Two of our most famous Francophile expatriats muse of the good life they've created for themselves both in Paris and Provence. Patricia's narrative was much stronger than Walter's, but like any good working partnership, they clearly are in love with their work, with France, and with one another. We are merely along for the ride. ( )

good inside information from the perspective of "Americans in Paris."

I expected this to be an Americans in Paris story, something in the vein of Adam Gopnik's [Paris to the Moon], a book I much enjoyed for its gentle humour and insights into French culture.

Instead this book, which is essentially an autobiography of time spent in France by Patricia and Walter Wells, reads much like a very long newspaper story. This should perhaps not be too surprising, since they are both newspaper reporters.

They are both very hardworking Americans, he poured most of his life into long hours at the International Herald Tribune, she poured her energies into a huge number of restaurant reviews, later accompanied by a well-received book about French food, more books about French cooking, and eventually by her running a cooking school.

Unfortunately, having put so much of their energies into print in other places, they seem to have very little left for the story of their lives in France. What remains is mostly a story of working really hard, the (re)building of their houses in Paris and Provence, and some of her favourite recipies.

You kind of get a sense of distance in this book, of not quite getting to know them. You can guess that they must be interesting people, given their friendships with various famous chefs including Julia Child, but you have to deduce that, it's not evident in the text. There isn't even much passion for France in the book, it's mostly stories of workmen (some reliable, some not) and neighbours (most annoying, it seems). The only time you get some sense of their enjoyment of France is in the chapter about shopkeepers (the butcher, etc.) that they like.

Basically they worked their way onto the New York Times, and then used good connections and an incredible amount of hard work to succeed and build a pleasant life in France with interesting friends, good food, and nice houses, but I have to say you get more of a sense of the incessant (and typically American) drumbeat of work work work from this book, than you get of them actually enjoying themselves.

I would only recommend this book if you're really interested in Patricia Wells because you've enjoyed her food books or some other aspect of her prolific output, this will add a small piece to your understanding of her, but I have to say you probably get more of her heart and soul from her food books (I expect, I haven't read any of them) than you will from this rather workmanlike news report of her life. ( )

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