order this book at first, thinking that it might be more of a romance novel than a story about France, Paris and French cuisine. I needn't have worried, this book was exactly what I hoped it would be and more. Elizabeth Bard has a wonderful style of writing that makes you feel like you're right there, experiencing Paris and French culture right along with her. I'm a confirmed francophile and have always wondered what it would be like to just pick up and move to France instead of just visiting the country on vacation. Bard not only tells about the charming parts of Paris, but also the realities of living in a city where many of the buildings are hundreds of years old and updated to various degrees, not all of which make for the most cushy existence on a day to day basis. The recipes were delightful to read and reminded me of Julia Child's cookbooks. They weren't just recipes, but commentary as well. I liked the way she added them at the end of most chapters. The recipes corresponded to the dishes she mentioned in the chapters, covering several different types of occasions. It wasn't easy reading some of them on an empty stomach! The love story part was charming, but didn't take over the whole book. I thought it was a realistic view of what it might be like to move to a different country, having to become fluent in a language in order to exist on a daily basis and going through other life experiences in a culture other than the one you grew up with. I think it would be an enjoyable book for anyone who daydreams about living in France and what it would really be like.