Actuallyyyyy wtf was this

So much happened that SHOULD HAVE been super intriguing but I had to force feed myself pages every time I picked this up

Hated nearly every character, and there were a lot!!

Whew if I could describe this in two words it would be boring and obnoxious

Waste of time! Too many characters, disjointed storylines, lame ending. It was hard to get through, but thought I should finish it case it got better........never did.

This novel is about events leading up to the impending marriage of a Parisian horse-memorabilia dealer and a journalist born in America who has lived in Europe for many years. The plot is ostensibly about recovering a stolen illuminated manuscript whose subject is the end of the world. Johnson creates characters delightfully: the sullen American expatriate movie producer/art collector, his sad and beautiful former movie star wife, the shy yet manipulative Oregonian antiques dealer, the bride’s naughty fiction author mother, the mysteriously sexy businessman neighbor, etc. The characters’ relationships and emotions weave together in complex ways, within the context of a plot involving murder, a fugitive in hiding, doomsday cults, unjust justice, love and lust, kidnapping, etc. Mostly it is about interrelationships of the characters, and explores the mysteries of friendship, marriage, and betrayal, often told with a surprising touch of humor. Many other plot details were intriguing, but not fully explored, explained, or wrapped up to my satisfaction in the end.

Will this couple make it to the altar, and who has that manuscript?

I enjoyed reading this, I like Diane Johnson's style, however this book had a really disappointing ending that I felt didn't really wrap up anything.

What I like about Diane Johnson's amusing comedies of manners are her extremely apt yet remarkably detached observations on cultural life, French and American.

Disappointing read. I enjoyed Le Divorce, and was happy to find this copy at a book sale. Although the characters and plot were promising, the story just didn't seem to catch.

It probably isn't fair to write a review since I didn't finish the book. Howener, if after 75 pages I don't give a crap about anyone or anything in a book, it's not worth it.

Good characters, but the plot was all over the place. Lots of storylines without any one being very satisfying.

It's comedic craziness with cultural clashes in this story of two couples in France - one, the film director Serge Cray and his wife and former actress, Clara Holly, and the engaged couple, American journalist Thomas 'Tim' Ackroyd Nolinger and Anne-Sophie, a small antique shop owner whose mother is a noted novelist.

Add to the mix a murder, the hunt for a stolen manuscript, social mores and expectations, and you have a rollicking story. Tim and Anne-Sophie as they prepare to marry, and the Crays as they argue against a country tradition and the ramifications of their decision.

This was not laugh out loud comedy but it is fun for the most part. I did have a difficulty in getting engaged in the story and the characters and was a bit dissatisfied at the end with conclusion but for those who love this type of book, this should be a winner.

Diane Johnson knows the prejudices and affections of the French as well as she knows those of her American countrymen. So when she writes about the proposed marriage of a young French woman to an American and mixes up the story with a theft of rare manuscripts and a neighborhood spat over the rights to hunt on private property, and you have the recipe for a delightful comedy of manners. Just read, laugh and enjoy.

I had to stop reading it..UGH! What fluff!!

The best part about this novel, which is linked loosely through a few characters to its prequel, Le Divorce, is its emphasis on the tragi-comic snafus in French-American relations and everyday attempts of French and American people to understand one another without becoming too exasperated. American journalist Tim Nolinger is engaged to French flea marketer Anne-Sophie, and the main plot revolves around their often frustrating, often hilarious attempts to reconcile themselves to one another's cultural prejudices, and eventually, to reconcile and keep peace between their respective families as the upcoming nuptuals draw closer. Other bumbling American characters in France and more of their bewildered French friends add extra spice to the story. Ignorant faux pas by American characters abound as do unflattering comparisons of them to French people "Anne-Sophie is so delightful" says American friend Clara. "So French! Americans are just clods next to them. The French seem to know everything about--well everything important. Gastronomy. Eros" (129). But then, French people come under fire themselves not only for their stereotypical snootiness, but also for their own brand of naivete and clumbsiness. This is especially hilarious during Anne-Sophie's brief visit to Oregon before her wedding. "Teem, cheri, I want to go to the supermarche for sure . . the Mall, all the typique things .. . . The cars are so beeg . . . And how they wait for people turning left---really, it's very organized. . . The men here so handsome, just like Bruce Wills . . Oh Teem, I have been to Circuit City . . . It is heaven, what is left for me in life?" (265). Will Tim and Anne-Sophie survive as an intercultural couple? Some hints come in the sequel . . . L'Affaire.