The charming true story of a spirited young woman who finds adventure--and the love of her life--in Paris.

"This isn't like me. I'm not the sort of girl who crosses continents to meet up with a man she hardly knows. Paris hadn't even been part of my travel plan..."

A delightful, fresh twist on the travel memoir, Almost French takes us on a tour that is fraught with culture clashes but rife with deadpan humor. Sarah Turnbull's stint in Paris was only supposed to last a week. Chance had brought Sarah and Frdric together in Bucharest, and on impulse she decided to take him up on his offer to visit him in the world's most romantic city. Sacrificing Vegemite for vichyssoise, the feisty Sydney journalist does her best to fit in, although her conversation, her laugh, and even her wardrobe advertise her foreigner status.

But as she navigates the highs and lows of this strange new world, from life in a bustling quatier and surviving Parisian dinner parties to covering the haute couture fashion shows and discovering the hard way the paradoxes of France today, little by little Sarah falls under its spell: maddening, mysterious, and charged with that French specialty-sduction.

An entertaining tale of being a fish out of water, Almost French is an enthralling read as Sarah Turnbull leads us on a magical tour of this seductive place-and culture-that has captured her heart.

"[A]n engaging, endearing view of the people and places of France." Publishers Weekly

"In an unpretentious manner, the strong yet empathetic Turnbull relates the transition from her Australian home to a new life with her French fiance, adding a good twist of dry, self-deprecating humor." Library Journal

"An engaging story of a sometimes rocky but ultimately affectionate relationship with another culture." Kirkus Reviews

A delightful, fresh twist on the travel memoir, "Almost French "takes readers on a tour that is fraught with culture clashes but rife with deadpan humor. On every page, the tour guide is falling more deeply in love, not just with her French boyfriend, but with her newly adopted country.

A delightful, fresh twist on the travel memoir, Almost French takes readers on a tour that is fraught with culture clashes but rife with deadpan humor — and on every page, the tour guide is falling more deeply in love, not just with her French boyfriend, but with her newly adopted country.

Sarah Turnbull's stint in Paris was only supposed to last a week. Chance had brought Sarah and Frederic together in Bucharest, and on impulse she decided to take him up on his offer to visit him in the world's most romantic city. Sacrificing Vegemite for vichyssoise, the feisty Sydney journalist does her best to fit in, although her conversation, her laugh, and her wardrobe all advertise her foreigner status. The reality of living in France turns out to be dramatically different from her expectations, yet she finds herself unable to resist Paris's maddening, mysterious charm. Bit by bit she discovers the paradoxes of French life the hard way, and learns to survive Parisian dinner parties. Her journalism career starts to flourish as she learns to cover — and dress for — the haute couture fashion shows. An entertaining tale of being a fish out of water in one of the world's most magical cities, Almost French is sure to enchant both seasoned and armchair travelers who have made Frances Mayes and Peter Mayle such phenomenally bestselling authors.

Journalist Sarah Turnbull moved to France from Sydney in the mid 1990s. Her articles appear regularly in a variety of magazines, such as Marie Claire, for which she is a contributing editor. She lives in Paris with her husband, Frdric.