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Crime Fraiche (Capucine Culinary Mystery, #2)

Alexander Campion

Start date: December 28, 2011

Finish date: December 30, 2011

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Jul 28, 2011 Dolly rated it really liked it

Shelves: france-french, mystery, other-usa, goodreads-first-reads-giveaways, cooking-recipes, 2011

I received this book for free through Goodreads giveaways and I expected that I would read it quickly. For some reason, it took me a long time to get into this book. I'd start it, but I just had a terrible time getting into the story; I felt like I really missed out on a lot of background information from the first book (I haven't read that one yet.) But during some holiday downtime, I sat down and dedicated some time to this story. And once I was into the tale, I was very interested in the stor I received this book for free through Goodreads giveaways and I expected that I would read it quickly. For some reason, it took me a long time to get into this book. I'd start it, but I just had a terrible time getting into the story; I felt like I really missed out on a lot of background information from the first book (I haven't read that one yet.) But during some holiday downtime, I sat down and dedicated some time to this story. And once I was into the tale, I was very interested in the storyline and I began to learn more about the characters.

As much as I love the French language, the art, and the food, I must admit that I really know little about life in France, either Paris or in the rural areas. So I think that really made it difficult for me to immediately immerse myself in the story. But I am a bit of a Francophile, so I wanted so much to like the tale. I am glad that I stuck with the book because I really got into the story by the time I was about 70 pages into it. The story was interesting and while I couldn't relate to the characters, I liked them.

I thought that the smattering use of the "f-bomb," while probably accurate, was highly unnecessary in this book. I suppose it gave a clear delineation between the titled gentry in the country and the cosmopolitan Parisians, but still detracted from the story. And the number of unfamiliar words was a bit much - I knew all of the French words and I figured out the majority of what was new, but the language was a bit esoteric. I found one spelling/grammar error (birth is used instead of berth on p. 4) - it was actually kind of funny as written: "...gave him as wide a birth as they could."

Overall, I thought it was an interesting story and I learned a bit about French cuisine and culture along the way. I will certainly look for the first book in this series, The Grave Gourmet.

new words: bulwark, deontology, savate, polemics, exegesis, pulchritude, salubrious, gibbosity, mycology, augury, phallocrat, debouched, lumpenproletariat, recondite, bumf, fug, sybarite, econiche, lissome, scandium, legumicidal, synecdoche

interesting quote:
"The one lesson she could never seem to learn was that le mieux est l'enemi du bien - better is the enemy of good." (p. 263)

...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Jgrace marked it as to-read

Shelves: judithg, jgrace, mystery, mystery-series

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