Synopses & Reviews
Tired of Provence in books, cuisine, and tablecloths? Exhausted from your armchair travels to Paris? Despairing of ever finding a place that speaks to you beyond reason? You are ripe for a journey to Brittany, where author Mark Greenside reluctantly travels, eats of the crand#234;pes, and finds a second life. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; When Mark Greenside -- a native New Yorker living in California, doubting (not-as-trusting-as Thomas, downwardly mobile, political lefty, writer, and lifelong skeptic -- is dragged by his girlfriend to a tiny Celtic village in Brittany at the westernmost edge of France, in Finistand#232;re, "the end of the world," his life begins to change. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; In a playful, headlong style, and with enormous affection for the Bretons, Greenside tells how he makes a life for himself in a country where he doesn't speak the language or know how things are done. Against his personal inclinations and better judgments, he places his trust in the villagers he encounters -- neighbors, workers, acquaintances -- and is consistently won over and surprised as he manages and survives day-to-day trials: from opening a bank account and buying a house to removing a beehive from the chimney -- in other words, learning the cultural ropes, living with neighbors, and making new friends. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;iandgt;I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do)andlt;/iandgt; is a beginning and a homecoming for Greenside, as his father's family emigrated from France. It is a memoir about fitting in, not standing out; being part of something larger, not being separate from it; following, not leading. It explores the joys and adventures of living a double life.
Review
"Mark Greenside has written a sweet, evocative book about the pleasures and perplexities of buying and owning a house in a small town in France. It's a funny, enlightening journey. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip." -- Richard Goodman, author of andlt;iandgt;French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of Franceandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"This tale of how one man accidentally becomes a thoroughly integrated member of a French village is funny, insightful, and winningly self-deprecatory. (My favorite character may be the nervous insurance agent.) And Mark Greenside's version of rudimentary spoken French is actually a good demonstration of how to communicate in a language you don't know!" -- Lydia Davis, author of andlt;iandgt;Varieties of Disturbance: Storiesandlt;/iandgt; and translator of andlt;iandgt;In Search of Lost Timeandlt;/iandgt; by Marcel Proust
Review
"A light, lighthearted, occasionally very funny romp through a region of France not well represented in the travel literature. With his fresh eye and self-deprecating wit, Greenside sketches a wry, cautionary tale for all those of us who are tempted by adventures in foreign real estate." -- Michael Sanders, author of andlt;iandgt;From Here, You Can't See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurantandlt;/iandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"One of the nicest of the trillions of books about France." -- Diane Johnson, author of L'Affaire, Le Mariage, and Le Divorce
Review
"One of the nicest of the trillions of books about France." -- Diane Johnson, author of andlt;iandgt;L'Affaireandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Le Mariageandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Le Divorceandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
In a story that stands above the throngs of travel memoirs, full of gorgeous descriptions of Brittany and at times hysterical encounters with the locals, Mark Greenside describes his initially reluctant travels in this heartwarming story (San Francisco Chronicle) where he discovers a second life. When Mark Greenside--a native New Yorker living in California, political lefty, writer, and lifelong skeptic--is dragged by his girlfriend to a tiny Celtic village in Brittany at the westernmost edge of France in Finist re, or what he describes as the end of the world, his life begins to change.
In a playful, headlong style, and with enormous affection for the Bretons, Greenside shares how he makes a life for himself in a country where he doesn't speak the language or understand the culture. He gradually places his trust in the villagers he encounters--neighbors, workers, acquaintances--and he's consistently won over and surprised as he manages to survive day-to-day trials. From opening a bank account and buying a house to removing a beehive from the chimney, he begins to learn the cultural ropes, live among his neighbors, and make new friends.
Until he came to this town, Greenside was lost, moving through life without a plan, already in his 40s with little money and no house. He lived as a skeptic who seldom trusts others and has an inclination to be alone. So when he settles into the rhythm of this new French culture--against the backdrop of Brittany's streets surrounded by gorgeous architecture and breathtaking landscapes--not only does he find a home and meaningful relationships in this French countryside, he finds himself.
I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do) is both a new beginning and a homecoming for Greenside. It is a memoir about fitting in, not standing out; being part of something larger, not being separate from it; following, not leading. It explores the joys and adventures of living a double life. He has never regretted his journey and, as he advises to those searching for their next adventure, neither will you.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Mark Greensideandlt;/Bandgt; holds B.S. and M.A. degrees from the andlt;st1:placeandgt;andlt;st1:placetypeandgt;Universityandlt;/st1:placetypeandgt; of andlt;st1:placenameandgt;Wisconsinandlt;/st1:placenameandgt;andlt;/st1:placeandgt;. He has been a civil rights activist, Vietnam War protestor, anti-draft counselor, Vista Volunteer, union leader, and college professor. His stories have appeared in andlt;iandgt;The Sunandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Literary Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Cimarron Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Nebraska Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Beloit Fiction Journalandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The New Laurel Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Crosscurrentsandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Five Fingers Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;The Long Storyandlt;/iandgt;, as well as other journals and magazines, and heandnbsp;is the author of the short story collection, andlt;iandgt;I Saw a Man Hit His Wifeandlt;/iandgt;.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;He presently lives in andlt;st1:cityandgt;Alamedaandlt;/st1:cityandgt;, andlt;st1:stateandgt;Californiaandlt;/st1:stateandgt;, where he continues to teach and be politically active, and andlt;st1:stateandgt;Brittanyandlt;/st1:stateandgt;, andlt;st1:placeandgt;andlt;st1:country-regionandgt;Franceandlt;/st1:country-regionandgt;andlt;/st1:placeandgt;, where he still canand#8217;t do anything without asking for help.
Table of Contents
I
Getting There
There
Market Day
Pardon Moi
Fête Nautique
Buying a House
II
The Oil Guys
The Floor Guy
The Insurance Guy
Martin and Jean
III
A Day in the Life
The New Yorker in Me
Île Callot
The Police
Bon Anniversaire to Me
Two Loves, Two Lives
Acknowledgments