Light and fun with random, surprisingly dark parts.
I read this before a trip to Paris (brag brag) and could not imagine an affair between a gal in her early 20's and a guy in his 70's. Then I went to Paris, where everyone is flirting with everyone, and somehow those old guys still have some juju and you'll see a dude squarely in his 60's and think "oooh, what's his deal." I mean the people on the news were flirting with each other, and this was a reporter and a woman who ran an art museum. So like in the US this would be a brain-based totally practical exchange not like..."do these people make out?"
In the book, they mentioned that for the French it is rude not to flirt. This was totally my experience and it is shocking to see a city full of adults in 2016 NOT ON THEIR PHONES. And I think this is because of the thrill of thinking "will we do it?" exists at all times. This bleeds into their clothing for adults, their tasteful underwear that is not purely functional, prolonged, half-lidded eye contact, and the rampant, rampant smoking.
Other thing gleaned from the book which sneaks in some of the secrets of French women: mint tea.
Beach readable.

This was given to me by a fabulous friend in New York. I enjoyed it as a light read.

I read the whole book, but honestly, I don't really see this as much of a story. It's definitely lacking intrigue, and the questions I developed as a reader were never answered anyway. I'm not sure if some parts, like Isabel taking photos and noticing them at a stall in the flea market, were supposed to be foreshadowing or not because while there seems to have been a burglary ring, no one really is ever sure who's been involved. I can't even ruin the ending becuase I feel there isn't an ending by the last page of the book.

While I didn't really care too much about the characters, I have no idea where they are headed. Will Roxy remain in France? Who knows?! Will Isabel return to California? She doesn't even know. We're told the rest of the family goes back to the United States, but we don't even get a picture of that.

This book doesn't seem to be about relationships because there's no real insight into anyone and even less into any bonds they might have with one another.

It ends up being frustrating instead of entertaining, whether comically or through suspense or action.

I thought this was the most boring, selfish book. *yawn*

I hated that I didn't know all of the french because I felt like I was missing out. I found it pretensious at times but it was better than the movie, thats for sure.

I've both read the book and seen the movie. The book is better than the movie -- marginally -- in that it did a better job of explaining the ramifications of an American woman divorcing a French man in France where children are involved. And also the significance of a Hermes scarf.

There are sensations that one cannot write about or describe, and realms of the imagination whose importance, though dumbly felt, is beyond understanding.

So - I think this is probably a "chick lit" book, but it was pretty damn intelligent. I really liked it. I also really liked the movie.

I picked up the book because I liked the movie, and reading the book I was impressed that they were able to turn it into a movie using the basic premises, but the book is another world in terms of depth. Mostly from Isabel's point of view, it delves into what it means to be family, what it means to live in another country, how nationality brings people together and forces them apart when it's time to take sides. I thought it was a good book, but it's hard to say why. May have some connections to Henry James novels.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. On the surface, it looks like a fluffy, light, beach read. It turns out to be an interesting tale of the juxtaposition of American and French cultures. And when I discovered that Ms. Johnson has been nominated for a Pulitzer, I wasn't at all surprised. He books ARE that good, and well worth reading. Call it "Literary Chick Lit", and you'll have a pretty good idea where to categorize this book.

This is fabulous. I think this is the kind of book Jane Austen would write if she’d been writing in the 1990s, full of sharp cultural observations, family insights, long character arcs. It’s funny and charming and has some depth at the same time. Loved it.

I should also mention I only know about this book because of the “Sentimental Garbage” podcast, which is also fabulous.

I kept waiting for this book to go somewhere and when it finally did, the story just fell apart. The last third did not hold together well and seemed hastily tacked on in order to wrap up the novel. It's a quick read, but there are better ones out there.

it was very easy to read and very eh. i guess i never read any of the traditional euro-transnational ex-pat books, i had nothing to compare it to. well i read the sun also rises, but don't remember it much as an expat book as much as a post war book. It is incomparable to my own experience of having been transnational to Asia and as an american person of color vs a white american. oh and this book uses the word oriental to describe a passing person. booo. quite a few parts of it made me uncomfortable with its self-absorption and insular feelings. I guess that it is the payoff of reading something that is not sad and instead just amusing.