Hello fellow readers! Welcome to my stop on the tour for One Exquisite Night in Paris hosted by Pump Up Your Book
Title: One Exquisite Night in Paris
Author: Andre Phillip-Hautecoeur
Publisher: Hautecoeur Press
Published: November 30 2013
Source: Received from author in exchange for honest review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 198
My Rating: 3 Stars
Add on Goodreads: To Read Shelf
Syopsis:
It’s a real story. A boy-meets-girl version of a girl-meets-boy story where she’s from Paris and doesn’t speak any English, while he’s from New York and speaks no French, and they only have one amazing thing in common. It’s a story for all who have yet to experience the most amazing night of their lives; a night impossible to live anywhere else but Paris…purposefully the most wonderfully enchanting city in the entire world. Enchantment, fantasy, luxury and fairytale all converge in only two places; once in our dreams and once when our dreams meet Paris. It all distills into one perfect night; "the most amazing night of your life" creating a perfect memory which lasts, and lasts forever. Everyone should live the perfect fantasy of “One Exquisite Night in Paris."
Melissa's Musings:
My first thought on this book is that the writing style is certainly unique. It doesn't so much tell a story as weave bits and pieces of the author's journey of his relationship with his wife together. At first I was bothered by the style, because it didn't feel concrete. As I kept reading I got used to it, and rather enjoyed the uniqueness of it.
The book dealt a lot with the struggle to bridge cultural gaps, which can be difficult in any mutlinational relationship. I can relate on a small level given that I am from the US and my fiance is Canadian, but I'm quite thankful that we don't have the language barrier that the author and his wife did. It put a major strain on their relationship and caused some problems. At the same time, I enjoyed the details the author used to demonstrate how love transcends language. You can tell in his descriptions of their first meeting that this was truly a love at first sight encounter.
The book had a first person perspective, but I also felt that I got enough of Eff, and Prisce's opinions and views on things that I didn't feel that the book was lacking in that regard. I have to admit that I did not realize that this was a true story until after I started reading it. I don't think it changed my reading of the story all that much, but it certainly does explain the unique writing style.
As I mentioned previously, the book jumps around a lot. First they are celebrating one thing or another with a fine meal or at a restaurant in New York. Then the author is describing the beauty and history of Paris. Anyone who wants a story that centers around historical events and descriptions of Paris will love this book. The author's enthusiasm and love of Paris is also quite apparent in his descriptions and fascination with creating the "One Exquisite Night in Paris"
To be honest I felt kind of let down by the fact that there was all this buildup to the "One Exquisite Night in Paris." I felt like I had already gotten enough of the French scene in the author's descriptions of his own experiences and the interpretations of his experiences in Paris with his wife. In that respect, I wish that the story had focused even more on Eff's adjustment to life in New York, and their adjustment to finally being together.
While quest for the perfect night in Paris was a bit of a letdown for me personally, I did enjoy the overall story. It was refreshing to see the story told in such a bold, precise, sure way. I would definitely recommend this book.
About the Author:
Andre Phillip-Hautecoeur defines himself as, “…not a writer really.” He simply had an
urge to write something about Paris.
It’s the city exactly at the intersection of romance, history, fantasy and enchantment;
everyone faces Paris in some form of a dream. He came to know and love Paris hanging
onto the hem of his wife’s skirt. She’s Parisian, she’s everything French without
constraint; she makes understanding all of Parisness a pleasure. An understanding which
made him want to write.
Together they make home between New York and Paris. Shuttling back and forth
continues to be the ultimate dream.
His latest book is the contemporary romance, One Exquisite Paris Night.
Visit his blog at www.ExquisiteNightinParis.blogspot.com.
Connect & Socialize with Andre
1 comment:
Elements sound good, it is a shame that overall it was a let down. Great review Melissa :)
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