Rating: 
Summary: Dead-on accurate snapshot of clashing cultures.
Review: This book was just a treat -- as a francophile/-phone and former resident of Paris, I found the characterizations accurate and eminently entertaining. Her perceptions of the French, such as that they never pee and can talk ad nauseam about food preparation, cracked me up. No, the plot wasn't realistic, but I guess that's why they call it fiction. The fact that the characters were either ciphers (Roxy)or caricatures (the expat Americans) made the observations all the more meaningful. And really, antiques dealers in Paris are EXACTLY as she described them!
Rating: 
Summary: Nominated for the Nat'l Book Award??
Review: How this book was nominated for the National Book Award I'll never understand, but this should give all aspiring writers hope. I thought Le Divorce was very poorly written indeed, with everything from tangled syntax to plot threads that went nowhere. Was there no editor? The best parts of the book were the cultural observations. I just wish Johnson had eliminated all the tedious cloak-and-dagger stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: reading this book was like reading underwater; everything seemed rather slow, dulled, monotone, yet I was curious to see how events would unfold. It is a good book to read if you have just read a rather taxing one and need a "restful" read with a somewhat interesting story.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I found the book slow and disappointing. The worst part was that so much was written in French that, if I spoke French, I might have understood. They never gave an explanation as to what the French words meant. I didn't like that one bit.
Rating:
Summary: OK, but not great
Review: I felt that this book started out very slow, then once it got going, it was over! The meat of the story happened in the last quarter of the book, which is disappointing. If you have time to read, choose something else.
Rating: 
Summary: Mammas, it's OK to let your daughters go to France
Review: Living in France for the past six years, I ought to try out Isabel Walker's part of town. It seems to be a lot more exciting than what I'm accustomed to as a suburban Paris housewife. The best I've experienced are potluck dinners and support groups where American wives of local citizens get together and debate their children's bilingualism and potty training. (Doesn't Isabel's sister do any of this?) I don't know anyone named duh-this or duh-that, nor do I hang out with politicians, writers, art critics, and porcelain thieves. Despite the exotic setting, it seems that a plot is lacking -- making the comical results of two colliding cultures insufficient to carry the novel. The characters are not much help here. Isabel is exceedingly superficial (being also from California, I object to her giving us a bad name.) Her few months of experience in Paris have compelled her to point out to visitors the pigeon poo on the sidewalk rather than the worthy sights of Paris. Her sister Roxanne is hopelessly pathetic. In chucking her own values and beliefs for those of her ex-husband who has so badly mistreated her, she gives the word "doormat" a whole new dimension. The author also brings out the worst in the supporting characters (American and French alike), giving them little, if any, redeeming value that would make readers care for them. Perhaps a more down to earth story line would have made the cultural contrast more striking. At any rate, this book is definitely NOT in the same league as "Portrait of a Lady" -- the merest comparison would make poor Henry James rotate in his grave.
Rating:
Summary: Which are better: French or American?
Review: Okay, I may be only 17 here, but I read the book. It's interesting, I'll give it that, but it was also kind of slow. Dianne Johnson, though, gave explanations that were vivid to the imagination. I found this book a little disappointing in that I had really expected something funnier and more up-beat than what was really there. On the whole, though, it's worthwhile to read.
Rating:
Summary: Who Cares What Happens?
Review: Yes, the setting is wonderful, and the occasional commentaries of the characters on a culture not their own were sometimes humorous due to accuracy (or conversely, due to inaccuracy); but I simply was not endeared to a single character, including the narrator. Consequently, I found myself not caring what happened to the characters. Lacking any strong positive feeling about a single character, a strong NEGATIVE feeling can often make for a positive reading experience. Sadly, there was no such strength of feeling at that end of the spectrum, either. I continued reading, hoping for a change. None was forthcoming.
Rating:
Summary: Good insight into living abroad
Review: This was recommended to me by someone who has traveled and lived abroad (as I have) and I think that is the book's strength. Lots of little vignettes like what it's like when you first understand people talking on the subway, exquisitely beautiful new sights, and the exhaustion of never completely understanding the nuances of a situation. Great details- the smells, the sounds. I wish her plot & characters were better but enjoyed it all the same. I went on to read "Persian Nights" which is even better.
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Summary: Asks the question: Can an American ever be anything else?
Review: Le Divorce does an excellent job of showing the complexities involved with being an American who wishes to live and integrate into the culture of another country. As a young American woman with a desire to live in Europe, I highly identified with the questions Diane Johnson raised about inherent American-ness. This book asks the question--Can an American ever be anything else? And more broadly--Are we forever a product of the culture we were raised in? She really focuses on this theme despite her somewhat wacky and unrealistic plot. It is her analysis of Americans in Paris that makes this book interesting. Additionally, I enjoyed the intro. quotes at the beginning of each chapter--In this book they really fit and keep the intellectual tone strong. Couldn't she have translated the French?
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