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Paris #1
The Paris Effect
When Amy loses her best friend, Kat, to cancer, she knows their dream of a secret trip to Paris will never come true. Yet Kat’s words haunt her, urging her to embark on the Paris trip alone and shed the dissatisfaction of her life in Phoenix.
Little by little, Amy, grappling with a failing marriage and struggling with painful childhood memories, lets herself be swayed. Guided by Kat’s bold voice, Amy sneaks off to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. Once there, however, she finds that her problems have come right along with her.
Through her adventures, laced with luscious descriptions of food and Paris, Amy learns that often in life, love and friendship, nothing is exactly as it seems. Will Amy choose the life she’s discovered in Paris or decide to revive the one she left behind?
A woman’s meaningful journey, set in the beauty of the City of Light.
Little by little, Amy, grappling with a failing marriage and struggling with painful childhood memories, lets herself be swayed. Guided by Kat’s bold voice, Amy sneaks off to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. Once there, however, she finds that her problems have come right along with her.
Through her adventures, laced with luscious descriptions of food and Paris, Amy learns that often in life, love and friendship, nothing is exactly as it seems. Will Amy choose the life she’s discovered in Paris or decide to revive the one she left behind?
A woman’s meaningful journey, set in the beauty of the City of Light.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 10, 2014
435 people are currently reading
1803 people want to read
About the author
K.S.R. Burns
4 books332 followersK. S. R. Burns is the author of THE PARIS EFFECT (Velvet Morning Press 2016), a novel about love, food, France, betrayal, adventure, and escape. (Hint: Nothing is what it seems.)
Writing as Karen Burns, she is also the author of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF WORKING GIRL: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use (Running Press 2009).
Writing as Karen Burns, she is also the author of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF WORKING GIRL: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use (Running Press 2009).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
December 19, 2014
This book is fascinating for a number of reasons, not the least of which the unique, unpredictable plot. The characters are original and sympathetic, the locations are spot-on, and the author's eye for description sucks you right into the story and makes you feel as though YOU are the one who's marauding around Paris.
I highly recommend this book. It's perfect for people who are looking for a complicated heroine who's trying to figure her life out in the most interesting way possible.
I highly recommend this book. It's perfect for people who are looking for a complicated heroine who's trying to figure her life out in the most interesting way possible.
December 16, 2014
Amy is obsessed with dieting. I know people obsessed with dieting. (My elbows only touch the flesh of my waist if I tuck them in very tightly - does that count? What if it does count? Should I be working on that?) She’s obsessed with visiting Paris. I’ve visited Paris. And, she is heavy in grief at the death of her best friend, Kat. In real life, I work in a volunteer capacity with those clouded in grief. I know grief! The author, K.S. R. Burns, clearly knows Amy’s obsessions and represents them perfectly! So, I’m convinced, just as I know dieting and grief (Paris, not so much), I know Amy! I’m not surprised she takes off for Paris without telling her husband, William. Grief makes you do crazy things. But, is grief really the impetus for the journey? Hmm, maybe I don’t know Amy as much as I thought I did. For that matter, maybe none of the characters in Rules for the Perpetual Diet are who I think they are! Is Manu dangerous? Is Margaret too good to be true? Is William as committed as Amy believes? Is the deceased Kat the perfect friend Amy always believed her to be? It was fun figuring it out! Wait, do I really know?
December 28, 2014
I have just devoured this very amusing, fast-paced, well-written tale over the holidays, punctuated by my large (in numbers, not physique) family decimating a great deal of festive food at long, regular sittings. Amy’s Rules were ringing in my ears, helping me to moderate consumption – even abstain once or twice! Some of the rules (as promised) are just weird – Amy might change her mind about Picky Eaters (#17) if she was a parent. Some are sound (#13. Never eat processed food). Some are impossible (#14. Don’t eat in front of the television…) and some are worrying (#10. Hang mirrors everywhere).
Book Groups – Listen Up! KSR Burns says she wrote this with you in mind. I predict you’ll very much enjoy reading and discussing the rare combination of plot (and its rapid twists and turns); characters (like Amy) who are not one dimensionally all black or white but a mixture of issues, like most of us; remarkably clear scene setting (she really took me to Paris); variety of themes and issues to discuss (bereavement, eating disorders, sexuality...) and some loose ends for debate (who really wants a perfect wrap up?). There are so many things about the complex Amy and her adventures I'm eager to talk about.
A very unusual, enjoyable novel with several original dimensions to pique the imagination. I was turning the pages rapidly - not always sure of what I was hoping for. I like that very much.
Congratulations, KSR Burns. Get on with the promised sequel! I’m anxiously awaiting what’s next for Amy.
Book Groups – Listen Up! KSR Burns says she wrote this with you in mind. I predict you’ll very much enjoy reading and discussing the rare combination of plot (and its rapid twists and turns); characters (like Amy) who are not one dimensionally all black or white but a mixture of issues, like most of us; remarkably clear scene setting (she really took me to Paris); variety of themes and issues to discuss (bereavement, eating disorders, sexuality...) and some loose ends for debate (who really wants a perfect wrap up?). There are so many things about the complex Amy and her adventures I'm eager to talk about.
A very unusual, enjoyable novel with several original dimensions to pique the imagination. I was turning the pages rapidly - not always sure of what I was hoping for. I like that very much.
Congratulations, KSR Burns. Get on with the promised sequel! I’m anxiously awaiting what’s next for Amy.
February 2, 2015
Having gone through an eating disorder of my own as a teenager, I truly felt the pain and agony of what it's like to try every diet. Starving my poor stomach surely felt like starving my soul. And then to have my elbows still hit that middle section muffin top was only salt in the proverbial wound. The story reads so well that I felt like I knew each of these characters like friends, dysfunctional or not. The sights, sounds and smells of Paris only heightened my longing to go there some day. So realizing how long Amy (and Kat) had planned this trip, it was only heartbreaking that everything was not going according to "The Plan". My only thought was why Amy just couldn't face her husband and just tell him what was in her heart. The 'not telling' was just as torturous as 'telling'. Amy's journey will ring well with every single person who has struggled with the life choices that we face every day. This is the PERFECT book group book as it will inspire lots of wonderful conversation!
April 29, 2015
When I first saw this book advertised I assumed it was yet one more ‘How to get thin and find eternal happiness’ self-help manual. If I hadn’t had assurances from the author that it was far from that, I don’t think I would have started reading it. The last thing this world needs is another book glorifying the rewards of self-starvation. In spite of the reassurances, I entered the book warily, but within a very short time was completely absorbed in Amy’s adventures in the Wonderland that is her own personal rite of passage in Paris. It’s an inner journey every bit as much as an external one, and her unexpected trip into the hidden catacombs beneath Paris is an impressive metaphor for this. There are 33 Rules for a Perpetual Diet, and Amy revisits each one in her thoughts and memories as her travels take her further down the rabbit hole into the truth of her feelings about her recently deceased friend Kat, her relationship with food, and her ailing marriage. She has some interesting guides who journey alongside her, demonstrating the wisdom of a life lived without rules. They nudge her in the right direction – or do they? This novel has many twists and turns, and it’s not easy to spot who is hero and who villain, as she learns more about each person in her life as she goes along, as well as gaining insight into her own deepest motivations. Was Kat really the one true heart friend she seemed? Is her persistently absent husband William really ‘too good to be true’? And does her chief guide, Margaret, have a hidden agenda of her own? Is she in fact like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, fattening Amy up within the confines of the seductively epicurean gingerbread house? Amy’s plans seem to get scuppered each time she attempts to return to the ‘normality’ of her rule-driven existence. And is that the universe telling her something that deep in her heart she already knows? The message seems to be: give up the narrow restraints and near horizons of your usual way of life, and eat your fill of what’s on offer as an alternative. This book is clever, wise, and beautifully written, with a deft touch. It is also a superb, softly played love song to Paris itself. Amy’s flight towards self-awareness left me longing to visit Paris again: the smells, tastes, sounds and sights resonated throughout the novel, a delightfully drawn backdrop to the story itself. A well-deserved 5*.
March 24, 2016
The Paris Effect by K.S.R. Burns is indeed a perfect women's fiction novel. Readers will see that there is a lot that happens inside, this brilliant well-written story. The main character has issues like the rest of us. She even has a list of rules some that sound great, others creepy, and the rest crazy. This is the first novel I have read by this talented writer. The characters will keep readers constantly one their toes especially, Amy. Amy is a character that readers can't put one label on...instead, she contains many surprising labels and creates a fascinating adventure ahead.
Inside The Paris Effect, readers find a woman that is not smooth on the edges but rough and a little frayed. Amy and her woman friend Kat take up much of the novel. Everything, Amy does she either has her husband William telling her what to do or her friend Kat whose voice tells her what to do. Amy just doesn't know what she wants yet or what she wants to do. She is laid off, her best friend died, and she has plans of going to Paris. K.S.R. Burns takes readers to traveling to Paris where Amy runs into more trouble. Her husband wants kids one day and she's not so sure. She tries calling her husband yet no answer...does that mean they are done? I can't wait to read the sequel to this amazing piece. Readers like myself will be enticed from the first page and eager to finish the whole book in one sitting. Then when readers reach the ending...they will be begging to read more. I couldn't believe how wonderful and adventurous this title would be until I read it. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to readers worldwide.
Inside The Paris Effect, readers find a woman that is not smooth on the edges but rough and a little frayed. Amy and her woman friend Kat take up much of the novel. Everything, Amy does she either has her husband William telling her what to do or her friend Kat whose voice tells her what to do. Amy just doesn't know what she wants yet or what she wants to do. She is laid off, her best friend died, and she has plans of going to Paris. K.S.R. Burns takes readers to traveling to Paris where Amy runs into more trouble. Her husband wants kids one day and she's not so sure. She tries calling her husband yet no answer...does that mean they are done? I can't wait to read the sequel to this amazing piece. Readers like myself will be enticed from the first page and eager to finish the whole book in one sitting. Then when readers reach the ending...they will be begging to read more. I couldn't believe how wonderful and adventurous this title would be until I read it. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to readers worldwide.
August 4, 2016
this book is entertaining and definitely leaves you wanting more. which, according to the author, is in the works. now we wait.
my review- if only. I have been in a love affair with Paris since a school trip almost seventeen years ago. if you could leave your life behind and run away to Paris- would you?
my review- if only. I have been in a love affair with Paris since a school trip almost seventeen years ago. if you could leave your life behind and run away to Paris- would you?
January 11, 2015
I'm halfway through this new novel by K.S.R Burns. This is the perfect book to read on your next trip! Like a well-planned adventure, this story engages you, moves along at a nice pace, and leaves you curious about what will happens next!
September 13, 2016
William and Amy are made for each other. William is ruled by numbers. Amy is ruled by her diet rules. When her best friend Kat dies, she decides to take the trip to Paris the two had been planning during Kat's illness. There she finally breaks some rules and realizes there is more to life than following rules.
I was going to throw the book at the wall if I had to hear more about Amy's diet rules. They were boring and messing up her life. I loved it when, in Paris, nothing went as she expected. She lived spontaneously and found out it was fun. Though Kat was dead, her presence was felt throughout the book. She was able to persuade Amy to go to Paris. William was a jerk. He was so similar to Amy it was hard to tell them apart.
The book ending much better than it began and I am looking forward to the sequel
I was going to throw the book at the wall if I had to hear more about Amy's diet rules. They were boring and messing up her life. I loved it when, in Paris, nothing went as she expected. She lived spontaneously and found out it was fun. Though Kat was dead, her presence was felt throughout the book. She was able to persuade Amy to go to Paris. William was a jerk. He was so similar to Amy it was hard to tell them apart.
The book ending much better than it began and I am looking forward to the sequel
July 22, 2016
'The Paris Effect' is a book that I have seen pop up on my Twitter feed more than once. At first I had no idea who wrote it (sorry) because I was memorised by the cover. I saw the colours, the word 'Paris' and it went straight on my TBR list. The more I saw it, the more intrigued I became. I did want to read it but every time I saw it, I was already 'booked'. Then one day, the lovely Karen Burns sent me a lovely e-mail asking me to review her book 'The Paris Effect'. It was one of the nicest request e-mails that I have ever received, plus it wasn't a book I was going to turn down, obviously! Thank you Karen for sending me the copy of the book and for your truly lovely e-mail!
I did make room for this book I'll be honest (read it the day after I got sent it!).
Have you ever made a pact with a best friend, to do something completely outlandish, planned to the last detail, with the only participants being you and your best friend?
But what if you could no longer make that pact a reality?
When Amy loses her best friend to cancer, she has not only lost her best friend; the one person that truly knew her, she has also lost Kat's words of wisdom and friendship. They had a plan to go to Paris, everything was planned, outfits organised, itinerary known..but one important thing was missing. Kat. Amy could go to Paris with her husband, after all, it is a romantic city, she could go on her own with no husband and no Kat, or she could not go full-stop. Where do Amy's priorities lay? With her husband, herself or her best friend that is no longer with her?
I was slightly disappointed when I began the book and read a chapter or two as there were rules on dieting and being obsessed with calories. As a person that has struggled with eating disorders and weight for many years, it caught me off guard a little bit. However, once I had removed my own personal struggles from the concept of the book and how that tied in with Amy's character, my disappointment soon went and I began to enjoy it. The rules for dieting turned out to be quite cleverly done too.
I did feel quite sorry for Amy, she had just lost someone close to her and her husband was being a gigantic pain in the pear tree. Amy goes on her journey making some rather questionable decisions, but you can tell by the emotion within the story, that it was right for her despite the consequences that she will face.
I adored feeling as though I was getting a tour of Paris, monuments and well-known spots being described brilliantly. Well, I say brilliantly, I have never been to Paris but if I do go, I'll expect it to look like what Karen has described it to be! No pressure haha. Despite the chic lit background what with the obsession with food and best friend plans, 'The Paris Effect' had some rather fast paced situations which bumped the book up another level for me, personally. I felt that it gave the story another dimension to it.
As Amy continued her journey she came across a selection of very different people. At first glance they were just the 'average Joe', but Amy soon released that people, and places, aren't always as straight forward as we believe. My opinion of Amy differed immensely throughout the book because of every choice that she made. Part of me felt sorry for her, another part of me felt she needed to grow up, but then another part of me wanted to support her. How can you support someone who seems such a lost cause though?
I loved how each character stood out of the book in their own ways and weren't just part of the story to make up numbers so to speak. 'The Paris Effect' was the first book that I had read of Karen's so I was looking forward to finding out her style of writing. I definitely wasn't disappointed. Despite my earlier reservations, after a couple of chapters, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down and I was eager to find out what happened to each character and what path they were destined to be on.
'The Paris Effect' is a novel full of emotionally charged situations. A novel that opens your eyes to people's motives, including your own. A novel that will take you on a journey around Paris and show you that it's okay to eat nice things. A novel that will make you question whether you're on the correct path for YOU or whether you are going along for the ride. A novel that, if like me, will leave you thinking that you have something 'in your eye'. A novel that will make you message the author and ask her whether there will be a next book.....
Such a brilliant read, I would read it again in a heartbeat....unless the next book comes out and then I will read that first!
I did make room for this book I'll be honest (read it the day after I got sent it!).
Have you ever made a pact with a best friend, to do something completely outlandish, planned to the last detail, with the only participants being you and your best friend?
But what if you could no longer make that pact a reality?
When Amy loses her best friend to cancer, she has not only lost her best friend; the one person that truly knew her, she has also lost Kat's words of wisdom and friendship. They had a plan to go to Paris, everything was planned, outfits organised, itinerary known..but one important thing was missing. Kat. Amy could go to Paris with her husband, after all, it is a romantic city, she could go on her own with no husband and no Kat, or she could not go full-stop. Where do Amy's priorities lay? With her husband, herself or her best friend that is no longer with her?
I was slightly disappointed when I began the book and read a chapter or two as there were rules on dieting and being obsessed with calories. As a person that has struggled with eating disorders and weight for many years, it caught me off guard a little bit. However, once I had removed my own personal struggles from the concept of the book and how that tied in with Amy's character, my disappointment soon went and I began to enjoy it. The rules for dieting turned out to be quite cleverly done too.
I did feel quite sorry for Amy, she had just lost someone close to her and her husband was being a gigantic pain in the pear tree. Amy goes on her journey making some rather questionable decisions, but you can tell by the emotion within the story, that it was right for her despite the consequences that she will face.
I adored feeling as though I was getting a tour of Paris, monuments and well-known spots being described brilliantly. Well, I say brilliantly, I have never been to Paris but if I do go, I'll expect it to look like what Karen has described it to be! No pressure haha. Despite the chic lit background what with the obsession with food and best friend plans, 'The Paris Effect' had some rather fast paced situations which bumped the book up another level for me, personally. I felt that it gave the story another dimension to it.
As Amy continued her journey she came across a selection of very different people. At first glance they were just the 'average Joe', but Amy soon released that people, and places, aren't always as straight forward as we believe. My opinion of Amy differed immensely throughout the book because of every choice that she made. Part of me felt sorry for her, another part of me felt she needed to grow up, but then another part of me wanted to support her. How can you support someone who seems such a lost cause though?
I loved how each character stood out of the book in their own ways and weren't just part of the story to make up numbers so to speak. 'The Paris Effect' was the first book that I had read of Karen's so I was looking forward to finding out her style of writing. I definitely wasn't disappointed. Despite my earlier reservations, after a couple of chapters, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down and I was eager to find out what happened to each character and what path they were destined to be on.
'The Paris Effect' is a novel full of emotionally charged situations. A novel that opens your eyes to people's motives, including your own. A novel that will take you on a journey around Paris and show you that it's okay to eat nice things. A novel that will make you question whether you're on the correct path for YOU or whether you are going along for the ride. A novel that, if like me, will leave you thinking that you have something 'in your eye'. A novel that will make you message the author and ask her whether there will be a next book.....
Such a brilliant read, I would read it again in a heartbeat....unless the next book comes out and then I will read that first!
December 23, 2014
This is one of those books that fall outside my normal realm of reading, but I’m so glad I dove in! This topic, while it may seem light is actually quite dark. Amy struggles with an eating disorder. As the story progressed, you became increasingly aware that her obsession with her size was very unhealthy and not in line with what others saw.
Many of the rules Amy has sound like the thinspo boards Tumblr and Pinterest banned a few years ago. I felt like Amy grows into some healthier ways of thinking by the end, but I really wish there were some mention of charities/sources people could go to learn more about eating disorders and how to get help, especially in the book group discussion section.
Amy is also dealing with the late-20’s angst of who she is and how she lives in the world, while also grieving the long illness and eventual demise of her best friend. She has a dry sense of humor that will simultaneously make you laugh out loud and wince. There were quite a few moments where I took a moment to highlight some things that were said that I could use as food for thought later:
“…sometimes we need other people to reflect our stories back to us.”
“People would never say, ‘Wow, you’re so fat, how do even you fit into a chair!’ But skinniness is okay to remark upon. Worse, they often add, ‘You’re so lucky to be thin,’ as if thinness were an accident, as if thinness were a quality you either have or you don’t. But there’s nothing accidental about thinness. Nope. Not in twenty-first-century America.”
“Without a phone, or a computer, I have so much free time now. Time to do things instead of just watching things.”
“Every relationship, no matter how long or short, how good or bad, must come to an end. Sooner or later. And then there is pain.”
I couldn't put the book down once I got to the final quarter. I was glad to see Amy had been able to make some important decisions, but still felt like there were quite a few threads left dangling; which, as the author’s note at the end explains, we can expect to hear more from Amy, so looking forward to that!
Many of the rules Amy has sound like the thinspo boards Tumblr and Pinterest banned a few years ago. I felt like Amy grows into some healthier ways of thinking by the end, but I really wish there were some mention of charities/sources people could go to learn more about eating disorders and how to get help, especially in the book group discussion section.
Amy is also dealing with the late-20’s angst of who she is and how she lives in the world, while also grieving the long illness and eventual demise of her best friend. She has a dry sense of humor that will simultaneously make you laugh out loud and wince. There were quite a few moments where I took a moment to highlight some things that were said that I could use as food for thought later:
“…sometimes we need other people to reflect our stories back to us.”
“People would never say, ‘Wow, you’re so fat, how do even you fit into a chair!’ But skinniness is okay to remark upon. Worse, they often add, ‘You’re so lucky to be thin,’ as if thinness were an accident, as if thinness were a quality you either have or you don’t. But there’s nothing accidental about thinness. Nope. Not in twenty-first-century America.”
“Without a phone, or a computer, I have so much free time now. Time to do things instead of just watching things.”
“Every relationship, no matter how long or short, how good or bad, must come to an end. Sooner or later. And then there is pain.”
I couldn't put the book down once I got to the final quarter. I was glad to see Amy had been able to make some important decisions, but still felt like there were quite a few threads left dangling; which, as the author’s note at the end explains, we can expect to hear more from Amy, so looking forward to that!
June 9, 2016
Not your average Paris story... and that's exactly what I loved about it. More than a journey to Paris, it's a journey through the scared, grieving, wandering, and lonely mind of Amy. This woman has lived life a certain way up until this point. Will she change? And will it be for the better? I loved following her on her meandering path and hung on every word, waiting to see what happened next.
December 18, 2014
Great read! This author can tell a tale with a dry wit that will make you laugh. Good story, well told, thoughtful.
October 30, 2016
As you would expect from the title this is a book about Paris. But not just Paris, and not the Paris you usually read about in novels.
We first meet the heroine, Amy, in her spotless American kitchen playing the role of model (sort of) spouse, preparing meals for hubby William, a man who likes order in his life and things that are predictable, like numbers. Amy can do numbers too, especially when working out the nutritional value of, say, a big bowlful of cookie dough ice-cream with fudge chunks, one defining aspect of her personality being her obsession with dieting. She is The Constant Calorie Counter, determined never to put back the pounds she worked so hard to lose (this in spite of another obsession–a love of all that is edible). But there are rules to be followed. Too bad for that crisp golden-flaked strudel she just served up to William! So far, the rules rule.
However there’s another side to Amy, which we see in her relationship with best friend Kat, who has just lost her battle with cancer.
‘…you oughta be an artist,’ Kat tells her. ‘You’re not realizing your potential, Amy.’
For the last three years the two of them have had a dream, that of visiting Paris together, the sizzling drizzling Ella Fitzgerald Paris, the iconic city with the Art Nouveau lamps and the romantic bridges and the mysterious river. Oh, and the most amazing cuisine. The city where ‘you can be who you really are’. The dream solidifies, and becomes ‘The Plan’. And this is one of the things I like best about this book, how easy it is to identify with quirky, contradictory and sometimes exasperating Amy, to feel her sadness as she watches her friend lose her fight, to understand her neuroses and obsessions (who doesn’t have any?) but mainly to share her aspirations, her yearning to take off, do something different, escape and live a dream, even if it’s only for a few days.
When Kat dies, Amy embarks on The Plan alone. With terror in her heart and a full-blown eye-streaming cold, she finally gets on that plane and finds herself in the City of Light and Love. I’m sure many readers will be cheering her on at this point. Will she meet a dark handsome stranger? Will she gaze at the Mona Lisa and find the meaning of life?
But in her book description, K.S.R. Burns hints that ‘nothing is what it seems’ and one of the first surprises is to discover our heroine not drifting through the Tuileries gardens lost in rapture but instead ricocheting from one totally unexpected adventure to the next along with a bunch of dubious characters, a little like Zazie in her famous metro. Her physical travels are mirrored by existential ones as Amy, struggling to adapt to her new experiences, will be forced to stop, think, and re-evaluate, not just in terms of her own self-perception but also regarding the perceptions she has of others and the way in which she relates to them.
Well-written, funny, poignant, absorbing, ‘The Paris Effect’ is a great read (I finished it in one sitting). The perfect book for those who love strong heroines in quest of answers and enjoy the idea of taking a walk on the wild side.
‘You can be who you really are in Paris.’
We first meet the heroine, Amy, in her spotless American kitchen playing the role of model (sort of) spouse, preparing meals for hubby William, a man who likes order in his life and things that are predictable, like numbers. Amy can do numbers too, especially when working out the nutritional value of, say, a big bowlful of cookie dough ice-cream with fudge chunks, one defining aspect of her personality being her obsession with dieting. She is The Constant Calorie Counter, determined never to put back the pounds she worked so hard to lose (this in spite of another obsession–a love of all that is edible). But there are rules to be followed. Too bad for that crisp golden-flaked strudel she just served up to William! So far, the rules rule.
However there’s another side to Amy, which we see in her relationship with best friend Kat, who has just lost her battle with cancer.
‘…you oughta be an artist,’ Kat tells her. ‘You’re not realizing your potential, Amy.’
For the last three years the two of them have had a dream, that of visiting Paris together, the sizzling drizzling Ella Fitzgerald Paris, the iconic city with the Art Nouveau lamps and the romantic bridges and the mysterious river. Oh, and the most amazing cuisine. The city where ‘you can be who you really are’. The dream solidifies, and becomes ‘The Plan’. And this is one of the things I like best about this book, how easy it is to identify with quirky, contradictory and sometimes exasperating Amy, to feel her sadness as she watches her friend lose her fight, to understand her neuroses and obsessions (who doesn’t have any?) but mainly to share her aspirations, her yearning to take off, do something different, escape and live a dream, even if it’s only for a few days.
When Kat dies, Amy embarks on The Plan alone. With terror in her heart and a full-blown eye-streaming cold, she finally gets on that plane and finds herself in the City of Light and Love. I’m sure many readers will be cheering her on at this point. Will she meet a dark handsome stranger? Will she gaze at the Mona Lisa and find the meaning of life?
But in her book description, K.S.R. Burns hints that ‘nothing is what it seems’ and one of the first surprises is to discover our heroine not drifting through the Tuileries gardens lost in rapture but instead ricocheting from one totally unexpected adventure to the next along with a bunch of dubious characters, a little like Zazie in her famous metro. Her physical travels are mirrored by existential ones as Amy, struggling to adapt to her new experiences, will be forced to stop, think, and re-evaluate, not just in terms of her own self-perception but also regarding the perceptions she has of others and the way in which she relates to them.
Well-written, funny, poignant, absorbing, ‘The Paris Effect’ is a great read (I finished it in one sitting). The perfect book for those who love strong heroines in quest of answers and enjoy the idea of taking a walk on the wild side.
‘You can be who you really are in Paris.’
April 26, 2015
O, Amy Brodie is one messed-up narrator! (The best kind, in my opinion, because complex makes for interesting.)
This immediately engaging novel by K.S.R. Burns, author of The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl, sees Amy Brodie, a 29-year-old childless wife in Phoenix, teetering on the edge. Amy’s in the grip of many issues at the beginning of this enthralling contemporary women’s fiction: grief, an eating disorder, self-denial… to name a few. Her husband is the epitome of the solid, don’t-change-stuff, immutable provider; her best friend just died of cancer; she views co-workers through a prism of revulsion. The ballast in her life is these rules. Her perpetual diet.
When I hit the first of these rules (there are 30-odd), my heart sank a little. In this intriguing novel, the rules came as a manifesto for anorexia and there’s a wee bit of fatism going on with Amy. But we quickly realize how her rules are just so—real and important to talk about in contemporary literature. Who among today’s teens, pre-teens, and young women hasn’t turned against their own body by following some rules of eating? To lose weight, or get healthier, to get a man, or control all the outward chaos by reigning in our own innocent flesh. It’s terrible and it’s true. So many women are on some perpetual diet right now. However, when Amy leaps on a plane to Paris, her City of Light snaps her out of her rules with some very unexpected plot twists.
Burns’s prose underpins this novel with deft humor and laser-sharp descriptions and characterization. This is a funny read. And surprising. As Amy delves deeper into Paris—literally descending into hidden catacombs—she shucks off the past to embrace a present-moment style of living that leaves the reader applauding her bravado. This is no sugar-coated, pink-bowed, fairy tale of Paris!
I was reminded of Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women: "I felt that it was not so different from all the other advice handed out to women, to girls, advice that assumed being female made you damageable, that a certain amount of carefulness and solemn fuss and self-protection were called for, whereas men were supposed to be able to go out and take on all kinds of experiences and shuck off what they didn’t want and come back proud. Without even thinking about it, I had decided to do the same.”
I loved how Amy Brodie decides to do the same.
This immediately engaging novel by K.S.R. Burns, author of The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl, sees Amy Brodie, a 29-year-old childless wife in Phoenix, teetering on the edge. Amy’s in the grip of many issues at the beginning of this enthralling contemporary women’s fiction: grief, an eating disorder, self-denial… to name a few. Her husband is the epitome of the solid, don’t-change-stuff, immutable provider; her best friend just died of cancer; she views co-workers through a prism of revulsion. The ballast in her life is these rules. Her perpetual diet.
When I hit the first of these rules (there are 30-odd), my heart sank a little. In this intriguing novel, the rules came as a manifesto for anorexia and there’s a wee bit of fatism going on with Amy. But we quickly realize how her rules are just so—real and important to talk about in contemporary literature. Who among today’s teens, pre-teens, and young women hasn’t turned against their own body by following some rules of eating? To lose weight, or get healthier, to get a man, or control all the outward chaos by reigning in our own innocent flesh. It’s terrible and it’s true. So many women are on some perpetual diet right now. However, when Amy leaps on a plane to Paris, her City of Light snaps her out of her rules with some very unexpected plot twists.
Burns’s prose underpins this novel with deft humor and laser-sharp descriptions and characterization. This is a funny read. And surprising. As Amy delves deeper into Paris—literally descending into hidden catacombs—she shucks off the past to embrace a present-moment style of living that leaves the reader applauding her bravado. This is no sugar-coated, pink-bowed, fairy tale of Paris!
I was reminded of Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women: "I felt that it was not so different from all the other advice handed out to women, to girls, advice that assumed being female made you damageable, that a certain amount of carefulness and solemn fuss and self-protection were called for, whereas men were supposed to be able to go out and take on all kinds of experiences and shuck off what they didn’t want and come back proud. Without even thinking about it, I had decided to do the same.”
I loved how Amy Brodie decides to do the same.
April 16, 2016
What an interesting story from beginning to end. I will be honest I was not terribly enthralled by the first half of the story. I really found it hard to relate to and understand. Amy's food obsession was crazy and downright irritating at times. I was practically screaming at her to EAT SOMETHING!
Then there is Amy and Will's relationship, it is pretty evident that they met, slept together, got pregnant and had a shot gun wedding. And as you will learn through out the story they truly know nothing about the other.
Paris...the City of Love and Lights...or is it?
Amy's closest friend Kat dies, but not before they devise this intricate plan that will take place after her recovery. They were going to celebrate with a trip to Paris.
Last minute and probably not in the right mindset, Amy takes her stash and just up and decides to go on her own, to live out her and Kat's dream.
You will meet so many characters along this interesting and crazy journey...co-worker from the library, cast of interesting characters in Paris including a savior of sorts for Amy and an unlikely friend.
I won't be giving away the turn of events that unfold but I will say that the ending is what you will least expect and it had be surprised all the way to the end.
Sit back, grab a bottle of your favorite wine and enjoy this sometimes happy, sometimes creepy (even a little love and obsession thrown into the mix) journey of Amy's life and her journey to truly find herself.
Then there is Amy and Will's relationship, it is pretty evident that they met, slept together, got pregnant and had a shot gun wedding. And as you will learn through out the story they truly know nothing about the other.
Paris...the City of Love and Lights...or is it?
Amy's closest friend Kat dies, but not before they devise this intricate plan that will take place after her recovery. They were going to celebrate with a trip to Paris.
Last minute and probably not in the right mindset, Amy takes her stash and just up and decides to go on her own, to live out her and Kat's dream.
You will meet so many characters along this interesting and crazy journey...co-worker from the library, cast of interesting characters in Paris including a savior of sorts for Amy and an unlikely friend.
I won't be giving away the turn of events that unfold but I will say that the ending is what you will least expect and it had be surprised all the way to the end.
Sit back, grab a bottle of your favorite wine and enjoy this sometimes happy, sometimes creepy (even a little love and obsession thrown into the mix) journey of Amy's life and her journey to truly find herself.
March 13, 2015
Wonderfully fun read. It moves along at a nice clip, but there are hidden depths and some twists and turns along the way.
July 18, 2018
This book started out annoying me like hell. The main character in the book is so self absorbed in her own misery and obsessed with her weight. The main character, Amy, is mourning her best friend’s lost battle to cancer. Ok, I get that but man is she a jerk to her husband. Pretty much her whole marriage she had hidden things from her husband and she thinks that nothing else matters but the fact that her best friend is no longer alive. Which is normal, to a certain extent. She, however, takes it the next level by traveling to a secret trip to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. That was the first half of the book. I was extremely tempted to DNF it but then things got goooood! It was almost thriller-like the way things happened. I stayed up until 2 am finishing it and then started on the sequel! Overall, it’s a story of finding yourself and overcoming grief type book and had it not been for her horrible character I would’ve enjoyed a lot it more. It was a 3/5⭐️
January 10, 2017
I have had this sitting on my Kindle for a while now and when I saw that the book was going on tour, I decided to join the tour and get reading. So my reaction to this book is.. Why the heck didnt I read it before?. I absolutely LOVED LOVED this. It is one of those books that you lose yourself into and before you know it the end is near. I can honestly say I was gutted when I got to the end but had a big smile on my face when the next page told us, it wasnt the end of Amy's adventures.
So meet Amy, Amy and her friend Kat have been secretly planning a long awaited trip to Paris since they were in college together. When Kat sadly dies from cancer, Amy feels that she can not possibly go now without Kat and the dream is over. After watching a dvd left for Amy from Kat and a return ticket left in her bag, Amy is told she must still go on the trip and stick to their plan. Things are not great in Amy's marriage, so when her husband William, goes away on a business trip, Amy sees her chance to hop on a plane and get to Paris. We follow Amy's adventure in and around Paris and she gets to meet some interesting people. I loved the way this was all brought together, there seemed to be a twist at every turn and I couldnt quiet predict what was going to happen next. I fully embrased the descriptions of the food, buildings, streets and people. I fondly laughed at the Seine being described as Hot chocolate. The Catabombs were an added extra, meeting Margaret was nice but there was something not quiet right. The only thing I was not keen on was the whole issue with dieting and eating. I still think this would of been an amazing book without the whole eating disorder references, as I dont think they played any kind of positive part in the story. Amy actually turned into a very nice person whille in Paris and wasnt so hung up on food. I am so pleased there is a book 2 as I feel Amy has so much more to give and as K.S.R. Burns has written such a starting point of Amy's life, it would be such a shame not to continue on her journey. A highly recommended read.
Please take a look at the rest of the stops on this tour :
https://francebooktours.com/2016/11/2...
So meet Amy, Amy and her friend Kat have been secretly planning a long awaited trip to Paris since they were in college together. When Kat sadly dies from cancer, Amy feels that she can not possibly go now without Kat and the dream is over. After watching a dvd left for Amy from Kat and a return ticket left in her bag, Amy is told she must still go on the trip and stick to their plan. Things are not great in Amy's marriage, so when her husband William, goes away on a business trip, Amy sees her chance to hop on a plane and get to Paris. We follow Amy's adventure in and around Paris and she gets to meet some interesting people. I loved the way this was all brought together, there seemed to be a twist at every turn and I couldnt quiet predict what was going to happen next. I fully embrased the descriptions of the food, buildings, streets and people. I fondly laughed at the Seine being described as Hot chocolate. The Catabombs were an added extra, meeting Margaret was nice but there was something not quiet right. The only thing I was not keen on was the whole issue with dieting and eating. I still think this would of been an amazing book without the whole eating disorder references, as I dont think they played any kind of positive part in the story. Amy actually turned into a very nice person whille in Paris and wasnt so hung up on food. I am so pleased there is a book 2 as I feel Amy has so much more to give and as K.S.R. Burns has written such a starting point of Amy's life, it would be such a shame not to continue on her journey. A highly recommended read.
Please take a look at the rest of the stops on this tour :
https://francebooktours.com/2016/11/2...
December 30, 2014
It's not a diet plan per say and it has little to do with nonfiction but Rules for the Perpetual Diet is a novel covering ten days in the life of a diet-obsessed twenty-something woman who perpetually struggles with weight gain and loss. Sound familiar? Well, don't get too comfortable: the familiar is about to be turned upside down as Amy's opening line snags attention: "Kat is dead. I am not. What I am is hungry. And majorly pissed off…"
In a few lines Burns has captured what all too few novels manage to grab: reader attention. And that attention continues as Amy plans a trip to France in an effort to avoid thinking about food (really??) and finds herself in a new world both strange and familiar at the same time.
As readers move through the story, one surprising facet is uncovered: its ability to subtly but insistently insert the elements of a diet plan and insights into self-image, motivation, and food obsession within the course of a winning story of Amy's struggles.
Threads of humor make for wry observations and fun moments that take serious encounters and turn them on end.
The story is about food and obsession - but it's also about Amy's discovery of her self outside of food, love, and life's slings and arrows. It's about her breakthroughs of what she needs in life and what she needs to lose - physically and figuratively. And, ultimately, it's about baggage and change. Woven within the story of her personal revelations is - yes - insights on diets, how they work, and why they don't.
Any female reader struggling to understand rules of engagement and dieting will welcome this unusual blend of a fictional story, a feisty, believable protagonist's journeys, and the underlying purpose and realities of dieting and weight loss that all combine to make for a fun, vigorous read.
In a few lines Burns has captured what all too few novels manage to grab: reader attention. And that attention continues as Amy plans a trip to France in an effort to avoid thinking about food (really??) and finds herself in a new world both strange and familiar at the same time.
As readers move through the story, one surprising facet is uncovered: its ability to subtly but insistently insert the elements of a diet plan and insights into self-image, motivation, and food obsession within the course of a winning story of Amy's struggles.
Threads of humor make for wry observations and fun moments that take serious encounters and turn them on end.
The story is about food and obsession - but it's also about Amy's discovery of her self outside of food, love, and life's slings and arrows. It's about her breakthroughs of what she needs in life and what she needs to lose - physically and figuratively. And, ultimately, it's about baggage and change. Woven within the story of her personal revelations is - yes - insights on diets, how they work, and why they don't.
Any female reader struggling to understand rules of engagement and dieting will welcome this unusual blend of a fictional story, a feisty, believable protagonist's journeys, and the underlying purpose and realities of dieting and weight loss that all combine to make for a fun, vigorous read.
December 8, 2015
"The Paris Effect" is a good book about Amy, a young woman trying to find herself after the loss of her best friend, Kat. Kat recently passed away from cancer, and was the pillar of Amy's existence. Friends since - well, forever - Kat and Amy have always had a plan to visit Paris together; a plan that no one knew about except the two of them. With Kat's passing, Amy takes off on an adventure of a lifetime to the other side of the world.
Once in Paris, nothing seems to go as Amy had planned. The "plan" that she had with Kat had every tiny detail planned - where to go, what to see, even what and where to eat. Obsessed with being skinny, Amy doesn't have time for buttery croissants and pastries that Paris is known for, but a chance meeting with an older, mature Paris transplant is the first of several unplanned experiences Amy has while visiting France.
Lies to her husband (he has no idea Amy has left their home in Phoenix while he's at work & is now on another continent), past secrets (was Kat merely just Amy's friend?), new friends (native Parisians who come to her rescue, Margaret - the older lady who wants to save Amy from herself), and multiple issues (who does Amy really love? How does one cope after the loss of her best friend? Eating disorders, grief, self-discovery) makes this an interesting book.
I really enjoyed seeing a side of Paris that I knew nothing about. I also enjoyed the growth Amy had near the end of the book. The ending was somewhat surprising, and I'm glad to know there's a sequel in the works. The writing is good, the characters are strong, and the storyline is fast, interesting, funny & sad all at the same time. I'm looking forward to the sequel to see if Amy's decisions she made were good for her - or not.
Once in Paris, nothing seems to go as Amy had planned. The "plan" that she had with Kat had every tiny detail planned - where to go, what to see, even what and where to eat. Obsessed with being skinny, Amy doesn't have time for buttery croissants and pastries that Paris is known for, but a chance meeting with an older, mature Paris transplant is the first of several unplanned experiences Amy has while visiting France.
Lies to her husband (he has no idea Amy has left their home in Phoenix while he's at work & is now on another continent), past secrets (was Kat merely just Amy's friend?), new friends (native Parisians who come to her rescue, Margaret - the older lady who wants to save Amy from herself), and multiple issues (who does Amy really love? How does one cope after the loss of her best friend? Eating disorders, grief, self-discovery) makes this an interesting book.
I really enjoyed seeing a side of Paris that I knew nothing about. I also enjoyed the growth Amy had near the end of the book. The ending was somewhat surprising, and I'm glad to know there's a sequel in the works. The writing is good, the characters are strong, and the storyline is fast, interesting, funny & sad all at the same time. I'm looking forward to the sequel to see if Amy's decisions she made were good for her - or not.
February 2, 2015
Although Amy is obsessed with her self imposed “Rules” the story is less about weight loss and more about life losses and how they shape us. In the confusion of grief after the death of her dear friend, Kat, Amy assesses her circumstances and sets about exploring her life’s what ifs?
Amy takes us with her as she impulsively flies off to Paris, leaving her husband William behind, and we take a decidedly un-touristy tour of the city noted for food and love. This is the perfect setting for Amy to come to terms with both.
The story is well paced with compelling characters, intriguing plot turns, rich imagery and vivid spot on descriptions of Amy’s internal world. I cared about Amy, William and, posthumously, Kat.
Yes, it is an easy read, and so it surprised me when Amy and her story reached deep into my being. I found “Rules for the Perpetual Diet” insightful, funny, sad, infuriating and profound.
You may find yourself contemplating your own life losses and choices. Do you ever really know the people you love? Do you ever really know yourself? The story and the characters resonate long after the last page.
This begs me to ask, when do we get the sequel?
Amy takes us with her as she impulsively flies off to Paris, leaving her husband William behind, and we take a decidedly un-touristy tour of the city noted for food and love. This is the perfect setting for Amy to come to terms with both.
The story is well paced with compelling characters, intriguing plot turns, rich imagery and vivid spot on descriptions of Amy’s internal world. I cared about Amy, William and, posthumously, Kat.
Yes, it is an easy read, and so it surprised me when Amy and her story reached deep into my being. I found “Rules for the Perpetual Diet” insightful, funny, sad, infuriating and profound.
You may find yourself contemplating your own life losses and choices. Do you ever really know the people you love? Do you ever really know yourself? The story and the characters resonate long after the last page.
This begs me to ask, when do we get the sequel?
Read
April 3, 2016I truly adored this book. But first of all, kudos to marketing! If the book still had its old title "Rules of the Perpetual Diet," I would not have added it to my to read list. Just the new title captured me!
Amy did what many women dream of (I certainly did): run away to some place as far from her current life as she could, to a place she and her recently deceased friend Kat always planned to go...... Paris. She didn't tell anyone she was going, not even her husband. She and Kat had packed for this trip years before and hidden the suitcases. Amy learns, after Kat succumbs to metastatic breast cancer, that Kat had put vouchers for plane tickets in Amy's bag and left a video telling her to go. Most of the story takes place in Paris, the places she stumbles upon and people she meets. The story is filled with pathos but also a lot of humor. Amy does everything her mother or her husband would never do including having an adventure in underground Paris. The ten days in Paris changes Amy in many ways.
This is the author's first novel but she is planning a sequel. Can't wait to read it!
Amy did what many women dream of (I certainly did): run away to some place as far from her current life as she could, to a place she and her recently deceased friend Kat always planned to go...... Paris. She didn't tell anyone she was going, not even her husband. She and Kat had packed for this trip years before and hidden the suitcases. Amy learns, after Kat succumbs to metastatic breast cancer, that Kat had put vouchers for plane tickets in Amy's bag and left a video telling her to go. Most of the story takes place in Paris, the places she stumbles upon and people she meets. The story is filled with pathos but also a lot of humor. Amy does everything her mother or her husband would never do including having an adventure in underground Paris. The ten days in Paris changes Amy in many ways.
This is the author's first novel but she is planning a sequel. Can't wait to read it!
November 28, 2015
I'm not sure that's ever happened to me before - loved a book whose ending I hated. (I have a preference for how Part 2 goes). But I did stay up until the wee hours to finish it so that tells you something.
The author made me rediscover Paris. I delighted in the descriptions of some of the familiar (and some less familiar) places. Her observations and descriptions are stunning - her writing, magical.
And that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to give away any spoilers. I'm glad I read the book, if only to marvel at the skill in which Burns brings characters and situations to life. Well done!
The author made me rediscover Paris. I delighted in the descriptions of some of the familiar (and some less familiar) places. Her observations and descriptions are stunning - her writing, magical.
And that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to give away any spoilers. I'm glad I read the book, if only to marvel at the skill in which Burns brings characters and situations to life. Well done!
March 19, 2018
I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. Although the story was unique and had an unpredictable plot I found it really hard to read. I put it down several times and had to force myself to pick it back up again.
I simply didn't care for Amy, who was an unlikable heroine. She cheated on her husband with her now-dead best friend. I found her marriage weird as I did so much of the story. I did not understand the point of Margaret or where that storyline was supposed to be going.
The whole book was depressing without any redeeming qualities.
I simply didn't care for Amy, who was an unlikable heroine. She cheated on her husband with her now-dead best friend. I found her marriage weird as I did so much of the story. I did not understand the point of Margaret or where that storyline was supposed to be going.
The whole book was depressing without any redeeming qualities.
February 2, 2018
It’s hard to pigeon-hole this book into a particular genre, certainly not the chic-lit one you might assume simply from a glance at the title and cover. It starts off with a familiar enough scenario, someone, Amy, coming to terms with the loss of a close friend and one-time lover, Kat, and the gaps and emptiness in their life when the person they knew and loved is prematurely no longer a part of it.
Written from the perspective of the central character, Amy, this is almost an adult coming of age story, encompassing elements of self-discovery and fulfilling dreams and ambitions with the initial scenario of Kat’s death simply being the catalyst for everything that follows, from the frantic and secret preparation of her clandestine trip, the shock of falling prey to a bag thief, learning the truth about the wonderful characters she meets along the way, and almost being arrested in the underground Parisian catacombs.
Although told in a roughly chronological order, much of the story is inter-spaced with flashbacks to personal episodes in Amy’s life and relationships and when Amy’s mind wanders off in other directions from the main story, giving the perspective a sort of ‘stream of consciousness’ feel to it much like that of a Virgina Wolf novel.
I must admit this wouldn’t be my usual choice of genre but the description was enough to intrigue me and from there the writing and the way the author developed and delved into Amy’s character held my interest. I liked the very real and ‘rounded’ image I got of Amy and her best friend, Kat; we see that they’re far from perfect, even with a few traits one could easily dislike either or both of them for, something that can often be difficult to achieve with a first-person perspective when talking about ourselves and those we love or admire. Amy, as we learn, is someone paranoid about her weight having once been grossly obese, and her numerous references to her equally numerous self-imposed dietary rules for staying slim are a running theme through the book, giving lots insights into her character and behaviour as well as adding some nice touches of humour throughout as well as adding meaning to nice funny little twist at the end.
There were a couple of aspects that didn’t quite work for me where I had to slightly suspend disbelief: I wasn’t convinced by the idea of taking off on a transatlantic journey in the belief you could have such an adventure without anyone knowing, like wagging the afternoon off school to go to the pictures, and the idea of keeping up the pretence by phone, believing that her husband could be fooled into thinking he’s speaking to his wife from home instead of from across the Atlantic - I’m not sure what the calling protocols are in the US but I imagine you still have to input international dialling codes for transatlantic calls - I just think for sheer plausibility it might have worked better with Amy perhaps leaving a note or communicating a message in some other way saying she needed time away on her own on account of her friend’s death, but again, minor details I’m probably being over picky about and certainly nothing that impacted on my enjoyment.
Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable story - well written, good characterisation, nice touches of humour, and an odd sort of feel-good factor to it as you almost ‘will’ Amy to fulfill her dreams and hope that everything turns out for the best. Will definitely be reading any further adventures the author may have in store for Amy …
Written from the perspective of the central character, Amy, this is almost an adult coming of age story, encompassing elements of self-discovery and fulfilling dreams and ambitions with the initial scenario of Kat’s death simply being the catalyst for everything that follows, from the frantic and secret preparation of her clandestine trip, the shock of falling prey to a bag thief, learning the truth about the wonderful characters she meets along the way, and almost being arrested in the underground Parisian catacombs.
Although told in a roughly chronological order, much of the story is inter-spaced with flashbacks to personal episodes in Amy’s life and relationships and when Amy’s mind wanders off in other directions from the main story, giving the perspective a sort of ‘stream of consciousness’ feel to it much like that of a Virgina Wolf novel.
I must admit this wouldn’t be my usual choice of genre but the description was enough to intrigue me and from there the writing and the way the author developed and delved into Amy’s character held my interest. I liked the very real and ‘rounded’ image I got of Amy and her best friend, Kat; we see that they’re far from perfect, even with a few traits one could easily dislike either or both of them for, something that can often be difficult to achieve with a first-person perspective when talking about ourselves and those we love or admire. Amy, as we learn, is someone paranoid about her weight having once been grossly obese, and her numerous references to her equally numerous self-imposed dietary rules for staying slim are a running theme through the book, giving lots insights into her character and behaviour as well as adding some nice touches of humour throughout as well as adding meaning to nice funny little twist at the end.
There were a couple of aspects that didn’t quite work for me where I had to slightly suspend disbelief: I wasn’t convinced by the idea of taking off on a transatlantic journey in the belief you could have such an adventure without anyone knowing, like wagging the afternoon off school to go to the pictures, and the idea of keeping up the pretence by phone, believing that her husband could be fooled into thinking he’s speaking to his wife from home instead of from across the Atlantic - I’m not sure what the calling protocols are in the US but I imagine you still have to input international dialling codes for transatlantic calls - I just think for sheer plausibility it might have worked better with Amy perhaps leaving a note or communicating a message in some other way saying she needed time away on her own on account of her friend’s death, but again, minor details I’m probably being over picky about and certainly nothing that impacted on my enjoyment.
Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable story - well written, good characterisation, nice touches of humour, and an odd sort of feel-good factor to it as you almost ‘will’ Amy to fulfill her dreams and hope that everything turns out for the best. Will definitely be reading any further adventures the author may have in store for Amy …
August 24, 2018
Loved this book! Not quite sure why I thought it was so great.... The spur of the moment, the mental health problems with food, the characters she met in Paris... It all came together so nicely, although the last like 5 chapters I was not a fan of. It went by too quick, going home, calling Will, finding Will, going back to the airport, calling Will and deciding to go back to Paris. Why wouldn't she have just stayed in Paris and got a phone to call him OR wait till the next day when Will was done with his pub crawl and talk to him. The ending did not make much sense, but I loved the little adventures in Paris!
May 2, 2020
Congratulations "Rules for the Perpetual Diet"; you are officially maybe the first book that not only did I did not finish, but I hated enough that I marked it as read on GD, just to review-vent.
"Rules for the Perpetual Diet" is about Amy, a girl with self-image issues, who used to be a fat child, and her relationships with both her husband, and her now deceased best-friend. The need to escape her life essencially takes her to Paris, where she presumably has a carthetic experience and learns valuable life lessons. I would not know, as I dropped the book just as she reached the city of lights. Ironically, the recounting of her arrival felt like really tacky airport literature, with Paris described as charicaturesquely as possible, and including the presence of obnoxious, unculturedwalking stereotypes . Sorry, I meant to say "Americans".
But the real reason I dropped the book was not the first five pages of a discription of Paris that, as a European, made me feel uncomfortable (the character is astounded by things as complex as baguettes), but rather how amazingly annoying Amy was. Amy is portrayed as some kind of misunderstood martyr -- her loving husband likes some rules, such as having dinner at a certain time (this is pretty much his only character flaw, that he is too organized)! Poor Amy!! - even though she literally has no real problems of her own. If anything, her life is too perfect. But even her attempt to rebel is kind of lame - a week's vacation in PARIS, of all places? That's not particularly inspired, or rebelious.
Amy's main character arc is that she is . Now, this struck a never with me, as I really hate the trope, which, additioanlly, is poorly handled to say the least. This could have been a very interesting book about
Instead, the MC just comes accross as really mean, because she has a very loving and supportive husband (organized, likes having sex with her, likes talking to her and asking for opinions, appreciates her cooking, is a shoulder while her BFF has cancer....), that she takes completely for granted and consistenly blows off. She literally acknowledges within the first few pages she just married him because she had a pregnancy scare --- but they'd been married for years! If she was so dissatisfied with the relationship, wouldn't it be better for both, and much much fairer for the husband if they parted ways? Especially as he is so kind, in general, that it is sad that she doesn't see him as deserving of love. (I checked the end of the book, and this bit is, at least, addressed, though once again the MC appears to shrug it off fairly quickly). But, instead, the MC cheats on him -- and has sex with a person she knows he is insecure about and who is still in love with her, but for whom Amy admits she would never leave her husband for!! Wtf Amy??
Not to mention that Amy is a total Mary Sue: she doesn't say jokes, I don't think she smiles during the entire 150 pages I read, she lacks any kind of career ambitions, and she has absolutely no proactive thinking. Heck, she only even goes to Paris because her best friend made her. Amy just reacts to stuff, and never acts on anything. By comparison, Bella Swan is Alex, from A Clockward Orange, regarding character complexity.
Lastly, this book kinda spoke to me because of the eating disorder aspect. The Rules for the Perpetual Diet are very interestingly portrayed, but they get tiresome after a few chapters, as literally barely two pages go by wihtout her mentioning them. While, as someone who once struggled, I understand that this makes sense in context to demonstrate obssessiveness, it makes the reading a bit duller. At the same time, the author focuses on just too many issues with the MC, that make it a bit too difficult to take her eating disorder seriously. I mean - she has an ED, , a dead best friend and is confused about her sexuality, wants to escape to Paris for the sake of adventuring. Like dude! Author person, just pick a couple. The book/plot is not cohesive at all, and it'd make way more sense if KSR Burns simply focused on a few subjects and did them well. And it's sad, because the book really does have potential, had it been addressed properly. But the way it is, it kinda seems like the author is saying that the messed up past made Amy 1) fat, 2) gay. It makes no sense to connect these themes.
"Rules for the Perpetual Diet" is about Amy, a girl with self-image issues, who used to be a fat child, and her relationships with both her husband, and her now deceased best-friend. The need to escape her life essencially takes her to Paris, where she presumably has a carthetic experience and learns valuable life lessons. I would not know, as I dropped the book just as she reached the city of lights. Ironically, the recounting of her arrival felt like really tacky airport literature, with Paris described as charicaturesquely as possible, and including the presence of obnoxious, uncultured
But the real reason I dropped the book was not the first five pages of a discription of Paris that, as a European, made me feel uncomfortable (the character is astounded by things as complex as baguettes), but rather how amazingly annoying Amy was. Amy is portrayed as some kind of misunderstood martyr -- her loving husband likes some rules, such as having dinner at a certain time (this is pretty much his only character flaw, that he is too organized)! Poor Amy!! - even though she literally has no real problems of her own. If anything, her life is too perfect. But even her attempt to rebel is kind of lame - a week's vacation in PARIS, of all places? That's not particularly inspired, or rebelious.
Amy's main character arc is that she is . Now, this struck a never with me, as I really hate the trope, which, additioanlly, is poorly handled to say the least. This could have been a very interesting book about
Instead, the MC just comes accross as really mean, because she has a very loving and supportive husband (organized, likes having sex with her, likes talking to her and asking for opinions, appreciates her cooking, is a shoulder while her BFF has cancer....), that she takes completely for granted and consistenly blows off. She literally acknowledges within the first few pages she just married him because she had a pregnancy scare --- but they'd been married for years! If she was so dissatisfied with the relationship, wouldn't it be better for both, and much much fairer for the husband if they parted ways? Especially as he is so kind, in general, that it is sad that she doesn't see him as deserving of love. (I checked the end of the book, and this bit is, at least, addressed, though once again the MC appears to shrug it off fairly quickly). But, instead, the MC cheats on him -- and has sex with a person she knows he is insecure about and who is still in love with her, but for whom Amy admits she would never leave her husband for!! Wtf Amy??
Not to mention that Amy is a total Mary Sue: she doesn't say jokes, I don't think she smiles during the entire 150 pages I read, she lacks any kind of career ambitions, and she has absolutely no proactive thinking. Heck, she only even goes to Paris because her best friend made her. Amy just reacts to stuff, and never acts on anything. By comparison, Bella Swan is Alex, from A Clockward Orange, regarding character complexity.
Lastly, this book kinda spoke to me because of the eating disorder aspect. The Rules for the Perpetual Diet are very interestingly portrayed, but they get tiresome after a few chapters, as literally barely two pages go by wihtout her mentioning them. While, as someone who once struggled, I understand that this makes sense in context to demonstrate obssessiveness, it makes the reading a bit duller. At the same time, the author focuses on just too many issues with the MC, that make it a bit too difficult to take her eating disorder seriously. I mean - she has an ED, , a dead best friend and is confused about her sexuality, wants to escape to Paris for the sake of adventuring. Like dude! Author person, just pick a couple. The book/plot is not cohesive at all, and it'd make way more sense if KSR Burns simply focused on a few subjects and did them well. And it's sad, because the book really does have potential, had it been addressed properly. But the way it is, it kinda seems like the author is saying that the messed up past made Amy 1) fat, 2) gay. It makes no sense to connect these themes.
July 9, 2018
What started out a a fun read, took a weird twist with the promotion of the LBGQ agenda. Too bad.
June 9, 2016
It had the Paris effect on me! Perfect holiday read.
I was actually in Paris when I read this and the descriptions of the city and its way of life were spot-on. Beware the string men! I thought I knew Paris well but I’ve never before been on a chilling tour of the illegal catacombs and loved the thrills – from the safety of my armchair. I found Amy both endearing and irritating but was drawn into her adventures, curious to find out what would happen to her and what choices she would make.
I see Amy as a romantic character trapped in an anti-romantic life. Her rules on dieting add a little chic-lit lightness to the emotional conflict caused by the possessive love shown by her husband and by her best friend, who both seem to know what Amy should be doing. Paris alone as somewhere to have adventures and find out who you are and what you want, is a chance for any reader to go on the same journey – and it’s a surprising ride.
The ending was what I hoped for and leaves room for the next instalment – I will definitely continue reading.
I was actually in Paris when I read this and the descriptions of the city and its way of life were spot-on. Beware the string men! I thought I knew Paris well but I’ve never before been on a chilling tour of the illegal catacombs and loved the thrills – from the safety of my armchair. I found Amy both endearing and irritating but was drawn into her adventures, curious to find out what would happen to her and what choices she would make.
I see Amy as a romantic character trapped in an anti-romantic life. Her rules on dieting add a little chic-lit lightness to the emotional conflict caused by the possessive love shown by her husband and by her best friend, who both seem to know what Amy should be doing. Paris alone as somewhere to have adventures and find out who you are and what you want, is a chance for any reader to go on the same journey – and it’s a surprising ride.
The ending was what I hoped for and leaves room for the next instalment – I will definitely continue reading.
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