Eleanor's review
The Dud Avocado
by Elaine Dundy
Eleanor's review
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
Eleanor's review
rating:
recommended for: American Francophiles
A temporary Art Handler with a degree in literature from Brown recommended this book to me. I picked it up because of the allure of the "American girl in Paris" narrative. While some credit this author with beginning "chick lit," the writer's voice is so strong and focused, it's not just witty for witticism sake. There's lines that continue to stick in my head, like her handbag landing "butter side down" and the contents spilling everywhere. Whenever I think about how Sally Jay Gorce might see a situation I chuckle. Sally Jay's impressions of being a young American woman living in Europe in the 1950's are very apt and I especially had to laugh when she starts fabricating a complex lie to an old acquaintance (who later plays a major role) in order not to be classified as a tourist. While the ending is a bit fairly tale, I admire Sallly Jay's determination to live her life as she wants it and not to become a a girlfriend or wife who cooks, makes small ...more
