Le Divorce

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I'm a Francophile, read/write French, and have been to Paris, so this book held great promise for me, but I couldn't get interested in this particular story; I'm surprised that this book has received so many good reviews. I didn't care about any of the characters, especially Isabel. As I read, I skimmed more and more, hoping that it would improve, but it never really piqued my interest and I gave up before the conclusion, not even caring how it ended!

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, empathic, probably real lawsuit
Review: I rarely have read such a fine piece of writing as this book. Johnson draws her characters to perfection and we feel what they feel. The suspense concerning the outcome of the divorce suit is excruciating and (from this lawyer's point of view) it seemed like a very real international case. I loved the ironic view of the French, who consider themselves superior but are not in so many ways. Johnson is a very assured writer and a joy to read.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Parisian flair but then what?
Review: I enjoyed Ms. Johnson's insights about Paris and the French. I also thought that she captured the intricasies of an extended family beautifully. It is a shame, however, that the main character, Isabel, was so dull. So much so , that even she recognized it and had to have an affair in order to mask it. If, Ms. Johnson had focused more on the people and the culture and less on seemingly peripheral matters like the faience theiving ring, and the kidnapping, I would have liked it more. (On a side note, I found Ms. Johnson's brief references to African Americans disturbing.)

Rating:
Summary: Wished I was in France
Review: I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of life in France, as seen by an American woman. Though the French phrases were a little difficult to decipher. This novel has defintely sparked an interest in the French culture.

Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed
Review: While the book is cleverly written, and the author is obviously a wonderful wordsmith, ultimately I found I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, the author had somehow been so clever she forgot to make the characters real.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: I truly enjoyed this story and plowed through it in two days! There are interesting plot twists and the author provides wonderful insight to the French culture. Did I mention this book is funny too? Well worth the paperback price.

Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: A previous reviewer ([e-mail]) observed that this book probably would not appeal to men. Well, I happened to like it, but I suppose it's primarily because I'm an irredeemable francophile. What makes this book such a good read is the wealth of details about the little things in (Parisian) life -- the bus routes, the social niceties, child-rearing practices, etc. This would be a good book not only for those who already know Paris well, but also for those who plan to go soon. (A good complement to the book is the British journalist Kate Muir's columns in the London Times's Saturday magazine, which contains funny observations from an anglophone mother's point of view.) I found the characters well-drawn and interesting, especially the old uncle with whom Isabel has an affair. Think of this book as the literary equivalent of a minor Woody Allen film, worth dipping into from time to time.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not worth the hardcover price.
Review: Le Divorce has several interesting characters and even plot twists. Anybody who has been, or wants to go to Paris will enjoy the descriptions of the main character's gradual aclimation to that city, particularly if the reader is from California (where yes, previous reviewer, people can appreciate Paris). I particularly enjoyed the main character's relationship with an older man and her reflections on how others react to her. Unfortunately however, none of the other characters are fully drawn, and the reader never quite gets the sense that she knows these people, which makes it very easy to set down. Further character development would have made all the difference. On the other hand, the plot twists are interesting and, at paperback prices, it might make a nice light read. One caveat, I can't see it appealling much to men.

Rating:
Summary: Le monde a besoin du plus du Francais - the world needs more
Review: This is a great way to prepare for a trip to Paris, or gain "street sense" for a culture that is somewhat misperceived. The plot is a little mundane, partially because of the problem of France being seen thru the eyes of a Californian rather than a generic American, as Easterners are more likely to embrace and appreciate certain things more than a Santa Barbaran, or San Franciscan in the author's case. I am thoroughly appreciative of the insertion of phrases Francais within the text because of it's value in bringing the cultural nuances to light, provided one has a good French dictionary close at hand. I was not pleased with the seemingly obligatory segments that delineated Izabel's sexual exploits - we've many other how-to books for that. This precludes the book's inclusion into a reading list for teenage French classes and such, as I would otherwise loved to have used, excepting, of course, those schools who blithly celibrate the exposure of young wildfire libidos to further forms of lascivious enticements, only to shrug innocently when the teen pregnancy rate sets yet a new record. In this case, I'll take the bathwater with the baby because I do enjoy perspectives of authors living in the stated setting, and realize that editors insist on spice in order to sell. Not that this is the latest tango in Paris, mind you

Rating:
Summary: Great writing, compeling story, annoying insertion of French
Review: Johnson has written a charming, intelligent book that nails French culture on the head, for all its good and bad. The book flows well and the characters have real attributes as well as flaws. One annoying, too often repeated, trend however is Johnson's insistence of inserting French phrases without providing English translation. This is not the mark of a dedicated Novelist. Johnson sacrifices her audience completing understanding her for the rather banal pleasure of proving she knows a foreign language. Frankly, a French trait if there ever was one