Book 44: The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

For my non-fiction selection this time around I'm reading a book that was loaned to me by my sister-in-law.  It is written by a guy who has written several cookbooks, mostly on desserts, though this book is more about his life in Paris and dealing with Parisians.  My sister-in-law tells me that it's very funny so I'm giving it a shot.

It's quite short, at 269 pages, so I only need to read about 39 pages per day.


REVIEW:  I like the way this book is structured.  Each chapter consists of a short narrative, almost a blog post, giving a specific lesson learned about living in Paris.  The stories are well-written and typically very funny.  The role of food is prominent as the author's life is deeply immersed in the culinary world.  And, at the end of each chapter is a recipe, usually somewhat related to the story and always mouth-watering.

I think the only thing I really didn't like about the book was that I read it too quickly.  The ideal way to read this book would be to read each chapter, then prepare the recipe at the end.  In this way, I think you might be able to savor each.

The book shows Paris, and especially, Parisians, in a light that is sometimes quite ugly, but he goes a long way toward redeeming them by the end.  Parisians may be superficial, vain, pushy and condescending but they also live in one of the world's great cities, a world capital in food, culture, finance and politics... and they know it.

The Sweet Life in Paris is a quick, light read.  Nothing of any real depth, but very enjoyable.  It's great for anyone interested in food or Paris or both.

7 out of 10