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A Year in the Merde (Paul West #1)
Based on Stephen Clarke's own experiences and with names changed to "avoid embarrassment, possible legal action, and to prevent the author's legs being broken by someone in a Yves Saint Laurent suit," A Year in the Merde provides perfect entertainment for Francophiles and Francophobes alike.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by Bloomsbury USA
(first published 2004)
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This started off so promisingly with snarky but charming British banter about France's little annoying idiosyncrasies that anyone who has spent any time in France can appreciate. The main character, a British twenty-something, chronicles his year living in France while working for a corrupt corporate sleaze bag who wants help marketing tea rooms in Paris. It turns out that the main character is also a sleaze bag AND a "whinge cow" as he so aptly dubs whiners. By the month of Februar...more
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I couldn't help myself; this book absolutely cracked me up. That may be because the author's descriptions of countless strikes by trash collectors, public transportation workers, police officers, and journalists brought back fond memories of my own stay in France--during which I also stepped in a fair amount of merde. The audiobook was particularly good, with the dramatist's illustraions of the countless miscommunications between francophones and anglophones. The story line is about Paul West...more
This book is highly readable, the kind of thing that one could read from start to finish if one just had a few hours with nothing to do. However, this is the most positive thing I can say about this book. It's supposed be one of those screwball accounts of someone living in a foreign culture and the wacky mishaps he experiences, but mostly it's about a relatively uninteresting Englishman who tries much too hard at being funny, and who simply didn't bother to find out anything at all about how Fr...more
Brian
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
francophiles, francophobes and everything inbetween.
Shelves:
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I picked this up in the train station at Charles de Gaulle airport a few minutes before my flight was cancelled and I was forced to spend another day in Paris, almost a year ago. Tough life, right?
I never read it, though.
Don't know why, but last week I felt an urge to pick it up. Read it in about 26 hours, couldn't put it down.
If you have no knowledge of the French, France, or French it might not be terribly interesting. If, however, you've spent a signific...more
I never read it, though.
Don't know why, but last week I felt an urge to pick it up. Read it in about 26 hours, couldn't put it down.
If you have no knowledge of the French, France, or French it might not be terribly interesting. If, however, you've spent a signific...more
Tori
added it
2005- I picked up this book thinking it was a true story, I put it down still thinking maybe author Stephen Clarke had drawn on his own life a bit. Maybe it was the cover quote which tipped me off, reading ""There are lots of French people who are not at all hypocritical, inefficient, treacherous, in tolerant, adulterous or incredibly sexy....They just didn't make it into my book."" C'mon, that has to make you at least crack a grin. (Except maybe if you're French). The author...more
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Instead of buying a book for my husband, which was the only reason I went to the bookstore(!), I found myself handing this one over to the chipper cashier. You see, the book I intended to buy was out of stock but some evil genius ruthlessly positioned the travel section on my way out of the store. Need I say more?
Actually, I will. I’ve bought this book twice already! The first time was for someone who I was trying to entice into the world of globetrotting. In an effort to show her t...more
Actually, I will. I’ve bought this book twice already! The first time was for someone who I was trying to entice into the world of globetrotting. In an effort to show her t...more
I saw this book around a lot in Paris, but everyone said it was awful, so I didn't read it until just now when someone gave it to me to get rid of. I figured I'd just read a chapter or so to see what it was like first, and the writing is definitely bad. It got less-bad toward the end, almost like he got in the swing and didn't bother to revise the beginning (which read like emails home), but maybe I got used to it.
I enjoyed it anyway. He takes situations that are frustrating and humi...more
I enjoyed it anyway. He takes situations that are frustrating and humi...more
This book is one of the best friends I have met recently. One of those friends you need because only they really understand you.
It is really funny and an very accurate portrait of French goofiness. I don't know how funny it would be to most people, but being an expat living in Paris, it is tear inducing funny. Just when you think you are alone floating in the french sea, something like this comes along and makes you realize you aren't alone. I can't wait to read his other books.
It is really funny and an very accurate portrait of French goofiness. I don't know how funny it would be to most people, but being an expat living in Paris, it is tear inducing funny. Just when you think you are alone floating in the french sea, something like this comes along and makes you realize you aren't alone. I can't wait to read his other books.
Never been to France? Never plan to go?
If you want a truly insulting, xenophobic experience of "French Culture" then read this book. Otherwise, you could run into the middle of the Champs Elysées and scream in your most loud, incomprehensible, slang English, "I THINK THIS COUNTRY SUCKS BUT I'D PREFER TO BE HERE INSULTING THE MOST STEREOTYPICAL CLICHES AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS RATHER THAN BACK AT HOME WHERE EVERYTHING IS ORDINARY AND BORING."
If you like it better...more
If you want a truly insulting, xenophobic experience of "French Culture" then read this book. Otherwise, you could run into the middle of the Champs Elysées and scream in your most loud, incomprehensible, slang English, "I THINK THIS COUNTRY SUCKS BUT I'D PREFER TO BE HERE INSULTING THE MOST STEREOTYPICAL CLICHES AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS RATHER THAN BACK AT HOME WHERE EVERYTHING IS ORDINARY AND BORING."
If you like it better...more
I finally read the book (after seeing it in Waterstones for years and years).
I liked the humor and the characters (on a way that on the same time I didn't like the same characters). A nice refreshing read between my usual detectives and thrillers.
Some of the things in the book happened very clearly in 2003, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable.
If you like this book, or Bill Bryson, try any Ross O'Carroll-Kelly book you'll run to.
Those are funny - and a perfect definit...more
I liked the humor and the characters (on a way that on the same time I didn't like the same characters). A nice refreshing read between my usual detectives and thrillers.
Some of the things in the book happened very clearly in 2003, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable.
If you like this book, or Bill Bryson, try any Ross O'Carroll-Kelly book you'll run to.
Those are funny - and a perfect definit...more
Novel. If there is a genre called “chick lit,” then this one would probably be called “guy lit.” Main character is 30-something Brit Paul West who is head-hunted by a French businessman to help him start a chain of English tea shoppes in France. Once there, he faces the (as perceived by English and Americans) usual bureaucratic nonsense, the Gallic non-work ethnic of his colleagues, the comparatively overt sexuality of French women, and various other cultural foibles and misunderstandings (oh...more
As a French teacher, I adore anything French. While attending a university in central California, I was always asked, "Why are you a French major? Shouldn't you take Spanish?" Nothing against Spanish, but I was intrigued with French from the very beginning, mainly because it was uncommon and many people thought it was too hard to learn. Quite the opposite for me.
In this book, we follow Paul West, a young Brit businessman who is sent to Paris to open up some English tear...more
In this book, we follow Paul West, a young Brit businessman who is sent to Paris to open up some English tear...more
I had been wanting to read this book for a good number of years. Firstly, due to a recommendation from a friend as just being a really funny book. And then when I visited Paris myself and my interest in the city grew. But then more recently when french friends (non-Parisians) started telling me that really, Paris isn't the romantic, classy city I make it out to be.
I'm glad I waited so long to read this book actually, because I feel like I have appreciated it a lot more than I would h...more
I'm glad I waited so long to read this book actually, because I feel like I have appreciated it a lot more than I would h...more
A funny light read about a fictional British guy's life for a year in Paris after he is hired by this company to start up a series of tea shops. Along the way he has to contend with the idiosyncracies of actually working in the City of Lights, along with trying to fit into its social norms of sex and relationships. Its a light hearted quick read with many amusing anecdotes and doesn't succomb to the tendency of similar books where the author develops a sense of superiority over the culture in ...more
I started listening to this book sometime in November 2008 and didn't resume until a couple weeks ago when I didn't have another audio book to occupy me while working out. I remember thinking the first half was pretty funny, but didn't find the second half as amusing. If Stephen Clarke was telling you his tales of living and working in France, you would definitely say, "Haha--You should write a book!" He has some interesting and often amusing encounters, and a witty way of telling abou...more
Books about cultural shock are always very amusing no matter, which nation encounters which. The point is in total misunderstanding each other and national pride, which can be very ridiculous. I wonder why English and French are often picked as the target of such novels. However Brit who went on supposed project to Paris and met the reality of French firm and greedy soon to be polititian who taught him important lesson about life in general. Book and plot is filled with twist that are like from ...more
[From previous "review" on bookcrossing.com] Journal entry 1 by thaigurl from Hacienda Heights, California USA on Tuesday, February 10, 2009
This is a very hilarious book about a British man who moves to work in Paris. This book was recommended to me by a friend who lived in Paris for a study abroad program.
To somewhat add to my not-so-detailed review above, I found the narrator's transition from foreigner to becoming accustomed to the ways of the French really funny...more
This is a very hilarious book about a British man who moves to work in Paris. This book was recommended to me by a friend who lived in Paris for a study abroad program.
To somewhat add to my not-so-detailed review above, I found the narrator's transition from foreigner to becoming accustomed to the ways of the French really funny...more
It's definitely a fun and sometimes even charming light read - I was occasionally mildly offended by the often rather crass outlook/voice of the main character...I won't say anti-French, but perhaps somewhat prejudiced and short-sighted at times. I'm also sure this was 100% intended, and the other side of that is that I'm more than a bit of a Francophile, so it wouldn't take much for me to call out someone who is anything less! :) But another issue is the sexism...more than a little bit offensiv...more
Easy read. Good observations about the French, including their tendency to strike at any moment, the laissez-faire attitude, and their perceptions of outsiders. The sexual conquests threw me-- is the guy a frat boy? Does he think he's James Bond? Or is he just insecure? YES YOU GOT LAID. Congratulations. Ditto for outsmarting the boss-man. It kind of reads like someone's very revised version of how the trip went, when in fact the true story is he went to France, failed at his job, was fired, a...more
I wavered between giving this 2 or 3 stars and I might come back to change it. The only reason I went with 3 is that I realized how harsh I often am on travel memoirs which suggests that it's a genre I ought to give up entirely.
The first half of this book is hilarious. Loved it. If it had stopped at the end of December, I'd have no problem rating it 3 or 4. But the narrator is just such a whiney asshole that after a while it stops being funny and becomes grating.
However...more
The first half of this book is hilarious. Loved it. If it had stopped at the end of December, I'd have no problem rating it 3 or 4. But the narrator is just such a whiney asshole that after a while it stops being funny and becomes grating.
However...more
Moderately amusing, although quite crass. Humorous commentaries on the French that are applicable to other Europeans as well. Why do we have such a love/hate relationship with everything French?
The language teacher who recommended this book promised me that I would guffaw, and I certainly did. Anyone who has spent time in France will recognize many of the French traits and situations Clarke describes in his character’s year of culture shock. Paul West is a 20ish Brit who moves to Paris to help launch a chain of tea rooms. The first few chapters really cracked me up; I think Clarke’s gift for comedy particularly comes through in the phonetic dialogue of the French trying to speak Eng...more
so i read this book by accident == i had read all of my books and my sister had this book, a collection of short stories (i kinda hate short stories cuz they are not long enough) and a classic lit book i didnt feel like re-reading. so merde it was.
i LOL'd during the first 50 pages a few times, esp when he was making fun of his co-workers accents. that was fun. and i enjoyed remembering what it was like living in france. its a fun book, but remember that a lot of jokes are often based...more
i LOL'd during the first 50 pages a few times, esp when he was making fun of his co-workers accents. that was fun. and i enjoyed remembering what it was like living in france. its a fun book, but remember that a lot of jokes are often based...more
For anyone who has ever been to France or dreamed of one day living in the City of Love this book is a must read. The story of an Englishman and his experiences across the pond is hilarious, raunchy and an apt caricature of French culture. Seen through the eyes of a Briton, the French way of life and all its nuisances are examined from the infamous French greetings (pucker up) to the national pastime of striking. This book made me yearn to be back in Paris gorging myself on pastries and bread...more
Perfect companion to any trip to France. Stephen Clarke masterfully describes typical anglophone experiences and misadventures in Paris. Reading this book you will find a lot of material that you can relate to whether as a tourist just visiting or better yet as a resident ex-pat. Though the author does exaggerate for the story's sake on a few points though the core of the book, the main character Paul, stirs true as a likable guy with honest misadventures. Definitely the best book of Clarke's se...more
A funny take on a young Englishman's year in France. The main character tries to date various locals and works for a slimy boss. It's fairly astute and entertaining.
Malgré un humour corrosif et un vrai bon personnage, A Year in the Merde m'a déçu. Je m'attendais à un récit centrée sur les différences culturelles entre la France et la Grande-Bretagne, or il s'agit plus des relations cahotiques entre le personnage principal, Paul, et son patron Jean-Marie.
Peut-être que tout cela est effectivement intéressant pour les britanniques, mais en tant que française, je n'ai pas grand-chose à apprendre sur les rapports entre employés et patrons d'une entreprise,...more
Peut-être que tout cela est effectivement intéressant pour les britanniques, mais en tant que française, je n'ai pas grand-chose à apprendre sur les rapports entre employés et patrons d'une entreprise,...more
If you like British humour and have ever been to, or intend to go to Paris or France, or to communicate with French people, or just simply laugh your ass off, check out this book, you will not regret it!
You need a little sense of humour to appreciate the story, but I can't imagine anyone being appalled by it. Sure, quite a lot of clichés about the Frenchies turn out to be true, but now I've spent a couple of months here in Paris, I've literally lived some of the situations Paul West ...more
You need a little sense of humour to appreciate the story, but I can't imagine anyone being appalled by it. Sure, quite a lot of clichés about the Frenchies turn out to be true, but now I've spent a couple of months here in Paris, I've literally lived some of the situations Paul West ...more
Hilarious but also really intelligently put together. If you're looking for an idealized, dream version of an expats year in France, this ain't it. But if you have even a slight knowledge of Parisian life and culture, this book is wonderful. Some reviewers said they found it too mean and insulting, but I dont think the author hates the French. In fact, in the end his character remains in Paris. this is really a book about learning to navigate a very complex, highly developed, very subtle and ver...more
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“If they wanted their shit stirred, then stirred their shit was jolly well going to be.”
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48 people liked it
“I was also sick of my neighbors, as most Parisians are. I now knew every second of the morning routine of the family upstairs. At 7:00 am alarm goes off, boom, Madame gets out of bed, puts on her deep-sea divers’ boots, and stomps across my ceiling to megaphone the kids awake. The kids drop bags of cannonballs onto the floor, then, apparently dragging several sledgehammers each, stampede into the kitchen. They grab their chunks of baguette and go and sit in front of the TV, which is always showing a cartoon about people who do nothing but scream at each other and explode. Every minute, one of the kids cartwheels (while bouncing cannonballs) back into the kitchen for seconds, then returns (bringing with it a family of excitable kangaroos) to the TV. Meanwhile the toilet is flushed, on average, fifty times per drop of urine expelled. Finally, there is a ten-minute period of intensive yelling, and at 8:15 on the dot they all howl and crash their way out of the apartment to school.” (p.137)”
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