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2nd out of 13 books
—
15 voters
Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down
A self-described Francophile from when he was little, Rosecrans Baldwin always dreamed of living in Paris—drinking le café, eating les croissants, walking in les jardins—so whenan opportunity presented itself to workfor an advertising agency in Paris, he couldn’t turn it down. Despite the fact that he had no experience in advertising. And despite the fact that he barely sp...more
Hardcover, 286 pages
Published
April 24th 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Paris, I Love You was good for a chuckle now and again but most of the time, I found myself scratching my head...for many reasons. The most off-putting thing about it was the flow. When my son was two years old, I observed him, fascinated and puzzled, running back and forth across the room--zipping this way and that, bouncing off the walls into other directions. (I grew up with sisters--the inability of most boys to sit still, even for a moment, still confounds me.) Just for fun, I even drew a r...more
From my Cannonball Read V review ...
I want to live abroad someday. I’ve done it before, spending a year in London in 2009-2010. It was interesting, although I had a different perspective than Mr. Baldwin when he wrote Paris, I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down. I was in school, wasn’t worried about my visa, and had housing booked before I arrived.
Mr. Baldwin, on the other hand, had to navigate a lot of the new world of being an ex-pat on his own, with minimal assistance from his entertaining...more
I want to live abroad someday. I’ve done it before, spending a year in London in 2009-2010. It was interesting, although I had a different perspective than Mr. Baldwin when he wrote Paris, I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down. I was in school, wasn’t worried about my visa, and had housing booked before I arrived.
Mr. Baldwin, on the other hand, had to navigate a lot of the new world of being an ex-pat on his own, with minimal assistance from his entertaining...more
Rosecrans gets a job through a friend at an advertising agency in Paris. He brings us through the trials and tribulations they face in getting a start in Paris. The job is interesting, and he ends up with some odd jobs like finding hookers in London to photograph as part of a film or dealing with various stars and their eccentricities. He does name-drop a bit here, and I'm glad he doesn't spend too much time on these bloated egos and the faces that go along with them.
The story was really easy...more
The story was really easy...more
Recently visited our local branch of the Boston Public Library system - first time in many years - and came across this book. It was an interesting read for me as I am both very fond of Paris, having visited this greatest of cities many times for both business and pleasure, and also given that I was once an expatriate (French speaking side of Switzerland), myself.
Baldwin gives a great perspective on the day-to-day life of a working expatriate during recent times; the times of Sarkozy. He has a...more
Baldwin gives a great perspective on the day-to-day life of a working expatriate during recent times; the times of Sarkozy. He has a...more
I had to read this memoir of Baldwin's time working at an advertising firm on the Champs Elysees in Paris, since I visited last year and vowed to go back. Reading Baldwin's book was better than a couple of weeks touring the arrondissements (well, almost). _Paris, I love you_ is filled with humor and poignancy and reveals the challenges of staying excited about living your dream when it becomes a part of your day to day grind.
Baldwin shares the foibles of the French--both friends and strangers--b...more
Baldwin shares the foibles of the French--both friends and strangers--b...more
My book review will appear soon in The Nervous Breakdown. Here's an excerpt:
The expat experience in Paris is a perennial favorite subject for books and movies. There’s The Paris Wife, “Midnight in Paris,” Almost French, Paris Over the Moon, Dreaming in French, and the phenomenally—but weirdly—popular Raising Bébé.. What makes Paris I Love You stand out is its wry, self-deprecating, often slapstick humor. When Baldwin tries to ask a female French co-worker for some of her time (tes temps), his mi...more
The expat experience in Paris is a perennial favorite subject for books and movies. There’s The Paris Wife, “Midnight in Paris,” Almost French, Paris Over the Moon, Dreaming in French, and the phenomenally—but weirdly—popular Raising Bébé.. What makes Paris I Love You stand out is its wry, self-deprecating, often slapstick humor. When Baldwin tries to ask a female French co-worker for some of her time (tes temps), his mi...more
A little bit "Mad Men," a little bit "Midnight in Paris," a lot like "2 Days in Paris"--this is one of my favorite I-moved-to-Paris tales. It's funny and reflective, without being overwritten.
You'll relate to this if you've ever moved overseas. Not just gone to a foreign country for work for a week or two, but paid utilities, navigated workplace politics, and felt helpless in the face of authorities/emergencies/your own phone. Baldwin's mandatory day-long French civics class is hilarious, as ar...more
You'll relate to this if you've ever moved overseas. Not just gone to a foreign country for work for a week or two, but paid utilities, navigated workplace politics, and felt helpless in the face of authorities/emergencies/your own phone. Baldwin's mandatory day-long French civics class is hilarious, as ar...more
PILYBYBMD, hereafter known as 'the book', is a pretty solid contribution to at least three or four heavily saturated and eternally popular genres: the travelogue, in which a stranger finds fulfillment and revelation in giving themselves over to a foreign situation; the office expose, in which the quirks and aspirations of one's coworkers are documented and arcane work practices and dynamics of power are brought into the open; and the city fetish novel, of which the Parisian love song is a highly...more
Great book about a man who moves to Paris with his wife to work with a French advertising firm. It's rich and full of detail about what it means to live in a foreign country not just visit it: he knows enough French to communicate but not enough to joke, and often words and concepts he completely misses, to painful or humorous effect. French bureaucracy is always present, with absurd requests for paperwork for any official matter. The focus on sex is omnipresent: he goes one day to see an "adult...more
Rosecrans has had a dream since childhood of living in Paris. When the opportunity arises he pounces on it. This memoir lite is about when expectation meets reality and you're forced to take off your rose colored glasses. Even with that though, the Paris of this book is viewed with affection.
This is told in a series of anecdotes. A lot of it is more amusing than laugh out loud funny and it's not particularly deep. I also thought a lot of the problems he had were self inflicted.
He's a twenty so...more
This is told in a series of anecdotes. A lot of it is more amusing than laugh out loud funny and it's not particularly deep. I also thought a lot of the problems he had were self inflicted.
He's a twenty so...more
Painfully funny travelogue about living in Paris that wrecked both my daydreams about visiting there and my fantasy that I would feel more at home in a European city. Rosecrans gets a job at a Paris advertising agency and he and his wife move to Paris. He has exaggerated his language skills, leading to some of the book's funniest scenes, where he thinks he follows a conversation in French but entirely misses it - at a party, he believes he hears a story about a grandmother buying cheese and thro...more
Paris change! mais rien dans ma mélancolie n'a bougé!
Maybe I just really like books set in advertising agencies. I really enjoyed Then We Came to the End, and Murder Must Advertise is one of my favorites of Dorothy Sayers' mysteries. The coworkers in the ad agency become such entertaining characters (I wonder what they think of the book, though).
This is a humorous and well-written exploration of living in a place that exists simultaneously in your imagination and in reality and what happens in...more
Maybe I just really like books set in advertising agencies. I really enjoyed Then We Came to the End, and Murder Must Advertise is one of my favorites of Dorothy Sayers' mysteries. The coworkers in the ad agency become such entertaining characters (I wonder what they think of the book, though).
This is a humorous and well-written exploration of living in a place that exists simultaneously in your imagination and in reality and what happens in...more
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I had been meaning to read Rosecrans Baldwin's debut novel You Lost Me There for some time now. But you know how it goes, another book gets in the way and another one... and another one... and well, you know. So when I saw that Baldwin came out with an American in Paris memoir (which included -- not that I knew it at the time -- the writing of that novel), I figured it was a way to make up for that reading sin of omission... particularly being a fan of Europe, including a few quite pleasant days...more
I enjoyed this book, though I feel like I read it in a rush so don't remember as much as I could.
It's amusing to read about the author bumbling through French culture, learning the language and the city as he goes. He works in an office with some people who seem to hate him, and he's never sure who to kiss hello. He and his wife can't afford to shop at the famous markets, but discover that many Parisians just buy high-end frozen food anyway. There are parties with expats and encounters with neig...more
It's amusing to read about the author bumbling through French culture, learning the language and the city as he goes. He works in an office with some people who seem to hate him, and he's never sure who to kiss hello. He and his wife can't afford to shop at the famous markets, but discover that many Parisians just buy high-end frozen food anyway. There are parties with expats and encounters with neig...more
Loved this. It was a perfect vacation (Michigan) read: light and funny, but also with some depth. Perceptive. The author really does a great job of describing the love/hate relationship most of us have with Paris, including native Parisians, apparently. So beautiful! So bureaucratic! So lively and lovely, yet contrary and cranky. So, so French.
I really related to what it is like to struggle through learning their language. The feeling of being so tired of working so incredibly hard all the time...more
I really related to what it is like to struggle through learning their language. The feeling of being so tired of working so incredibly hard all the time...more
Paris, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down is an amusing story of expat life in Paris. Baldwin writes about his experiences working in the French advertising office, the boring parties for expats with trust funds, and his blundering attempts at communicating in French. (At one point, he mispronounces “tes temps” as “tetins,” effectively asking his female coworker for her tits rather than her time.)
“Tactics to learn French via shock immersion: Accept and make telephone calls. Do this despite a...more
“Tactics to learn French via shock immersion: Accept and make telephone calls. Do this despite a...more
Crans and his wife move to Paris, they love it but it's also kind of difficult. But not TOO difficult because, you know, Paris. Really fun read. Crans's writing is loose and breezy but also deft, targeted. Full of memorably gorgeous scenes and moments. He manages to make delight swing on the page, which is pretty rare. The anecdotes just end when they're over, which makes some of them clunky and awkward, but that's as is should be--he doesn't over-philosophize or try to tie things up for the rea...more
I enjoyed this memoir, although I had imagined that I'd enjoy it more than I did. This is the story of a writer who (through a friend) finagles a job in Paris. The book chronicles the experiences of the author (and his wife) as they move to Paris and live there for one year. The author starts off feeling madly in love with the romantic idea(l) of Paris, then experiences a lot of bureaucracy, casual racism/sexism and general non-political correctness, tragic hipness & tight pants, & a lit...more
Have you ever dreamed of living abroad? Rosecrans Baldwin did. He dreamed of Paris and he made those dreams come true by finding and landing a job as a marketing executive. This book tells the story of the 18 months he and his wife lived in the City of Light. As you might guess from the title this is not a book of the romance of the city. Instead it tells the truth about the difficulties of moving to another country. There are struggles with bureaucracy, with a new language and culture, frustrat...more
I've picked up this book in Amazon, while I've been searching for some good Paris guidebook. Well... I don't know what I was expecting, but this is not a book I was hoping to read. I expected more stories about places in Paris but got some blurred stories of not quite mature person, who doesn't know what he wants. Parts of this book were ok, funny even, but most of it was boring, crappy account of someone who seem to only know how to gossip and eat frozen food. This book lacked depth and emotio...more
While much of Baldwin's book takes place in Paris, this would be an excellent read for any American considering a long-term move to Western Europe. So many of his struggles with bureaucracy, language barriers, and workplace expectations can be applied to many other European countries.
What I loved about this is that Baldwin strikes a great balance between writing about his love for and gripes with Parisian life. Hearing someone who lives in Paris complain about Paris often solicits comments like...more
What I loved about this is that Baldwin strikes a great balance between writing about his love for and gripes with Parisian life. Hearing someone who lives in Paris complain about Paris often solicits comments like...more
Rosencrans Baldwin has loved Paris since he was a little boy and when he is given an opportunity to move to Paris and work there, he is jubilant. Reality of life in Paris sets in quickly, unfortunately, and he finds he doesn’t know as much French as he thought he did, his apartment is a loud construction zone, and Parisian government workers and business owners can be intimidating.
Fortunately for all of us who are secretly rooting for Paris, Baldwin perseveres and his Love for Paris (I’m not rea...more
Fortunately for all of us who are secretly rooting for Paris, Baldwin perseveres and his Love for Paris (I’m not rea...more
Oh crap, just lost the whole review I typed up. Ah well. Basically it said I read this book because I'm obsessed with the expat literary heroes who lived and wrote in Paris...Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Joyce, Ginsberg, Borroughs etc. And that it was cool to see someone from our generation living their creative dream to write in Paris. So what if he had to write crappy copy about baby formula for an ad agency while he was doing it. He did it!
He delivers sharp observations on our romantic dre...more
He delivers sharp observations on our romantic dre...more
Baldwin's book wasn't as lyrical or philosophical as Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon (still my favorite of the contemporary ex-pats in Paris books), but it resonated strongly with my own experiences living abroad nonetheless. At moments tender, at moments laugh out loud funny, Baldwin faithfully renders the pleasures and pitfalls of living abroad in this incomparable city. His is not a book for those who hope to only dwell in the best of Paris, but rather one designed to illuminate the City of L...more
I really loved this book, for several reasons. Baldwin's writing style is wonderful. He can write a straightforward, simple story while embellishing it perfectly. I don't like getting confused in books, and baldwin never jumped around or lost track of the reader, while still writing very beautiful prose. The second reason is of course, I love France, so I couldn't help loving this book. I think it might be difficult to visualize some parts of this book for those people who have never been to Par...more
I think I liked the cover and title of this book so I picked it up. Plus who doesn't dream of/love Paris?!
And even after reading all of the oddities and realities of Baldwin's experiences, I still want to go to there!
Summary: A self-described Francophile from when he was little, Rosecrans Baldwin always dreamed of living in Paris - drinking le cafe, eating les croissants, walking in les jardins - so when an opportunity presented itself to work for an advertising agency in Paris, he couldn't turn...more
And even after reading all of the oddities and realities of Baldwin's experiences, I still want to go to there!
Summary: A self-described Francophile from when he was little, Rosecrans Baldwin always dreamed of living in Paris - drinking le cafe, eating les croissants, walking in les jardins - so when an opportunity presented itself to work for an advertising agency in Paris, he couldn't turn...more
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"You know, Paris is tough," Christian said in English. "I would not want to live here if I could choose a different history."...more
He said Paris was probably the worst European city after London. "London is the worst. Weather is shitty. You cannot walk around. People are closed off, and they hate Jews. None of this will change." But Paris was too expensive, he said, too conservative, too self-protective. "Paris had, like, the nineteenth century. But look, we are all very lucky at this table - we're wh
May 07, 2012
stacy
marked it as to-read
ehn, we'll see.
i recognize these lines, said one of em myself recently about my own two-month old -- the humpy forehead klingon one. though he wasn't digesting anything except the scene he was in.
from RB's text:
"
In the beginning of my job, I had a look: toddler struggling with digestion. I saw it reflected back at me in people’s sunglasses, absorbed by my coworkers’ eyes. They weren’t used to an American coming up so close, being such a worried listener—me pressing in with my nervous smile, my...more
i recognize these lines, said one of em myself recently about my own two-month old -- the humpy forehead klingon one. though he wasn't digesting anything except the scene he was in.
from RB's text:
"
In the beginning of my job, I had a look: toddler struggling with digestion. I saw it reflected back at me in people’s sunglasses, absorbed by my coworkers’ eyes. They weren’t used to an American coming up so close, being such a worried listener—me pressing in with my nervous smile, my...more
It started off great. Funny, silly, many cultural clashes that were hilarious, and then it got too narcissistic and self-involved.
The story is about a man who has always had a love for Paris. He finally gets an opportunity to move there and does. The book is about how the image in his mind of living in Paris is much different than what it's really like.
I would recommend this to those who love Paris and enjoy finding cultural differences between France and the US. I would not recommend it if yo...more
The story is about a man who has always had a love for Paris. He finally gets an opportunity to move there and does. The book is about how the image in his mind of living in Paris is much different than what it's really like.
I would recommend this to those who love Paris and enjoy finding cultural differences between France and the US. I would not recommend it if yo...more
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| Gwinnett County P...: Americans in Paris | 1 | 2 | Dec 07, 2012 08:16am |
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“Actually, this is an interesting question,' the instructor said. 'What is the difference between culture and law? In France, we say we are French before we are anything else.”
—
2 people liked it
“It reminded me how, at work that week, there'd been a meeting when a client visited, a woman, and after she'd left the conference room, the first task had been to evaluate her aesthetically, to weigh in on her breasts and legs, the make and quality of her handbag.”
—
1 person liked it
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Jun 12, 2012 04:25pm