Paris Match: Falling in (love) with the French

by John von Sothen

In Brooklyn, John von Sothen fell in love with Anaïs, a French waitress. And then, one night in Paris, on the Pont Neuf, she agreed to marry him ("Bah, we can always get divorced!"). A couple of decades in, the two have become quatre, living in their beloved 10th arondissement with teenage kids who chat to their African neighbours in fluent Parisian slang, and John has even become kind of French himself. Well, he likes to think he has. The family still see him as an American innocent abroad.

Paris Match is one of those rare books that makes you laugh out loud, as von Sothen attempts to understand what makes the French tick. Why do they take such long holidays with friends who ration snacks and mock you for sleeping in; why do French men turn to him (an American!) for fashion tips; what really is the correct way to cut brie, and how do you tell if you're being invited to a super-exclusive secret society of intellectuals or a weird sex club? John von Sothen has found most of the answers and in this delightful, witty book shares his experience, insights and humour into the fine art of becoming everyday French.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2021

About the author

John von Sothen is an American columnist living in Paris, where he covers entertainment and society issues for French Vanity Fair. Von Sothen has written for both the American and French GQ, Slate, Newsweek, Libération, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Observer; he has written for TV at Canal+ and MTV; and he is now penning a column for Air Mail, an online weekly started by former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter. Von Sothen often does voice-overs in English for French perfumes and luxury brands, occasionally performs stand-up comedy at The New York Comedy Night in the SoGymnase Comedy Club in Paris (in French and English), and is a routine guest on the French radio station Europe 1 discussing all things US related.

Reviews

[RySack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite taking a little while to read, Paris Match was a good fun read, quirky and humorous, and one that could be worked through in instalments, offering light relief from other books on the go.

I thoroughly enjoyed the frenchisms thrown in, the occasional new phrases I learned, and the tips for living there. Who knows, it could prove useful one day.

I hope John von Sothen writes more!

8/10

[Valerio Brogni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like an airport novel, but I guess that's intended.
Apart from the (minor) French inaccuracies, the thing that irked me the most was the author himself. In an attempt to describe himself as silly, he comes across more like an idiot.
Poor wife