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Summary: Smart and charming
Review: A well-written and light book. The author should be applauded for her use of comedy and tragedy. Her descriptions of Paris and its people are delightful.
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Summary: The Book That NEVER Ends...
Review: This is the latest in a list of books my mother and I have been passing back and forth. It made me never want to read one of her books again.I had heard it was hilarious. I heard wrong. Instead it was a long drawn out book about a character with the wits of a peanut. I enjoy books where I can identify with the hero(ine) in some way. This book made me want to reach across the Atlantic ocean and slap Isabel (the main character). The plot is boring and stupid. The characters agonize over the most assinine things. I feel as though I have wasted hours of my life reading this book, and I will never be able to regain them.
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Summary: Americans Abroad in a All Their Splendour
Review: Diane Johnson has created a pleasant read in Le Divorce. The narrator, Isabel Walker, will lead the reader through her time in Paris as she visits her step-sister, Roxy and becomes involved in events, both silly and serious, erotic and neurotic. It is a gentle, funny comedy of clash of manners. This book recieved much hype when first released and has spawned a new sequel in Le Mariage and while perhaps not quite living up to the hype for this reader, it is still an entertaining and smart novel. The author has made the experiences of these ex-pats quite believable in sometimes unbelievable circumstances and the story moves along at a swift pace.
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Summary: Undeserving of the buzz
Review: Took this book with me on a long flight (Seoul - Delhi). I was eager to read a book set in France to get my mind off of Asia for a while. Too, the trade reviews said it was witty, well-written, etc. In a nutshell, it disappoints. It isn't particularly well written--there are several places (sorry, not motivated enough to go back and find examples) where the author's idiosynchratic usages make one wonder if she's a native English speaker. They are either editorial oversights or blunders. The characters are uninteresting. The plot bores. Bottom line: over-hyped and mediocre.
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Summary: A worthy read for US expatriates to countries other than FR
Review: I enjoyed many aspects of this book, especially the fact that it didn't take itself too seriously. As person who has traveled to and lived in other countries, I could identify with Isabel in her cultural adjustments and her efforts to learn a new language. Even though I have never been to France, the things that she felt were things that I felt while living in Korea. I appreciated the chance to commiserate, if only in my thoughts.
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Summary: Paris as a setting for a common story
Review: I am French and I have been living in Paris for 6 years, so I was very interested in reading this story about Americans discovering a bit of Paris. I must say this is nice to read about places you know, about features showing the writer actually was in Paris quite recently. I was a little disappointed to see that most of the extraordinary things to the main character may not sound fabulous to an American not coming from Santa Barbara, a quite protected area. So I had this growing impression of reading more and more cliches as I went on in the book. It is a quick and easy book to read on vacation. At some point, the main character gets bored and I did too and I was not in a better mood when I read the unrealistic end. The french setting is not enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Cody's Tardy Review
Review: Le Divorce takes the reader on a trip to Paris with Isabel Walker. The novel's 22 year old heroine, a USC Film School drop out chock full of naiveté, travels to Paris to care for her pregnant sister. She is seeking, of course, something more; she wants, like any twenty-something, a little culture, R&R, and hopefully some direction. Diane Johnson does an admirable job writing as Isabel in the first person, growing her from innocent American to savvy Franco-American in a matter of a hundred pages. The book examines the cultural and social differences between the United States and France, and the intracacies of the small and tightly-knit American population that calls France their home. Johnson's narritive is thouroughly unbiased, pointing out the idiocy and splendor of both cultures.
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Summary: delightful divorce
Review: Le Divorce is a delightful book. It definitely appeals to the feminine reader. The main character can be easily idenified with. Johnson writes very fluidly and has a distinctive style of her own. My main greivance with the book is that the plot does not really get started until practically the end. Once you are completely used to the dull overtone of the character's life with her sister in Paris, it turns completely. Simple daily memoirs become an elaborate murder mystery. It was a very amusing book none the less. If you like reading about Americans in Paris, check out "Le Divorce". Il est tres amusant!
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Summary: sam's review for larry
Review: I was so excited when I picked up the cover of this book. The picture was interesting and artistic. After reading the back cover, I assumed that Le Divorce was going to be a worthwhile read. Unfortunately for me and my $17.00, this book was the opposite. I'm normally a big fan of modern literature, but this book did not do it for me. I found myself uninterested in the characters, which made it hard for me to care about what happened to them, which in turn made it hard for me to fully appreciate the story. Normally when sex, violence, and attempted suicide are involved in a story, I look foward to reading it; such scenes in Le Divorce were unsatisfactory at best. Reading this book was like watching paint dry.
Rating:
Summary: "Le Divorce" is an amusing affair
Review: I very much enjoyed reading this novel because Diane Johnson successfully makes light of issues, such as divorce and romance, which we would normally take very seriously. In some ways, I could imagine this novel being a mock or low-key soap opera--It has all the imprtant elements of scandal and relationships. It was a pleasure to read because the style is very causual and flows with a sense of light hearted humor, but at the same time stays clever and hip. I very much liked the fact that the story seemed fairly modern--it was easy to relate to. The only thing I would say that is a drawback about this novel is that it is a little hard to get into and doesn't really speed up until the end. Otherwise, I was very amused and entertained. I'm looking forward to reading "Le Marriage" to see where Diane Johnson brings us next.
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