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63rd out of 128 books
—
58 voters
Foreign Tongue: A Novel of Life and Love in Paris
Paris, the storybook capital of romance--of strolls down cobblestone streets and kisses by the Seine--may not be the ideal location to mend a wounded heart. But pragmatic professional writer Anna, who has been unlucky in love in L.A., has come here with keys to her aunt's empty apartment. Bilingual and blessed with dual citizenship, she seeks solace in the delectable pastr...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
April 14th 2009
by Harper Perennial
(first published April 1st 2009)
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I first learned of "Foreign Tongue" through an online advertisement a few years ago. My interest in it was further piqued by its focus on a young woman, with dual French/American citizenship (conversant in both French and English) and her experiences in Paris. As someone who has visited Paris twice over the past decade and lived and worked for a time abroad, I am drawn to stories that tie in culture, language, and human sensibilities.
Notwithstanding that, I had a lingering fear that this novel...more
Notwithstanding that, I had a lingering fear that this novel...more
If you are a francophile, you will love this book! The plot is no Da Vinci Code..but that is not what you read this book for...it is for the love of France, the subtleties and complexities of foreign translation, and for the baguettes!! I studied abroad my junior year in France, and this book was able to absolutely bring me back to moments that I had forgotten. Through sensory description, Marsot was able to transport me to Paris, walking through Galeries Lafayette wearing Anais Anais; looking a...more
Foreign Tongue starts off when Anna runs away to her second home in France after her lover cheated on her. I always thought that type of actions were stupid, but I understand her motivations. There, Anna starts a new life--and a new love, who unfortunately treats her like a piece of *cough* too.
I don't know why Anna didn't think of that when she ran away to France, for God's sake. France, or mainly Paris, is known for its many love affairs with the culture as well as relationships. How many peop...more
I don't know why Anna didn't think of that when she ran away to France, for God's sake. France, or mainly Paris, is known for its many love affairs with the culture as well as relationships. How many peop...more
I really loved this book. The story was engaging, but I was more fascinated with how she dealt with the differences between French and English (languages and cultures). I have never read anything quite like this — with this particular approach to dissecting the languages and cultures.
Each chapter begins with a well-chosen quote in either French or English (she provides very good translations of the French quotes for those who need it, or for someone like me, who likes to see both versions presen...more
Each chapter begins with a well-chosen quote in either French or English (she provides very good translations of the French quotes for those who need it, or for someone like me, who likes to see both versions presen...more
I LOVED this book!!
From the perspective of a Francophile and language freak who hasn't seen Paris in a decade & just went through a nasty break up this book had elements that spoke to me all over the place.
I laughed aloud reading this book more than I have in a long time & I'm still giggling about the fact that one of the start-of-chapter quotations was the "royale with cheese" speech from Pulp Fiction.
Obviously the people who have difficulty listening to the self-destructive mental pro...more
From the perspective of a Francophile and language freak who hasn't seen Paris in a decade & just went through a nasty break up this book had elements that spoke to me all over the place.
I laughed aloud reading this book more than I have in a long time & I'm still giggling about the fact that one of the start-of-chapter quotations was the "royale with cheese" speech from Pulp Fiction.
Obviously the people who have difficulty listening to the self-destructive mental pro...more
***WARNING: This book is very vulgar.*** (Way, way, way too much for me, even if it is sporadic.)
This is perhaps the most difficult book review I’ve ever had to write, as my feelings are composed of such extremes. At first it delighted me, then repulsed me, then impressed and intrigued me, then annoyed me, and ultimately… disappointed me.
First off, allow me to praise the work. Vanina Marsot is an amazing writer—a compliment I rarely give out. Here lies her strength. She would describe delicate...more
This is perhaps the most difficult book review I’ve ever had to write, as my feelings are composed of such extremes. At first it delighted me, then repulsed me, then impressed and intrigued me, then annoyed me, and ultimately… disappointed me.
First off, allow me to praise the work. Vanina Marsot is an amazing writer—a compliment I rarely give out. Here lies her strength. She would describe delicate...more
While this book is (sort of) touted as a romance,that wasn't what I found most enjoyable. More intriguing were Anna's thoughts about culture and language as she is working on the translation of the book. Because she is informally bi-lingual, meaning that she learned French from her family and studying abroad she has some interesting comments about the often untranslatable subtleties and nuances of meaning in a language. Anyone who has traveled or worked in a foreing country or tried to explain c...more
After her boyfriend cheats on her, freelance writer and dual citizen, Anna, ditches L.A. for Paris to recover. Fluent in French and English, Anna soon lands a job translating an erotic love story, written by a famous author whose secret identity intrigues her. It isn't long before she also meets Olivier, a handsome French director who stirs her senses. But, this isn't your typical French confection. Art and life interweave as the novel Anna translates relates to her present. Through her work, An...more
Young woman moves from LA to Paris to get over being dumped. Begins translating an "erotic novel". Falls in love with French guy. So, the erotic novel isn't that erotic, and I liked the parts about translation best. It was interesting looking at the intricacies of French and English language, the meaning carried by different words in different contexts. It has a weird and somewhat unsatisfying ending, like it started out as one kind of book and ended up being a different book entirely. The begin...more
The Short of It:
If a Hollywood ending is not your thing, then this book is just what the doctor ordered.
My Thoughts:
Back in April, I was lucky enough to hear Vanina Marsot at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. When she discussed her book, Foreign Tongue–what she described intrigued me. When we think of Paris, we think of romance, beauty, food and wine. There's that, but there's also a grittier side that we normally do not read about and when I heard that, I knew that I had to read this boo...more
If a Hollywood ending is not your thing, then this book is just what the doctor ordered.
My Thoughts:
Back in April, I was lucky enough to hear Vanina Marsot at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. When she discussed her book, Foreign Tongue–what she described intrigued me. When we think of Paris, we think of romance, beauty, food and wine. There's that, but there's also a grittier side that we normally do not read about and when I heard that, I knew that I had to read this boo...more
I enjoyed this book. I think it's supposed to be a romance - and that's the somewhat cliched part of the narrative - but what's more fascinating is the narrator's observations about French language and culture. The bilingual Anna has been hired to translate the erotic novel of a writer whose identity remains a mystery to her, but the process of translation is very interesting. I didn't enjoy the narrator's problematic love life nearly as much as this aspect. At one point Anna’s friend is making...more
Yet another book set in Paris. About a woman who escapes from a bad relationship by staying in her aunts apartment in Paris. While there she gets a job translating a novel (her father was French and she grew up speaking both French and English).
While the story itself was king of trite, I did like reading about the process of translating a book. I've read many translated books, and just figured that the words were what the author wrote, simply translated. But the book points out that it isn't th...more
While the story itself was king of trite, I did like reading about the process of translating a book. I've read many translated books, and just figured that the words were what the author wrote, simply translated. But the book points out that it isn't th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I picked this up at the library because I am a total Francophile. I'll pretty much read or watch anything set in France. The descriptions of Parisian life did not disappoint.
I would label it as intelligent chick lit. The "erotic novel" part was forgettable. The main character did get a bit whiny and was too privileged to feel sorry for.
However, it was worth the read. I agree with many other reviewers who point out that the passages on language and translation were very good. I would have liked...more
I would label it as intelligent chick lit. The "erotic novel" part was forgettable. The main character did get a bit whiny and was too privileged to feel sorry for.
However, it was worth the read. I agree with many other reviewers who point out that the passages on language and translation were very good. I would have liked...more
First of all, anyone who was raised bi-lingual — and not necessarily in the English/French, but in any combo — should read this book, even if only to be assured that all the reactions in your brain from constant hobnobbing of the two languages and the wondering if you are, in fact, the same person depending on which one of the languages you speak, are perfectly normal, and kind of fun! The second reason to read this book is that it really is lovely. A love story/mystery/linguistic study/chick-li...more
This was a novel that I wanted to like, but it never generated much enthusiasm in me. I became bored with the main character, a young woman who is coming from a failed loved affair in Los Angeles and ends up in another one in Paris. I had no empathy for her; was I supposed to have had? The question didn't even interest me.
What kept me reading, though, to the end was the promise that something interesting would develop out of her occupation - translating chapter by chapter for an unknown autho...more
What kept me reading, though, to the end was the promise that something interesting would develop out of her occupation - translating chapter by chapter for an unknown autho...more
This isn't really a travel fantasy book, just my kind of travel fantasy: to be free to live in Paris at a moment's notice! A pleasant setting and characters, a small mystery to sustain me, and lots of cultural comparisons, always fascinating. Fair warning: racy, since the main character is translating an erotic novel. But if you ever wondered about slang and words that aren't in the dictionary, most entertaining. Lots of musing about good translations, dear to my editorial heart.
Found this one by chance in the library. A woman with an American mother and a French father gets jilted and leaves LA for Paris. She finds a job translating a somewhat erotic novel from French to English. The great strengths of this book are the descriptions of Paris venues and food, as well as the discussions of similarities and differences between French and English. The endong felt a bit abrupt, but otherwise a nice piece of Francophilia
I am curious about the differences in the ways that the French and the Americans think because half of the family is now French--and there were all those years of taking French in school but not learning how to have a real conversation. Marsot tells an entertaining story which is the most fun way to learn the nuances of a new language. This book has Paris and sex, which you would expect, but more than that, there are real insights.
Strange to give this one three stars, as I ended up skimming the book because I didn't particularly care for the main character. However, the setting, writing, discussion of the art of translation, and themes were engaging enough to scoot me through to the end. Are writers of "serious" novels never accused of Mary Sueism ("I keep falling for successful actors and they keep falling for me! The horror!)? I have my suspicions here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
yuck. picked it up thinking it was a fun little "I moved to France after a bad breakup" kind of book. The first couple chapters were well written and I learned some fun french slang. Then it turns out that this is about a girl who translates an erotic novel from french to english, so the book stops being about street slang and starts to be about every slang word for sex organs and the sex act that the author can find. ick.
Delightful book about a young woman who gets jilted by her actor boyfriend. She moves to her aunt's apartment in Paris and becomes a translator for a ficitious love story. She falls in love with a director and the story goes back and forth from the story to the woman's life in Paris. I enjoyed this book very much for it's lightness and yet well written prose. Felt as if I were in Paris.
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This is the most disappointing sort of book. Promising to start, especially for a chick lit/ summer read. I enjoyed the bits about the differences in French and American culture and the intricacies and nuances of the languages. But the book is too long and really unravels at the end. If the main character was your friend, you'd smack her for the way she moons over her love life. And the big "twist" at the end is so obvious that an eclair could figure it out.
I stuck it out through page after page of Anna whining about all the men that have hurt her, only to find an ending that doesn't feel like an ending. I actually had to go back and re-read the last five pages, thinking I missed something crucial. Nope, I didn't miss anything, just a poorly wrapped up story that didn't answer any of the questions I spent the first 350 pages asking.
I'm always willing to give a first novel a chance, but this one left me completely disappointed.
I'm always willing to give a first novel a chance, but this one left me completely disappointed.
An light, enjoyable read, but doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Part travelogue, part love story, part ghost story, part treatise on translation theory! This one is all over the shop.
Having just visited Paris on our honeymoon, the sections describing the city and Parisians were well-observed and insightful, but not original enough to save this overambitious novel.
Having just visited Paris on our honeymoon, the sections describing the city and Parisians were well-observed and insightful, but not original enough to save this overambitious novel.
This book had the promise of being wonderful...set in Paris, about losing and finding love and lots of yummy foodie references. But the main character was weak beyond belief, the story lines were ridiculous and the ending made me think about the main character, "are you that clueless?" Don't bother.
Was a wonderful read until near the end. It just was so confusing and left me feeling unsatisfied. What was the importance of Bunny? Was she right about the mysterious author? *sigh* So many unanswered questions! It was a good escapism novel though. It felt like you were in France with her.
This is a good vacation read -- not too heavy, though it does take a weird twist at one point. It's interesting from a language standpoint; she talks a lot about how hard it is to truly translate one language to another. I didn't really like the main character enough to love the book, though.
A book for Francophiles. I loved the Parisian setting, the French phrases (the vast majority of which were translated or explained). The main character was mostly sympathetic, though a bit whiny at times. Very interesting and apt characterizations of the difference between American & French ways of life.
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Vanina Marsot was raised in Cairo, Paris, and Los Angeles. Bilingual in English and French, she was raised by academic parents who instilled in her a keen passion for travel.
After completing her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College, she moved to Paris, where she worked at Jean-Paul Gaultier, managed a commercial photography studio, and taught English to business executives.
Eventually, she...more
More about Vanina Marsot...
After completing her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College, she moved to Paris, where she worked at Jean-Paul Gaultier, managed a commercial photography studio, and taught English to business executives.
Eventually, she...more
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Jun 20, 2011 02:56pm