Read for LibraryThing EarlyReviewers.
Do not read this book on an empty stomach.
The author was given the chance of a lifetime when her advertising agency offered to send her to the Paris branch to work on the Louis Vuitton contract. She’d been pretty much obsessed with Paris since she spent a semester there in college, so jumped at the chance to go.
Now, contrary to the title, this book is actually a sweet-foodie’s love story of both Paris and New York. Hence the don’t read on an empty stomach warning – each chapter is centered on a particular food item, contrasting American and French cuisine. After a couple of chapters, I was ready to throw the book aside and hop a jet to either city just to get my hands on some of the food she described.
There’s a personal component to the book as well, with the author finding it difficult to fit in in Paris, and also finding that life in New York is moving on while she’s gone. I’ll admit that that struggle got a bit old by the end of the book, but I was so focused on the food, I was ready to overlook that.
I’m probably not going to be moving to Paris anytime soon, but I may be able to visit in a year, and I’ve definitely gained some most visit places to add to my list from this book.