David Lebovitz loves
his life in Paris. It was nearly perfect, but he wanted to own an
apartment rather than rent. The search was time
consuming and frustrating. Nothing seemed right. Then he found the
“perfect” place. It needed work, but it had possibilities.
Purchasing the
apartment was nearly as frustrating as looking for it. After many
problems, including finding that the renovations would be far more
expensive than he planned. The deal was done. That was only the
beginning.
The restoration
began, but it seemed for every improvement there were additional
problems. David writes about the difficulties with humor, but the
reader can see what a difficult situation it was. It makes you think
twice about renovating an apartment in a foreign country, although
from experience I can say that it can be equally frustrating in the
US.
In addition to the
tales of woe, the book has lively descriptions of life in Paris,
particularly tracking down tasty food. I admit it makes me jealous to
think of being able to buy such delicious pastries and produce within
walking distance in your neighborhood.
Being a cookbook
writer, David also includes recipes. I only tried the beef stew. It
was delicious. I’m sure the other recipes would be equally
delightful. The sprinkling of French words in the text can be
off-putting if you’re not familiar with the language, but it does
add to the atmosphere.
I received this book
from Blogging for Books for this review.
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