Almost French

Sarah Turnbul‛s stint in Paris was only supposed to last a week. Chance had brought Sarah and Frédéric together in Bucharest, and on impulse she decides to take him up on his offer to visit him in the worl‛s most romantic city. Sacrificing Vegemite for vichyssoise, the feisty journalist does her best to fit in, although her conversation, her laugh, and even her wardrobe advertise her foreign status.

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

“Â…a love song to Paris and France, yes, but a love song in a minor keyÂ…Sarah Turnbull seems to have gotten a lot closer to the real thing than most of us who will always be on the outside looking in..”

--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World

“Â…jewels of insight—and the book shines with them—make Almost French a worthy read. Turnbul‛s story will entertain, and edify, both armchair travelers and those of us nutty enough to try living here”

--Joe Ray, The Boston Globe

“Turnbul‛s memoir is a charming, insightful meditation”

--USA Today

“Â…full of honest ups and downsÂ…its explorations of the“cultural quicksan” Turnbull gradually adapts to are fascinating. I hope to visit Paris one day, and am grateful to learn so many ways to avoid being an ugly American”

--Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer

“Yo‛ll love this true story of a woman who left her life behind for a sexy foreigner”

--Cosmopolitan

“Anyone who finds herself in a situation like Turnbul‛sÂ…will be luckier; sh‛ll have Turnbul‛s warm, clear prose to soothe frayed nerves”

–Newsday

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.