A Year in the Merde

A Year in the Merde, by Stephen Clarke. Funny, light, entertaining and easy to read. If you are in the mood to take a humorous (very British) trip to Paris or reminisce about a past adventure, you will enjoy this read.  The "merde" exudes multiple meanings. The story is told through the eyes of "Pol" (Paul), a British twentysomething that moves to Paris to open tea rooms for a very questionable character named Jean-Marie. Paul inevitably steps in merde (of the doggie nature) and other kinds, at every turn, symbolic of his difficult new life in Paris.  The reader follows Paul through his romantic adventures or misadventures, and work life, where work is accomplished in little bits between strikes, vacations and coffee breaks. Paul both loves, hates and is bewildered by the French. If you like British authors, (think Peter Mayle, Nick Hornby) and would like to take a little trip abroad, get out your passport and be ready to laugh out loud! (And yes ladies, Hugh Grant could definitely play the part of Paul if this were a movie!)