Well I didn't get much reading done so I'm not even halfway through. Boo.

The whole scene where they kept riding the elevator while making out and then had to be kicked out by the security guard was pretty ridiculous.

And you know what I just realized? Really not much plot has happened so far, except for Keira not getting much information on her pendant except that it couldn't be dated and there may be a similar object in existence and Keira finally meeting up with Adrian so the two threads of the story are woven together.

— Adrian, seriez-vous en train de m'expliquer que nous avons roulé pendant trois cent kilomètres pour venir vérifier de visu que je ne pouvais apercevoir le phare de Kristiansand en Norvège depuis la côte Est de notre très chère Angleterre ? Si c'est le cas, je vous promets que je vous aurais cru sur parole si vous aviez pris la peine de me le suggérer à la bibliothèque tout à l'heure.*

Snicker. It makes me wonder what the standard flat-Earther argument is for this though....

*Rough translation:

"Adrian, are you trying to tell me that we drove for three hundred kilometres to visually verify that I can't see the Kristiansand lighthouse in Noway from the east coast of our very dear England? If that's the case, I promise I would have taken your word for it if you had bothered to mention it in the library earlier."

"Impossible de repasser chez moi, je n'ai jamais pu retrouver la clé de mon appartement en faisant mes valises au Chili. Je crois me souvenir que je dispose d'un double dans le tiroir de mon bureau ; j'attendrai la soirée pour retrouver la poussière qui a dû envahir mon logement depuis mon départ."*

He's just gotten back from Chile after been sent home after suffering from altitude sickness. I mean, not being able to find his key to his London apartment is pretty funny, but aren't there insurance issues with just leaving your home vacant without anyone checking on it for months??

I'm dropping my other books for the moment in order to go on a French kick in preparation for my exam on Monday. Really I should be writing this is French too but very few people who follow me can read it so I'm cheating. It's an oral exam, so I feel it's more important to feel comfortable in it than studying per se and feeling comfortable means naturally thinking in it. Watching French TV and reading in French helps with that.

*Rough translation:

"Impossible to go by my place first, I was never able to find the key to my apartment while packing in Chile. I think I remember that I have a spare in my office desk drawer; I'll wait till evening to discover the dust that has invaded my home since my departure."

Finding fame with his unintentionally written first novel, Paul escapes his life as an architect in San Fransisco, moving to Paris where he spends the next seven years writing in solitude. Worried about their friend and feeling that fate needs a little help, his best friends sign up Paul for an online match-making service. What begins as an awkward misunderstand blossoms into a true and meaningful friendship with Mia.

World-renowned actress Mia can’t pretend to be happy with her cheating husband any longer, running to stay with her best friend in Paris. There she struggles with her lingering love and hurt, trying to find meaning for her life, when she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an America author. Soon she and Paul work hard to convince themselves that their bond is nothing more than that between close friends.

I absolutely enjoyed listening to the audiobook production of P.S. From Paris. The book opens with two separate stories - the events surrounding Paul and the events surrounding Mia. We learn how lonely Paul is and how he tries to convince himself he’s okay. On the other hand, Mia knows how miserable she is but is frightened to take any risks. They live parallel lives until “fate” (in the form of Lauren and Arthur) push them together. I love how awkward and similar the two are. They seem like a great fit, but they work so hard to convince themselves they are just friends. Yet through this guise, the pair open up and learn to trust and eventually love.

What I love most about this story is the movie screen feel of the romance. It truly is a bit over-the-top and larger-than-life. I can see a young Audrey Hepburn playing Mia, so full of hope, not letting circumstances pull her down. She’s charming and silly all at once. Her behaviors mimic those of a pampered movie star, but she’s got a heart of gold. I love that both best friend Daisy and new friend Paul are able to see the internal spark under Mia’s shiny facade. 

The overall plot is a bit extravagant, but that opens the story up to silly misunderstandings and outrageous mix ups. But these situations aren’t always light, and there is one huge twist that changes Paul’s life profoundly. Yet as implausible as some of the circumstances may seem, it all fits within the perimeter and tone of the book and Mr. Levy’s writing style.

The narration by Mr. Campbell makes the story. While I have to admit, at first I didn’t care for Mia’s voice, but as I got to know and understand the character, I realized how much his interpretation fits the actress. His performance captures both Mia and Paul’s loneliness, and as the story progresses, he emanates their excitement, heartbreak, and joy. Mr. Campbell has a good range of accents, which suits this multi-national cast of characters. He easily moves from scene to scene and “head to head” - the book has a few different POVs, with an almost omnipresent narration. 

Reminiscent of romance from the Golden Age of Cinema, P.S. From Paris swept me away with the tale of Paul and Mia. Simultaneously grand and intimate, the story relays the larger-than-life romance between two lonely soles on a scale of little gestures and stolen moments. The story evolves slowly, yet I found I couldn’t tear myself away. 

My Rating: A

Narration: A-

Review copy provided by Brilliance Audio

Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About

I honestly don't feel like reliving what I already wrote in my update besides the fact that I don't know if I would have liked this more in the original French or what. The dialogue seemed off to me and the plots (such as they were) did not seem realistic at all.

The book focuses on two characters. Mia who is an English actress who I guess is famous. And Paul, who is a writer who has become a success in Korea. Yeah you read that right. 

I would honestly just say that this book is the literary version of the movie Drinking Buddies to me. You have two people who keep saying that they are not interested in each other, but keep doing enough to let you the audience know that they are interested in each other. Of course just like with that movie, I am reading a book knowing that these two people are terrible for each other. Heck, I would have liked the book more if the author had went with that as a plot instead of this yeah they are somehow falling for each other thing.

I didn't really like the flow since the book just felt stuck and then the action moves to Korea of all places. I wonder if the author has been there since I don't even get a sense of Korea. I just had to read about hotel rooms, some food, and Mia and Paul being asinine in another country.