There were some interesting vignettes and cameos but I felt that the book lacked momentum and enthusiasm. It was flat and there was very little change of pace to relieve this unrelenting flatness.

The authors' boyfriend and ultimately husband was a two dimensional figure and seemed to play very little part in her life except as an occasional stooge and/or fall guy.

I did admire her tenacity in finding work as a freelance journalist but maybe she should still to journalism because there are very few books that I decide not to bother finishing and this was one of them.


Entertaining and educational   April 4, 2005
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

"Almost French" is a remarkable story of a woman who goes to France to visit an acquaintance, a French lawyer. It is the romantic nature of the city of Paris that rapped her. She came to enjoy the day to day regular life of , strolls in the city, dinner parties, meeting friends, enjoying the flow of the city, finding employment, meeting new people, traveling, learning more about the French, cooking, the night life, shopping and many other activities. This is one of the books that do not paint a false picture of living in France, and tells it the way it truly is. Living in a foreign country and culture is hard. Before you get used to it, there are times when you almost get reduced to tears, when you feel lost, when you feel like venting your listlessness at the 'friendly locals. This book is a fascinating series of accounts told from a journalist's point of view. For anyone harboring romantic visions of becoming an expatriate, more so in a country like France or a city like Paris, I recommend this book. Even for those who have already visited Paris, and those yet to visit, this is a book to read.
This memoir of Sarah Turnbull's move to Paris from Australia is a fun to read book. I was amused by her recount of her dog. I am looking forward to more books by this author.

Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, LIVING AND WORKING IN PARIS, SIXTY MILLION FRENCHMEN CAN'T BE WRONG, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE


A lovely read   December 20, 2004
 7 out of 11 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed this book, very amusing in parts, & everyone I've lent it too also liked it, a cheerful overview of life in France


Very well done   November 10, 2004
 18 out of 18 found this review helpful

"Almost French" is the story of a woman who goes to France to visit a French lawyer she has only met a couple times before and barely knows. Of course, she gets caught up in the romance of the city and stays on to live there. Despite this description this is not some drippy love story but rather a wonderfully observant series of accounts told from a journalists point of view. For those who have visited Paris, and those yet to make the trip, this book will amaze and entertain you. Turnbull comes to the realization that despite the fact that she will never fit in perfectly in Paris, her life is in and of itself perfect.

I especially enjoyed the day to day accounts of regular everyday life - dinner parties, meeting friends, finding employment, traveling, cooking, shopping, etc. The accounts of her dog are very amusing. I hope to see a follow up book from this author!

From the author of The Difference Now.


The Austrailian Crawl   November 6, 2004
 11 out of 14 found this review helpful

Sarah Turnbull writes in her novel" I left Australia hoping to cram a lifetime of adventures into one unforgettable year." That she did! This is a fascinating, delightful story of a young woman from Australia who took a year to travel in Europe, met the man of her dreams in Bucharest, and took him up on his offer to come to Paris for a visit.

Sarah was used to being busy as a journalist at a television station in Australia. But something was missing. She wanted to see the world, and took a leave of absence and went off to see the world. It was while she was in Bucharest that she met Frederick. He was a charming man from Paris; an unusual man full of life. They met and talked for two days and he invited her to Paris. Sarah realized that this was a chance for her to see if this was the love of her life. Surprisingly, Sarah and Frederick got along famously and she never really left. She tells of her adventures as a foreigner trying to fit in and live the life of a Frenchman. She tells of cocktail parties where she is ignored. Dinners where everyone speaks over her head. She is told by a friend to pretend that she is chair when the French ignore her. She finally goes to a French class and learns to speak fluently. She attends a group dinner of like-minded friends. Through this dinner she discovers a journalism class that changes her life.

The surprising and delicious portion of this book, is the lack of feminisim that Sarah found in Paris. Women are seen and not heard, at least, at first. Women do not make jokes, less they show up their husbands- in Paris men still rule the world. The other surprise is that people are not generally treated as if they matter- they are ignored. There is a class stigma. Unless you talk back, demand attention and care, you do not receive it. You never know how you will be treated by a waiter- often with smiles but just as often with disdain. How difficult for those who come from another culture to learn the ways of the French,

Frederick lives in a suburb of Paris and Sarah wants to live directly in the city. They find the apartment of their dreams almost- a six flight walk-up but it has the views and the space they need. They can now start the life they have wanted. Sarah and Frederick decide that they want to marry; to take that summer of madness and make their life together In the midst of this; Sarah has many stories to write that take her all over France and other countries. She and Frederick return to Australia for a visit to the family, and that is the place and time that jells their decision to marry. Sarah has decided that she may be "almost French" but France is now her home. Highly Recommended. prisrob