...
Show More
I really didn't enjoy this one - it dragged and really felt like there was no point to it.
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
L'Affaire
...
Show More
"Johnson is more droll than Henry James, to whom she's been compared, and she's as witty as a modern-day Voltaire. Vraiment, L'Affaire , c'est irresistible!” — Publishers Weekly
Amy Hawkins, a Palo Alto girl who made herself a dot-com fortune, goes to France to get a sheen of sophistication and, perhaps, to have an affair that will ruffle her all-too-steady heart. She starts her quest in a glamorous resort in the French Alps, amid an assortment of aristocrats and ski enthusiasts. But when two of the hotel’s guests are swept away by an avalanche, Adrian’s children—young, old, legitimate, illegitimate—assemble to protect their interests, feuding under the competing laws of the British, American, and French systems.
Amy, already suspect because she is American, steps in to assist, and unintentionally sets in motion a series of events that spotlight ancient national differences, customs, and laws. Filled with love, sex, death, and travel, L’Affaire is National Book Award finalist Diane Johnson at her very best.
Amy Hawkins, a Palo Alto girl who made herself a dot-com fortune, goes to France to get a sheen of sophistication and, perhaps, to have an affair that will ruffle her all-too-steady heart. She starts her quest in a glamorous resort in the French Alps, amid an assortment of aristocrats and ski enthusiasts. But when two of the hotel’s guests are swept away by an avalanche, Adrian’s children—young, old, legitimate, illegitimate—assemble to protect their interests, feuding under the competing laws of the British, American, and French systems.
Amy, already suspect because she is American, steps in to assist, and unintentionally sets in motion a series of events that spotlight ancient national differences, customs, and laws. Filled with love, sex, death, and travel, L’Affaire is National Book Award finalist Diane Johnson at her very best.
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,2003
This edition
- Format
-
340 pages, Paperback
- Published
-
August 31, 2004 by Penguin Publishing Group
- ISBN
-
9780452285637
- ASIN
-
0452285631
- Language
-
English
Characters More characters
-
Amy Hawkins
...
About the author
...
Show More
Diane Johnson is an American novelist and essayist whose satirical novels often feature American heroines living in contemporary France. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Persian Nights in 1988.
In addition to her literary works, she is also known for writing the screenplay of the 1980 film The Shining together with its director and producer Stanley Kubrick.
In addition to her literary works, she is also known for writing the screenplay of the 1980 film The Shining together with its director and producer Stanley Kubrick.
Readers also enjoyed
Community Reviews
Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
35(35%)
4 stars
28(28%)
3 stars
37(37%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
...
Show More
I didn't get the point of this book. I read Le Divorce and liked it (granted, a while ago...maybe I didn't like it as much as I remember?) so I figured I'd like this book by Diane Johnson. But with a title as steamy as L'Affaire, you'd think it would be more interesting, not just a drawn-out, boring look at American and European cultures/people. It wasn't even so much about English and French inheritance laws like the jacket says. I thought it would at least be a funny look at these cultural differences but I didn't find it very humorous. And I found it extremely annoying that the POV changed from one character to another in a matter of sentences. Unfortunately, I can't stop reading a book once I've started.
...
Show More
Eh. National "types" and other outdated attitudes, mashing up classics without building something interesting.
...
Show More
Abandoned at page 90. It was ok, but not good enough to continue.
...
Show More
A fun read until just about the end. I felt like the author lost steam and tried to find a quick fix way to end the story. I did find it very "educational" and will likely avoid buying property in France.
...
Show More
I'm going to be honest, I couldn't finish it. It was very boring to me.
...
Show More
Amy Hawkins takes her dot com earnings and heads to France. Despite an avalanche, an unusual family and a "new" apartment in Paris she had quite an experience.
...
Show More
Maybe my favorite Johnson novel.
Leave a Review